So below is my perspective of this incredible event. I would call it epic but so many events and people are epic these days the word lost its weight. Objectively looking at it however it was epic.
Registration
The setup for the Athlete Village was great. There were old and new brands represented at the expo, it was spacious and easy to walk around. I registered the very first day and it took about 20 minutes total, with about 20-30 people ahead of me on the line when I got there at 10:30am. I think even at the busiest hour the process would have taken no more than 45 minutes. So this part was easy and painless.
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| Registration was a breeze |
Due to some personal business I was not able to attend any of the events on Thursday and Friday at the village but because of a massive sewage leak upriver from the start, the swim portion of the race was in question for a while, so attending the (almost) mandatory athlete briefing was actually useful. The sewage situation was covered fully by the media so no more of that in this post. All I can say is that the organizers kept calm in the face of criticism, didn't rush with any ill advised statements and basically left the decision in the hands of the local governments and officials. In the end we swam.
Bike Check
I opted to drive to transition area to check my bike in. I left at 12:30pm to pick up a friend and team mate downtown. We decided to take the FDR Drive north to the bridge as it is faster than the West side under normal circumstances, but of course there was an accident along the way and we had to navigate through Harlem and get to transition 90 minutes later than expected. There were a bunch of cars parked along River Rd, just up the hill from transition, so we parked there, but the cops didn't like it and ended up closing River Rd all together for later arrivals. I assume next year there will be no car entry at that point and those driving there will end up walking a couple of miles.Those who took the ferry to transition had no complaints. So that was clearly the better choice.
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| All set! |
Race Morning
All the race literature instructed athletes to be on the ferry by 4am (or no race!) to take them to transition. That meant a 2:30am wake up call. The night before we found out that they would allow people to walk into transition from the NJ side on race race morning. So of course I and 3 friends decided we would sleep an extra hour then take a cab to drop us off as close to transition as possible. It worked out great, there was no traffic and we walked about a mile (15 minutes). It was already humid and warm on our walk in the dark, but we all felt the extra hour of sleep was worth it.
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| Coffee choice of the morning. You never know! |
Pre-Race
Once in transition all I had to do was put the bike bottles in the cages and pump the tires. There were lots of floor pumps around, I grabbed one. As I attached the hose to the valve, I notice it was not staying on, air kept coming out on the sides. So I grabbed another pump. Same result. I tried to push the valve deeper. The tire kept deflating and the valve kept going deeper into the rim. I got nervous, and by now was profusely sweating, and yanked at the valve. POP! broken valve! Now I had to change a flat... I went up to the mechanic station to see if they would do it, presumably faster than I could, the line was about 10 people deep. I started asking them what they needed to get done, they all said they needed air. So why stand on the line? You sure know how to pump your own tires?? (Like I am so good at it!) They needed help and didn't get off the line. Fortunately one of the mechanics saw my frustration and came to me with a tube and helped me fix it. His calmness and skill had me with a new tube and inflated tires in under 3 minutes. That was very pleasant. My flat tire changing time is closer to 10 minutes. I need to work on that despite having had tons of flats over the years.
The Swim
There were 5 (if I counted correctly) boats taking all the athletes to the starting barge 2.4 miles upriver. Everything I read about the current that morning indicated that the later we left the stronger the current would be in our favor. So I hung around for a while, and got on the back of the line when I thought there was nobody else waiting. Why rush to front when you get a stronger current later? As the line started moving and loading onto the boats, I turned back and saw about a hundred people behind me! Where did they come from?? Were they hiding in the woods or in portapotties? Didn't matter, I was far enough back and ended up getting on the second to last boat. Eventually the last 2 boats docked at about the same time at the swim start.
The boat ride to the start was slow. We had to be ready to jump in the water as soon as the boat docked so everyone put there wetsuits on early. I was inside where the windows didn't open and it got very steamy, very fast sitting in those wetsuits. As my heart started racing I couldn't help but think of those swimmers who died in the Hudson in prior triathlons. I witnessed one personally and still have a scar from the experience. They must have felt the same way right before getting into the water. I didn't panic, but I did take the wetsuit off 1/2 way. By now the current was visibly strong. Good! The plan was to stay as close to the buoys as possible, closer to the center of the river. That's where the current is the strongest.
When we docked, an image of D-day flashed through my thoughts and for a moment I thought I was one of the soldiers jumping in the water to make it to shore as quickly as possible to save Private Ryan. I guess it's good to think that way in this situation as 'surviving' the swim is always a challenge, especially in the Hudson! They ushered us through a weak little shower where I wet my goggles, then off we went. We had to jump feet first, which was for the better as you do not want to lose your goggles right at the start.
Despite the sewage spill, the quality of the water in the beginning of the swim was tolerable. It wasn't good quality and that was obvious from the taste, but it was better than I thought it would be. Not that I purposely took a swig t0 determine the taste... Upon hearing the news of keeping the swim portion of the race the day before, I started taking probiotic pills to boost my immune system and help neutralize some of the possible negative effects of any leftover sewage. Also, I was consciously trying to not let any water in my mouth, blowing air out, as you should anyway, while my face was in the water.
