Well, it happened. I met a person who may be as, or more obsessed with the GLR than I am. It took awhile, but Josh Eccleston and I finally connected over our love for college basketball, XC, and the Great Lakes Relay.
I’ve been frantic over here wondering why they haven’t released the directions, I’m guessing many others are in the same boat. To pass the time, I contacted him the other day and asked if he’d provide his ranking of the legs on Day 3 (which never change, except for that dumb UP thing), and I would do the same. I added our rankings together and I’ll be listing them from worst to best. I’ll give my thoughts on all, Josh has some comments too.
18.
Matt: #16
Josh #16
Yes, this is a beautiful leg. In the latter stages of Day 3, you’re really not going to find any tree cover, so at times this is a welcome respite. The road is rutty as heck. Now most roads are rutty as heck, but by now you’re sick of it and just want to cruise. The difficulty I would place as more like an 8. Like I said, you think you can roll this leg, but it’s secretly hilly, steep uphills too. The worst part is the cars. You’re free of cars for the first two miles, but they join you for the last mile. They travel super slow, the road is super narrow, so you’re constantly weaving around cars and ruts.
Josh: “Not even all that scenic and you could bake in the sun. Or get dusted by vehicles passing. No thanks.”
Michigan XC Speed Ratings 