Ödyssey Swimrun Ludington Course Preview

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 ridge that will give you a cool view of the Big Sable Point Lighthouse

Swim 6 (250m/273yd)

  • This swim is around the Big Sable Point Lighthouse

  • This swim might be cancelled if the conditions are too gnarly

  • Ödyssey will make the call on race day

Run 7 (3.0mi)

  • Dirt road run

  • It’s exposed so it could be hot if the sun is out

  • Definitely hit the aid station at the start of the run

Swim 7 (1,610m/1,761yd)

  • This swim is down river so it should be pretty fast

  • Near the end of the swim you go under a low bridge that can be a little nerve racking

Run 8 (.15mi)

  • Sweet little beach run to the finish line

DO IT FOR THE ICE CREAM!

John Stevens shared a couple key workout sessions that will help athletes prepare for the demands of the Ludington course. He recommends some high tempo running mixed with some hill work such as a running workout consisting of 6-8x 30 second hard uphill into an extended 4-5 minute tempo effort. The swims are pretty straight forward so being comfortable with the distance and being able to apply some power will serve athletes well.

As far as a key Swimrun workout, John recommends doing a couple of rounds consisting of a 300yd swim at race effort with a fast transition into a hard 1-2 minute uphill and then settle into some race effort tempo running for a 1 mile.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

This race looks great and we give major kudos to Aaron, John and the rest of the Ödyssey crew for finding such an awesome location to host a Swimrun. All the different types of terrain that this event offers is very unique and will make for a great adventure for everyone that will toe the line. Huge thanks for Aaron and John for taking the time to help us put this course preview together. 

These episodes are an iterative process so please let us know what you think about this evolving format.

That’s it for this week’s show. If you are enjoying the Löw Tide Böyz, be sure to subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast player and leave us a five-star review. You can find us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google Podcast, and on YouTube. You can also follow our meme page on Instagram. Email us at lowtideboyz@gmail.com with any feedback and/or suggestions. Finally, you can support our efforts on Patreon…if you feel so inclined.

Thanks for listening and see you out there!

-  Chip and Chris

course preview, partners, interviewChipper Nicodemus