The buoys were coming up fast. I mean FAST. I sight often in open water as you can lose a lot of time zigzagging. Often when I sighted I saw the buoy 30-40 yards away, then I took 6-7 strokes and when I sighted again the buoy was right in front of me! On one occasion I even slammed into one face first. So basically the swim ended up being a little longer than a 1/2IM swim. My time: 45 mins. WOW!
T1
Coming out of the water was the worst part. The exit ramp was narrow, only 1 or 2 people could fit, and steep. On my approach, 10-15 yards out, I had to stop and stand up as there were a bunch of people ahead of me waiting to get out. At this point the water smelled very much like a public bathroom at Penn Station. I sunk into the sludge that was on the bottom knee deep. This part was really disgusting but I made it our without losing any of my toes.
I grabbed my Bike Gear bag and headed for the Men's tent. I peaked in and it looked and smelled like a men's locker room after a football game with 8 teams in there. I geared up for the bike ride outside the tent. Grabbed my bike and hit the road. My favorite part!
The Bike Course
I trained with my team (Formula Tri Club) on 9W most of the times, so I knew the first 15 miles of the course very well. 9W runs along the Palisades Highway for this portion so the profile is almost exactly the same. My plan was to spin easy up the hill to the Palisades in the beginning, but there were too many people riding next to each other slowly so I lost my patience, diverted from my plan, and powered up, passing a bunch of people. Once on the highway I settled into a comfortably hard pace and started eating and drinking. It was humid and I was sweating. I was sweating hard and what made it worse was that I wore a Giro aero helmet that had no vents.
I really enjoyed the course. The downhills were fast but not dangerous as in Lake Placid. The road surface was for the most part good. Here and there there were cracks in the road going across that bumped many people's bottles out of their cages. I assume these lost water bottles were the cause of many crashes I saw along the way. It is really sad to see that, but you have to be on the lookout at all times for any hazard on the road. What surprised me was how many people were riding in big groups, next to and behind each other, not worrying about drafting rules at all. Not sure if they ever got penalized but it was quite a common site especially on the first loop. Every time I ended up in or just behind a group like this I powered ahead to stay clear. I may have paid the price for this later, on the run...
The first loop was humid, roads still a bit wet and even felt some rain here and there. I was praying for a shower I was so hot. I was constantly drinking and I saw sweat pouring down my arms and legs. It was surreal. There was a waterfall coming out of my helmet! My shoes were soaked and vision blurry from sweat going in my eyes. I couldn't wear my shades either for this reason. One of the rules I like to go by for an ironman bike leg is that if you don't have to go to the bathroom by midpoint, you are not drinking enough. Well I didn't have to go but I could not drink anymore than I did either. I felt good otherwise. My heart rate was in check, legs felt fine, lower back felt fine. I kept spinning my legs, ate on the flats, kept pedaling downhill and spun uphills. You can make up a lot of ground by getting in the biggest gear you have on the downhills and keep pedaling to 40+ mph. Not to mention that you get on the next uphill section with a much higher momentum and get over the hill much quicker while expending the same or less amount of energy. Most people coast on the downhills and end up climbing more on courses like this one. They key on this course, as it is on most other courses, was to keep your effort level even through uphills, flats and downhills.
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| Coming back to T2 under the GW Bridge |
T2
It was fun riding down Hudson Terrace. The crowd was awesome. At this point I had no other riders around me and the crowd made me feel like I was in first place. They really gave me an extra boost! Somebody even snapped a photo of me going under the GW Bridge and sent it to me after the race. It's the best picture of me on a bike! (see above)
In T2 they take your bike and all you have to worry about is getting into your run gear. I passed a lot of people on the bike course and there weren't many bikes racked when I got there. When I entered the Men's tent it still smelled like a lion's den but there were just a few athletes in transition and a bunch of volunteers getting ready for the return of the 4 football teams.
The Run (Walk)
I decided to run up the first hill. It's a quarter mile long and about 7% gradient steep. I should have walked it like some others did. My quads almost popped when I got to the top. Clearly my 5:07 time on the bike was great but I went too hard. I got nervous as I had 26 miles ahead of me, 16 of it very hilly. The next section was downhill for about a mile and half. I went easy with lots of small steps and was focusing on loosening up and shaking out some of the sting in my thighs. My friend Steve at mile 1 told me I was in 3rd place after the bike in my age group. Holy smokes! There were 11 Kona slots in my division! I may have a chance! I didn't set that as my goal for the race, but empowered by my high position I changed my goals "on the run". I kept going at a measured pace, 8:30 - 9 minute/mile. For about 15 miles it felt hard but didn't get worse and I kept pacing myself and eating and drinking a lot. I carried extra salt sticks in a tic-tac box. The sound of these pills bouncing around in the box visibly annoyed those around me. And me too. Oh well. Focus on the hills instead!
