2023 has been a great year. It was hard to look back and come up with a list of “top” moments, because honestly there were countless moments at every event. But, we tried our best to narrow it down. Here are 10 moments in no particular order that really stood out and made this year memorable.
Thank you to every single person who signed up and joined us at any event this year. Top moments and memories happen because you decide to trust us with your race experience, we hope we delivered. And we hope to see you again in 2024!
1. Outgrowing the venue at Waterloo G+G.
In 2022, when we wrapped up our first production of Waterloo G+G, we knew that we had an event that was really special. Having been in the triathlon space, Waterloo was our first bike-only event. We didn’t know what to expect, but we were welcomed by the cycling community and we had a blast! Waterloo is our first event of the season and it’s the perfect race to kick off our year. It’s a fun event, with great participants and a fun post-ride atmosphere.
This year, for the second year in a row, we SOLD OUT Waterloo G+G. Not only that, but we literally did not have a single parking spot left in the venue to hold another cyclist. This caused us to have to search for another location to host the start/finish area for 2024. However, these are welcomed growing pains and we are thrilled to host the race at Robin Hill Farm next year and continue to grow Waterloo G+G even more!
2. The return of the BIG RIDE.
Gran Fondo is an iconic event; for years it has been West Michigan’s signature cycling event. When the opportunity came to bring this beloved ride into the Tris4Health family, we knew we could not pass it up. It was an honor to carry on the legacy of the former event, but bring it forward under a new name: Grand Rapids Gran Fondo.
From watching cyclists come and pick up their packet at 21 Monroe Live, to the VIP dinner with our celebrity riders Brent Bookwalter and Christian Vande Velde, to waking up event morning seeing our logo shown on the big screen in front of Van Andel Arena, the magnitude of the event was never lost on us. We shut down the heart of downtown Grand Rapids for thousands of cyclists and spectators, watched them take off from the starting line and then welcomed them back with an EPIC post-ride party with great food, drinks and live music. June 24, 2023 will always be a special day for us. We can’t wait to see where this event can go!
3. Having a Wish Kid from Make-A-Wish Michigan officially kick off the Grand Rapids Triathlon weekend.
GRTri partners with Make-A-Wish Michigan and the Make-A-Wish Dream Team to raise funds that grant wishes to children fighting critical illnesses. From the generosity of our participants, we have collectively raised tens of thousands of dollars throughout the years for this amazing organization. This year, we had the incredible privilege of welcoming a Wish Kid to the event to kick us off with the starting horn!
4. The rush of seeing the peloton from the 80-mile group come through the finish together at full speed at Grand Rapids Gran Fondo.
What a privilege to have Brent Bookwalter and Christian Vande Velde toe the starting line at Grand Rapids Gran Fondo to lead the 80-mile course out to Lake Michigan and back. With over 460 riders signed up for that longest distance, this was a large group. As the event continued, cyclists from the shorter distances trickled in here and there. At about the three and a half hours mark, the rumbling of the peloton came rushing back to downtown Grand Rapids. Over 50 cyclists came roaring back to cross the finish line. It was a sight to see!
5. Having an ugly dog appearance at Ugly Dog Gravel Triathlon.
The iconic logo for Ugly Dog Gravel Triathlon is designed to match that of Ugly Dog Distillery in Chelsea, Michigan. As they have graciously partnered with us from the event’s beginning, working with them is one of the reasons why this race is so unique. What other event brings you to a distillery during packet pickup where you can sample spirits? Or gifts you an engraved short glass and/or custom whiskey bottle with their cool dog logo for age group awards?
But this year, what made it a top moment for us was getting to see an “Ugly Dog” at the event! One of the race participants brought their dog with them to cheer them on from the sidelines. To our pleasant surprise, this dog was an exact replica of our Ugly Dog logo.
