Inaugural M-22 Challenge to feature running, biking, paddling

Glen Arbor Sun

The famous Sleeping Bear Dune Climb has hosted many events since the great mother bear lay down here and slumbered. Thousands of children have tumbled down this dune, their hair filling with beach sand. Chamber orchestras have played at its base, their music rising up the hill and moving toward the great lake beyond. Now the Dune Climb will host the first leg of a triathlon, and watch as the second and third legs unfold nearby.

Participants in the inaugural M-22 Challenge will run, pedal and paddle on Saturday, June 20 at 9 a.m. Approximately 200 athletes will endure a two-mile run over the dunes, followed by a 17-mile bike ride — up M-109, through Glen Arbor, around the east side of Big Glen Lake, over Inspiration Point and back down M-22 toward Empire — and finally a mile of paddling the shallow end of Little Glen Lake. The leaders are expected to finish the race in two hours.

For Glen Arbor, the M-22 Challenge effectively replaces the Tour de Leelanau bike race, which was shelved after four years. Glen Arbor residents will once again witness a cycling sprint through downtown.

For that they should thank Matt and Keegan Myers, a couple aficionados of kiteboarding (surfing with a kite) who were raised on nearby Old Mission Peninsula and three years ago opened the M-22 retail store — which sells t-shirts, stickers, coffee mugs, beer and wine out of a storefront on Traverse City’s Front Street. “M-22 is not just a road,” their website states. “It is a way of life.” The Myers brothers are also renovating the old Fisher house in Glen Arbor, and hope to move their M-22 retail store here next summer.

“The unparalleled scenery of northern Michigan combined with this unique event offers the community an opportunity to compete in a challenging and breathtakingly beautiful race,” says 30-year-old Matt Myers. “I’m most looking forward to bring everyone together and see the community get involved in this active outdoor activity.”

“For me, the M-22 Challenge is taking place at the best location in the world, at the best time of the year,” concurs Keegan, 28. “There is no other event that utilizes the extreme uniqueness that this very location offers.”

The M-22 Challenge isn’t your grandfather’s triathlon, and that’s what will make it fun, says Matt, who designed the course — though his duties as organizer will probably prevent him from participating on June 20. “These three sports (running, biking and kayaking) are all integral to the area.”

The Myers brothers will limit the roster of athletes to 200 — a number they feel comfortable managing for the inaugural race. Most of the entries will be locals, though Matt and Keegan attest that a handful from around the Midwest have signed up and promised that they’ll win the M-22 Challenge.

The M-22 Challenge was designed to be just that — a challenge — but not a herculean feat. The running leg was limited to a couple miles because of the tough, 100-yard vertical trip up the dune, which Matt promises is doable without walking. At 17 miles, the bike leg is a good sprint for a trained biker, but still achievable for someone who doesn’t pedal every day (though the climb up Inspiration Point will make you downshift). The one-mile kayaking portion through shallow Little Glen Lake doesn’t pose a physical challenge as much as a navigational one.

The closing of the M-22 Narrows Bridge south of Glen Arbor had nothing to do with the Myers’ decision to start and end the M-22 Challenge near the Dune Climb on M-109, by the way. The location was chosen long before the Michigan Department of Transportation began rebuilding the bridge.

“Logistically, (M-109) makes the most sense,” explains Matt. “You have the park and the open space (on Little Glen Lake) where we’ll have the paddle event; the dune climb is right across street, and for the biking event we can have all right-hand turns for safety. Plus, the spectators can watch every event start and finish at that one spot.”

M-109 will close temporarily as the runners cross the road toward the Dune Climb, but all roads will remain open for the biking leg of the race. Matt Myers says that local police will monitor busy intersections along the route.

Runners … on your mark … get set … go!