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| That's me throwing ice cubes at Steve |
At mile 15 I was still in 5th place, and Steve made sure I knew that. I was really psyched and threw some ice cubes at him in my excitement. He probably thought I was losing it. And he was right.... So for 15 miles, while running 9 minute miles, only 2 people passed me in my age group. My strong bike leg gave me a huge advantage. As I passed Steve I told him I was slow but feeling great. That was the big jinx. About 2 minutes later I was not feeling great. As soon as I hit the hill going up to Hudson Terrace I started falling apart. This is how far a month and a half of run training could get me. I had 10 miles left, still in 5th position, but now I was reduced to a jog/walk/crawl routine. I crawled across the GW bridge...
But here something good happened. Coming off the bridge I had to go to the bathroom! So I did at the next aid station, in the portapottie, as I do not like to urinate on myself. 7.25 hours into the race I finally went. It must have been at this point when a bunch of people in my age group passed me. For the rest of the way I was jogging and walking. I had never been in so much pain in my life. Since most of the pain was in my quads, I knew my form was totally off. For years I have been working on being more upright, not sitting into my strides, using more of my glutes to propel forward. I can't help it! I grew up a skier: knees falling in, hips lowered and powered through every movement using the quads. Have you seen the legs of the great skiers? They are almost as big as the speedskaters'!
I kept walking and running along. At every aid station I pounded down anything I could get my hands on. Since I didn't go the athlete briefing, I wasn't aware of the fact that the aid stations on the Manhattan side were a bit further apart, not 1 mile apart as on the NJ side. Everything is tougher in NY!! Some aid stations seemed like they were at least 2 miles apart. Fortunately the strong afternoon winds gave way to some cooler air so I didn't have to pack my shorts with handfulls of ice (this is how I cooled my overheated core). And those mile markers were coming up slower and slower. A Manhattan mile is way longer than a NJ mile!
I tried to run more than walk as now my top end speed was about 10 minutes/mile running. Very slow. Fortunately I wasn't alone. During the last few miles I caught some in my age group and then some others passed me. I knew it was going to be close in the end. Running through Riverside park in the 90's was a bit surreal. First of all they found every hill there was and took us up on them several times. Then we were running on the promenade where kids were playing, mothers with strollers walking, people with their dogs playing, so it was a regular Saturday afternoon scene there and the Ironman athletes were running right in the middle of this. In a way it was cool, but some separation, some sort of barrier like they have in the NYC Marathon the entire way would have given the athletes some more respect, some more glow. And we all know respect goes a long way in NY.
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| Dragging my log-like legs around Riverside Park |
I finished the marathon in 4:10. Total time for the race: 10:11. I came in 11th in my division, grabbing the last Kona slot available!! The next slowest runner who qualified was 17 minutes faster on the run, and only 3 people were under 3:40. Two years ago at Lake Placid I was 45 minutes away from a Kona slot with a total time of 10:34. My weakest was the run, as the 8th place (last qualifier) in that age group ran a 3:40 (if I remember correctly). I never thought you could qualify with a run slower than 3:40, so I never expected to be in the mix in the end, unless I could improve to be a 3:30 IM marathoner. At the NYCIM my field was deep, but there were more slots available. And possibly the tougher course took more of a toll on people. I think the slower cyclists ended up suffering more as the wind picked up even more later on. To get to the front of the pack on the bike caused me to expend more energy, but it saved me from stronger headwinds later on. Such is Ironman racing. It's full of compromises and you really have to pick your battles.
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| Accepted my 'invitation' to Kona |
Finish Area
Just a quick mention about this. They RAN OUT OF PIZZA quite early, and after waiting for 45 minutes for the much anticipated and needed massage I decided to get my stuff, greet my family and leave. It was small, under-served and crowded. But one of the food trucks on Riverside Drive had the best ever philly cheese stake sandwich so my appetite for carbs and protein (and fat) was satisfied after all.
Last Thoughts
All in all it was a great experience. Even though I raced in my own backyard where I train all the the time. The course was very tough as it should be in an Ironman. Like my friend Will said, otherwise they should call it Paperman. The organization was not perfect but it never is. Under the circumstances they did as good a job as any could do. There was yet another fatality in the swim portion but I will not write about that here. It is a terrible tragedy to lose someone while having fun, but we have to understand the inherent risks and live with the consequences. I am sure that unfortunate athlete understood the inherent risks. He was an ex special forces guy. At least he died doing what he loved. If we have to go, isn't that the best way to go?
Is there a future for Ironman in NYC? We have to wait and see. They admittedly were challenged by the logistics, politics and safety of this area. It's not an ideal place for a race of this complexity, but doing it once was a blast, and I'm glad I was part of it.
The motto of this race should be the same as it is for the city: "If you make it here, you'll make it anywhere". It applies as much to the athletes as to WTC!
Start spreading the news, I'm leaving today.
I want to be a part of it Kona, HI!!!!
Well deserved Tibor!
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