6. You SHOWED UP in huge numbers for the late night party at Michigan Titanium!
We pride ourselves on being athlete-focused and always try to improve on your experience at all of our events. Michigan Titanium, as an independent and unbranded 140.6-mile event, is no exception. The finish-line atmosphere for the final ultra-distance finishers was one area we knew we needed to do better. So, we came up with a crazy idea: give out a huge discount on next year’s registration, but only for those who return back to the venue close to midnight to stay and cheer on the remaining ultra-distance athletes.
When we asked this of our participants, we honestly didn’t know what to expect. After a long day of racing, especially on a Sunday, would anyone want to come back that late at night? We had well over 100 people come back for the final hours of MiTi for the discount and many more than that stay for the late night party! We had hotdogs on the grill, the beer tent was stocked and people lined the finish line chute, cheering as every remaining athlete crossed the line and officially became a TITAN. The energy was off the charts, the support was immense and it truly was a moment we will never forget. We look forward to making the late night party a new MiTi tradition.
7. Announcing four more events to the Tris4Health family for 2024!
The family is growing in 2024. As the incredible Ron Knoll with Superior Multisport LLC, announced his retirement, we were entrusted with Ron’s beloved events. We are thrilled to expand into the lakeshore in 2024 with Bear Lake Triathlon and Grand Haven Triathlon as well as our first marathon event with the Armed Services Marathon, Half Marathon and 5K. For years, Ron and his team have put on these three phenomenal events with passion and heart and it is an honor to continue his legacy and welcome them to the T4H family.
We also announced the addition of Luton Park Time Trial next year, which will be our first mountain bike race. Based out of Luton Park in Rockford, Matt Schmuker and team created this event as a way to raise funds and awareness for Pitt Hopkins syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that causes developmental, intellectual and physical changes in children. As Schmuker’s seven-year-old daughter has this disorder, since the inaugural event, Luton Park TT has raised $30,000 for the Pitt Hopkins Research Foundation. It features an eight-mile loop of single-track routes, which entices all experience levels of mountain bikers from beginners to elite and expert cyclists.
8. Beer tent, Fireball and live music at Rode To Hell, what more could you ask for?
This year marked the second annual Rode To Hell Gravel Bike Race. Taking place in October, Rode To Hell is our final event of the season and it’s such a fun race to end the year on. Given the time of year, the gravel roads are bursting with color as it’s peak foliage time for the changing of the fall leaves, so the venue itself as well as all of the courses are beautiful. After participants enjoy their ride and make it back from either purgatory or Hell, we welcome them back with a fun post-race party! Rode To Hell has great food, a fun beer tent, which includes a congratulatory shot of Fireball, a talented band of live music as well as fire pits with s’mores! The energy all around at this race is a fantastic vibe and the perfect way to cap off a successful Tris4Health season.
9. The HexArmor High Five!
This year, Michigan Titanium was honored to welcome HexArmor as the new official title sponsor. As a local West Michigan-based company, who put health and safety at the forefront of their customers, HexArmor was a perfect fit to partner with MiTi and help create an even more dynamic athlete-focused race experience. However, HexArmor blew us away when they presented us with the HexArmor “High Five.” They created a GIANT signature safety glove that we positioned right ahead of the finish line, where athletes could get a high five before crossing the finish. It was such a fun experience watching all of the athletes get excited slapping the glove. HexArmor understood the assignment and they delivered!
10. Crowning the second-ever Gravel Triathlon World Champion (of the Universe)!
The second annual Gravel Triathlon World Championship (of the Universe) took place this year again at The Dirty Mitten. Especially after what we witnessed (and the feedback we received) that Sager Road is a beast to get through on the Long One and Half Crazy courses. However, we really leaned into that this year and challenged anyone who was “crazy” enough to sign up for two laps of that monster gravel road. It’s not an easy feat, but we were thrilled to see some survivors and we officially crowned the second-ever Gravel Triathlon World Champion (of the Universe)! Congratulations to Ronaldo Serpa Ferreira of Shelby Township, Michigan, who was crowned victor and given the famous The Dirty Mitten Gravel Triathlon World Championship (of the Universe) Wrestling Belt! Will you be next year’s Champion?