Episode Details

Welcome to episode eighty-nine of the Löw Tide Böyz - A Swimrun Podcast!

On the show this week we have our course preview for Ödyssey Swimrun Ludington. We're joined by special guests Aaron Palaian and John Stevens from the Ödyssey crew to talk us through their newest race and share some great training tips for this unique course. Trust us, this race sounds like it's going to be dope!

PURE MICHIGAN MAKES FOR PURE SWIMRUNNING

Much Like Ödyssey Swimrun Mackinac Island, Ludington offers Swimrunners an opportunity to explore a very cool part of the state of Michigan. Aaron shared with us how he settled on the coast of Lake Michigan to host a Swimrun and why Ludington will be an awesome venue for athletes and families.

Travelling to Ludington is pretty straightforward with several airport options. Lodging is also straightforward as Ludington has a lot of options.

SAND IS YOUR FRIEND (or at least keep telling yourself that)

We are lucky to have the only person to have actually ran and swam on the course, John Stevens, to walk us through each leg of the race for both the long and short course. The short course meets up with the long course at Swim 4 (of the long course) and follows the same course to the finish line so we will only mention Run 1 of the short course separately.

The long course clocks in at 19.33 miles with 16.2 miles of running and 3.13 miles of swimming with 1,500ft of elevation gain. The short course is 10.68 miles long with 8.55 miles of running and 2.13 miles of swimming with 750ft of elevation gain.

Both courses feature a variety of terrains that should make for a super fun event. As you listen to the leg by leg breakdown, we recommend looking at the course map to help orient yourself and visualize what you will experience on race day.

Annotated Leg By Leg Breakdown

LONG COURSE

Run 1 (1.45mi)

• “Urban running” through the downtown Ludington
• There will be some sidewalk traffic involved

Swim 1 (650m/711yd)

• Coldest swim of the day (Mid to upper 50 degrees Fahrenheit) 
• Pretty straight forward swim along the beach

Run 2 (2.15mi)

• First half is on roads
• Back half of the run is a paved trail through the woods

Swim 2 (565m/618yd)

• The lake is really dark

Run 3 (2.05m)

• Last run on the roads for a while
• Sand dune climb at the end of the run

Swim 3 (400m/437yd)

• “Steven’s Lake”
• Swimming though an old quarry

Run 4 (3.75mi)

• Aid station at the start of the run
• Running on trails and then on sand towards the end

SHORT COURSE Run 1 (1.75mi)

• This first run is a doozy
• There are some wooden platforms at the start that can be very slippery when wet
• There are some sand trails towards the middle
• A “crazy” sand dune climb at the end of the run

Swim 4 (1,365m/1,493yd)

• You swim under a bridge near the start
• It’s a pretty shallow swim on the second half

Run 5 (.40mi)

• Straight up a 200 meter sand dune at the start of the run
• “Embrace the suck.” -- John Stevens

Swim 5 (200m/219yd)

• Nice and short!

Run 6 (3.25mi)

• This run has it all! It goes from woods to sand to the ocean
• Lots of sand here
• You’ll run through some shallow pools
• Awesome climb at the end over a ri