New York City Triathlon, July 20th, 2008 - Race Report
Well, my official time of the New York City Triathlon was 2:27:20. With a decent swim, a super-fast T1, a great ride, a good T2, and a slower-than-normal run, I finished 18th in my age group (out of 474 finishers). Here is a link to my results...
(Finish line: 2:27:20 - feelin' good!)
The morning started early - up at 4am - as the race organizers wanted us out of transition by 5:45am. Since I left my bike in the transition area overnight (along with 3,000+ other athletes!), all I had to do was get in a cab and get over to the end of 72nd Street on the westside.
At 5am on a Sunday morning, a cab was hard to come by. As I was waiting, I looked three or so blocks down (I was staying at 92nd and 1st Avenue) and I saw a cab stop, and what appeared to be two athletes get in. Well, as I was standing there, the cab pulled up, and the passenger said, "You racing today? Get in!"
What a way to start the day!
I got to transition and met up with my friends from the City...set up my transition area (bike shoes clipped into the pedals, running shoes on top of my race belt, sunglasses inside of my helmet...resting on my handlebars).
Then, the one-mile walk to the swim start. And, here's where the waiting started. You see, because there are SO many athletes, they have us start in "waves." Even though the transition area closed by 5:45am, my wave (athletes aged 35-39...there were over 470 of us!) didn't start until 7:36. So, we had time to wait...and talk...and reflect...and think...and plan...
At 7:34, I was on the dock, staring at the slow-moving Hudson River. Last year, there was a current that actually pulled us downriver. This year, no such thing. So, I knew I was going to have to work harder! At 7:36, the horn blew and off we went. Ahead of me, to the side of me, behind me...swimmers of all abilities making their way toward the finish line.
I picked my line...the outermost line of buoys I could find...to take advantage of any current I could get. Not much, and I finished the swim in just over 27 minutes...faster than normal, but slower than the fast!
Then, it was off to T1. And, of the top 50 finishers of my age group, I had the fastest! (Yeah, that's one thing about triathlon, we'll all find SOMEthing we're the best at!) Check it out...click on the picture below and you'll see my T1 time was 3:01.
Then, it was off to the bike portion...and it was awesome - one of the most exciting bike legs of my triathlon career!
Out of transition, I don't even remember seeing anyone around me. I was on my bike and pedaling on top of my shoes for the first 1/2 mile. (I'm one of those guys who slips into his bike shoes while I'm riding. I learned from one of my coaches, the most important thing to a top placement in triathlon: Keep Moving.) It was a good start, I felt strong, and within the 3rd mile, had sipped on my water bottle, and taken in a gel.
We rode along the Hudson Highway, and I spent the majority of my minutes "on the left." I didn't get passed the whole way out, and continued to "reel them in" while riding for the U-turn. I made it, turned, and hammered my way "home," back for T2. But, the race wasn't close to over!
The way they set up the course (here's the link to the map) we actually PASS 72nd street (where we started), and ride through another U-turn. Well, on the way toward that second turn, I was on a slight downhill...oh, probably turning 25-26 miles per hour. Up ahead of me, a small cluster of 4 riders, and I thought, "I'll sweep around and pass them before the turn;" I still had about a mile.
Well, in triathlon, according to USAT rules, we have :15 seconds to overtake and pass another rider. As I looked up and around, I noticed that my line was to the left of the riders ahead, and just to the right of an orange traffic cone. "Ok, I thought, smooth pass here, watch the riders...watch the cone."
I was in the middle of my pass of the rider closest to me on the right, when suddenly he leaned into my line. We didn't bump (that's happened before), but I moved - maybe a foot or so - to my left, and directly in line with the cone!
Without time to spare, and moving too fast to swerve anywhere, I did what I knew I had to do...
See Where I Want To Be!
Quickly, I looked down at my front wheel, leaned back a bit on my seat, took one more look at the cone, and then looked about 5 yards out beyond the cone...that's where I wanted to be!
"THUMP," my front wheel hit the cone, I yelled out loud [not to be printed here!] and "WHAM," my back wheel hit. My bike rocked, my body lurched toward my handlebars, and the next thing I knew...I was through!
I'd done it! My heart racing (I mean it was ALREADY racing!) I looked ahead and caught sight of the 4 guys I was trying to pass...and, I caught them before the U-turn.
I turned, and turned it on...I wanted to get back for T2, and the run...
With 20 yards to the dismount line, I was out of my shoes, with 5 to go, my right foot was over the bar, and at the line, I hit the ground running. I dropped my bike on the rack (I counted 6 other bikes on the rack, which meant most of the 35-39ers were still out there, behind me, riding!), and slipped on my running shoes and hat, and grabbed my race-number belt. I was out, and ready for the run through Central Park.
The writing was on the wall, however, as I passed mile-marker number one...my first mile was an 8:36. If I was going to come in anywhere NEAR the time I had hoped for, I was going to have to do the next 5.2 miles in less than 7:20 apiece. I'd done that before, but I just didn't have it this July day...and, it didn't happen. In fact, in over 7 years of racing, I had my slowest 10K run EVER! more than 11 minutes off my own fastest pace...
I crossed the finish line with a smile on my face, and joy in my heart. For the guy who just 8 years ago weighed in at 172 pounds, wore size 36" waist jeans, and stood just 5' 3", I've come a long, long way. I met up with my friends who'd finished the race with me, and we shared stories for a while as we walked through the athlete recovery zone... here are some pictures...
