Bayshore Marathon, 2003, photo by Carter Sherline / Frog Prince Studios.

Traverse City -- What's not to love?

Okay, the traffic on a busy summer weekend, trying to get from one end of town to the other.

What's to love? The color of Grand Traverse Bay. The numerous groomed forest trails and paved pathways for running, biking, hiking, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. The breathtaking views up and down the Old Mission or Leelanau peninsulas. Tours and tastes of the many wineries. The wide choice of great places to eat within a short drive (Hattie's in Sutton's Bay and the Leland Country Inn in Leland, both on the Leelanau; Old Mission Tavern and Bower's Harbor Inn, both on Old Mission; Tapawingo and the Rowe, in Ellsworth; Pearl's in Elk Rapids). All the kid-friendly things to do, such as water slides, adventure miniature golf, the Clinch Park Zoo downtown, go-carts, skateboard parks and beaches.

There are state forests, national forests and sand dunes at Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore that defy imagination and cry out, "Climb me if you dare!" There are the seemingly-endless vistas of Lake Michigan and its incomparable sunsets, and inland lakes every time the road turns, with public-access spots and public beaches. There are rivers for kayaking and canoeing and streams for fishing.

There's the deep blue of the up-north air; the aquas of the lakes, and greens of the water; the billions of trees so green in summer and so riotous in fall they can burn holes in your retinas if you stare too hard.

There are the endless summer concerts at Interlochen, with all those kids so talented and accomplished it makes you yearn for a life more focused.

It may seem incongruous in the midst of so much nature -- given the politically-incorrect nature of the internal-combustion engine -- but is there any place in the Midwest more suited for just going out for a drive?

Meander down any road in the Leelanau, making sure you hit Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive to catch sunset atop the sand cliffs of Sleeping Dunes. Or head up Old Mission to the lighthouse at the end, rolling up and down hills and drinking in views of the orchards and both arms of Grand Traverse Bay. Or tour around Torch Lake and its impossible turquoise, or crest the forested hills and head down into Beulah and Crystal Lake, or mosey into the Fife Lake forest on hard-packed dirt roads and stop to take a walk at the Sand Lakes Quiet Area.

And there's plenty else to do on foot too, in the form of lots and lots of races. Here are some within a half-hour's drive or so:

* The Frozen Foot 2- and 5-mile runs on Old Mission Peninsula each January. Many runners start training for May's Bayshore Marathon with these races, and each year sponsors bring in notables to speak Friday night, run the race Saturday and pass out awards. In 2002 it was Runner's World editor Amby Burfoot, last year it was five-time Olympian Francie Larrieu Smith.

* The Kalkaska Trout Festival 5K in April.

* The Bayshore Marathon and 10K on the Saturday before Memorial Day, both with splendid views of the east arm of Grand Traverse Bay.

* The Summer Solstice 5K cross-country evening run in Traverse City in June.

Cherry Festival 15K runners climb the road known as Mt. McKinley, photo by Art McCafferty

* The Cherry Festival 5K and 15K in mid-July. The latter features Old Mission Peninsula's Mt. McKinley, one of the steepest, lung-bustingest climbs in state racing.

* The Alden 5K and 10K the last Saturday in July. Alden is on Torch Lake, so turquoise you'll think it's computer-generated or even an acid flashback. (The forest portion of the 10K is pretty impressive, too.)

* A flat and lightning-fast 5K and 10K in Elk Rapids the first Saturday in August, when Harbor Days mean street fairs, fireworks, amusement rides and laying around in the shallow heated waters of Lake Michigan.

* The Harvest Stompede in mid-September. This is my new favorite race in the area, and has its third running Sept. 13. Entry fees buy you reduced-price tickets for a two-day winery tour and tasting. The 5K is scenic and tough, but the 7-miler is the one to remember. Both start at Ciccone Vineyards and head to the nearby Mawby Vineyards. The 7- miler adds a jaunt through Black Star Vineyards, runners racing through rows of vines heavy with their fall harvest. For information about the Stompede or wineries, go to www.lpwines.com/harvest-stompede.shtml, or email Rick Coates at racoates@core.com.

* The VASA 11K and 25K in late September. This wonderful, groomed trail is a paradise for winter sports enthusiasts, and not a bad place for killer runs in the fall.

* The Turkey Trot cross-country 5K near gorgeous Glen Lake in the Leelanau in November.

The Turkey Trot and June's Summer Solstice run are put on by Jeff Gaft of Running Fit, whose store near Grand Traverse Mall has been so successful that Running Fit recently opened a second store downtown. You can get information on any race in general and running particular by emailing Jeff at runfittc@aol.com, visiting www.runningfit.com, or phoning the stores at (231) 933-9242 or (231) 932-5401.

The Traverse City Track Club, founded in 1961, hosts weekly training runs and helps put on local races.

The club's 43rd-annual summer race series, member Dave Taylor says, features 10 events meeting each Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the T.C. Central High School parking lot. The cost is 50 cents per race or $5 for the season. Races are informal, with guys up front trying to put in fast times and persons in back maximizing their social time.

The series starts with a 3-mile flat race and goes up in distance to 15K, Taylor adds. It includes handicap and prediction runs, so everybody can come out a winner at some point. There is also a corresponding, non- judged race-walking series. Persons of all abilities are welcome.

"We usually have up to 120 runners, with a core group of 50 on any given week," Taylor says. "There are two races where the club buys pizza for anyone who shows up." For information, email tctc@chartermi.net, or visit www.bayshoremarathon.org.

If you need cross-training advice or equipment while in the area, Beulah's Crystal Lake Adventure Sports is first-rate. Crystal, one of the loveliest lakes in one of the most-beautiful spots on earth, is a fine place to take a kayak lesson, with classes held regularly by the store. CLAS sells canoes and kayaks for newbies and white-water daredevils alike, and has a bike-repair shop in case you crash on a back road or nearby trail. Call (231) 887-2527, or email clasinfo@coslink.net.

If you need a place to stay in the area during summer, book as early as possible. The Traverse City Chamber of Commerce has an excellent website, www.tccham-ber.org, with links to most area hotels, motels and restaurants. The Traverse City Record-Eagle has a website loaded with tips on things to see and do, at www.record-eagle.com.

Tom Henderson has owned an old one-room red schoolhouse between Kalkaska and Traverse City for 30 years and spends as much time running, biking and winter-sporting in the area as possible. MR