If you have never been to New York, I don’t think words can accurately describe the absolute madness which envelopes the city. It is non-stop hustle and bustle 24/7. Toronto can be a little busy and crazy at times, but New York is like Toronto on high performance steroids…a triple dose of them. If you have been to New York, you know exactly what I am talking about. Utter chaos. So, in the midst of the madness, the Nautica New York triathlon pulls off what one would think is impossible. A flawless, spectacular, well organized event.
So, this was my first visit to New York City. We drove. Airlines notoriously lose luggage at the worst possible times, so I could just imagine what they would do to my tri bike! Immediately after we crossed through the Lincoln Tunnel it was like we entered an alternative universe, where all manners were forgotten, all drivers believed they owned the road and a turn signal to change lanes was completely unheard of, you just switched lanes and expected that the other driver would move. Ok, so apparently not all drivers don’t know these rules, since we witnessed a tour bus side swipe a car within 5 minutes of entering NYC. Completely crazy. Just getting to the hotel, which was only a few miles from the Lincoln Tunnel was an adventure, between all the one way streets and all the crazy cabs, it was just nuts. Boy I don’t think I have ever been more glad to abandon my car. Although, of course the hotel parking garage takes your car and your keys, so my relief was short lived since I just imagined the parking valets riding around in my car through the streets of NYC while I was sleeping. (I know, I know you are thinking I am slightly paranoid right now, but ask your insurance companies about ‘Park ‘N FRY’, yes, FRY not Fly….need I say more?) We arrived on Friday and boy was a glad we had, it gave me the much needed extra time to adapt to the chaos. It also gave us time to do some sightseeing which was a great pre-race tension reliever. How can you possibly think about a race when you are looking at a paranoramic view of all of NYC from the top of the Empire State Building. (Ok, ok, I know you hard core athletes out there are cringing and first of all saying that you would not be sight seeing the day before a race and secondly saying that nothing gets the race out of your mind until the finish when you start thinking about your next race. But hey, for me as long as I am not DNF or DFL, it’s all good!) There’s something to be said about picking races to visit places and racing for the sheer joy and adventure of it!
We stayed at the Hilton on Avenue of the Americas which was the hotel which was hosting the race and the 3 day fitness expo. So, when we strolled in with a bike and all the gear in tow and traipsed it through their very glamorous lobby, they never batted an eye. Friday night and all day Saturday was pre-race pick up and briefings…in order to pick up your race kit you needed a hand stamp to confirm you had attended a briefing. Really well organized, how they got over 3500 athletes through without so much as a lineup is beyond me, but some how they did it.
If you are interested, check out the race site….the race director apparently has a good sense of humour and did lots of little extras like countdown prize draws and weekly detailed emails with lots of great information. Be warned, if you are thinking of entering the NYC triathlon for 2011, it has become such a popular event, it has moved to a lottery for spots like the NYC marathon. Lottery entries will only be accepted for 72 hours beginning November 1st, 2010. For all the details…here’s the website. http://www.nyctri.com/
So, how was the actual race you ask. Amazing! When or where else would you get to swim in the Hudson river (ok, I know some of you are saying why would you want to or you only swim in the Hudson with cement shoes on!), bike Manhattan, including crossing the George Washington bridge and then run in Central Park while thousands of spectators, other athletes from all over the world and volunteers cheered you on?
At the swim start, I was chatting with one of the other ladies in my age group corral and expressing my concerns that the swim is not my strong suit. She laughed and said, ‘Well, you picked the right triathlon then. Just watch!’. Sure enough, even people who were not strong swimmers were making great progress down the river. When it was time for my wave, one of the ladies jumped in without grabbing the rope right away and she actually had to swim back to the start, since as soon as she hit the water, the current took her and she was off even before the official start. My stats will tell the story best….usual swim time for 1500 metres approximately 40 minutes….my swim time in the Hudson…20:37! I less than halved my time and trust me I didn’t just suddenly become an amazing swimmer overnight! Transition from the water to bike included being pulled out of the water by bathing suit clad men (a nice touch!) and then a 700 metre run to the transition area through fresh water showers.
The bike ride was an out and back course, somewhat hilly but not unbearable. The views were spectacular since the bike route ran along side the Hudson and crossing the George Washington bridge was truly amazing. Funniest story from my bike ride…whenever I pass anyone, I follow the rules…state ‘On your left’ to let them know I am there and passing, then when I pass, I say ‘Have a great ride’. Well, I said this to one lady as I was passing and she said ‘Well, that’s just so polite, you aren’t from NY are you.’ Hey, she said it not me, but I think that says it all.
The run starts from the transition area in Riverside Park and then heads down 72nd street to Central Park. 72nd street is lined with thousands of cheering spectators and the energy is amazing and just what I needed at this point. I originally thought I could only manage to fall on my face in a trail race, but apparently my clumsiness knows no bounds. When I was coming out of the transition area to the run, I slipped and fell. In my defense, I think the timing chip mat was slippery or lumpy, either way down I went in front of everyone. Luckily as usual the only thing seriously hurt was my pride (at that point, I can laugh about it now since it’s par for the course for me!) Central Park is an amazing place to run…it’s this amazing green space in the middle of a chaotic city. I absolutely loved it. The run was a little hilly in spots, but again nothing monumental.
All around, this was an amazing experience. I finished 79 out of 191 in my age category. Ok by me…I wasn’t DFL or DNF and I loved every minute of the whole experience. So, if you are looking for a well organized event at an amazing venue, the Nautica NY triathlon delivers.
very exciting !! wish i could have been apart of the race,i guess i will just do 100 milers instead thanks for the report.