Ed Tris Again

The New York Tri, the one Ed has been anticipating most, took place on Sunday. Ed went to bed early and I went to a dinner party (hey, I wasn't doing a tri the next day...) but when I came home at 11:45 he was still tossing and turning. Too much adrenaline I suppose. He was up again and out the door somewhere around 4:00 in the morning, and I followed at 6:30. I arrived at the course in plenty of time to see him pass by three times on the bike and twice on the run, though I did not get to see him finish as the chute was too crowded with people for me to push through in time. (I did not even try to watch the swim. Once the athletes enter the water, it's impossible to tell who's who anyway.) His time was 2:15, what he'd been shooting for to the minute! He was sweaty and happy and tired and covered in blisters, as he decided to run the 6 miles without socks. Ouch. Ed wrote his own post about the race itself, so I thought I'd share parts of that rather than try to reconstruct what he told me about it:

"So this is my first Olympic disatance triathlon, having completed two shorter sprint races in the last 13 months and another sprint 8 years ago.  Olympic distance is still on the short side of triathlon: 1500m swim, 40km bike, 10km run.  Results: 2:15:31, 11th out of 395 finishers in the 35-39 age group, 109th out of about 3,500 (as far as I can tell) overall.

The swim for this race is in the mighty Hudson river, starting at 99th street and getting out around 88th I think.  They start 15-20 athletes every 15-20 seconds.  I was near the back looking forward to a crowded course.  There is usually a strong current that makes this swim very fast - so much so that in past years "competitors" could be seen floating down the river clinging to pool noodles and posting times experienced swimmers would love to be able to have in the pool.  When I toed the line at the dock, I noticed a dead fish float right into the spot where I had to jump.  The horn blew and there was nothing to do but scrunch up my nose and go for it.  Pretty soon I found myself swimming through the groups in front of me and did not see many of my fellow 35-39ers around so I thought I must be doing OK, Definitely had to steer around lots of weak swimmers.  Time out of the water: 18:10 - 20th in my age group.

Ed passes another victim.

Bike - this is what i was dreading the most - almost 4000 mostly newbie bikers crowded into a 25.5 mile narrow lane in front of me with some climbs and fast descents and I wanted to blow through them without getting into a wreck and maiming myself and others.  For the most part, I was able to put in a good effort but it was so crowded there was basically never a moment that I was not passing 1-4 people.  Generally I'd be going 40mph, approaching people going 15-22 mph, screaming "ON YOUR LEFT" as loud as I could but I would always be terrified that someone would make an unexpected maneuver so I would hit the brake and go by at slower speeds.  On the fastest descent there was a little person on the smallest tri bike I have ever seen cruising pretty fast actually, and I was blocked on the left by an official on a motorcycle... I tried yelling at the official to give way but I had to do some heavy braking. As far as I can tell, I was passed by only two people, and I may have passed the entire population of Luxembourg, it's hard to say precisely.  Bike average speed: 22.5mph, 7th place in my division, 54th overall.

At the end of the first big hill

Transition 2 went pretty OK, though I seem to be 40 seconds slower than everyone else putting on my shoes.  Then it was out to the run.  It starts with a STEEP climb up to 72 street and then mostly uphill for the next 2 miles.  I was feeling pretty rough and my pace was not what I hoped... I definitely need to do some more bike-run workouts. The run course takes you into Central Park and you do the upper 5 mile loop clockwise, or backwards from the way I have run it 1000 times before.  I never realized how hilly that loop is!  Two or three more people in my age group passed me.  At this point, there were basically no male contenders to be seen except for the occasional 50-55 year old.  They were either MUCH faster than me and already eating a doughnut at the end, or they were way behind me.  Run pace was a disappointing 7:19/mile for 45:24.  24th in my age group and 280th overall.

Finishing in the top 15 in your division in this race qualifies you for the National Championships in Des Moines on September 2.  Alas, I think I will have to miss it after 10 days of fun and training in the Dolomites I will be attending the Belgian Formula 1 Grand Prix that day."

Ed and Team Edward reunite!

After the race, we got to ride in style in a free pedicab back to the transition area where Ed had to pick up his bike. Thank goodness, as it was about a mile from the finish line and I don't think I could have carried Ed that far. Hooray for a successful day!