NYC course description

Hi everyone.  I found a useful website that has some reviews of the NYC Tri:

http://www.racevine.com/events/new-york-ny/nautica-new-york-city-triathlon

Not quite sure how kosher this is, but I copy below the review from a Steven L., which is the most useful and descriptive:

"Last year was the third time I have done the NYC Triathlon.

I really like this race. The race organizer, John Korff, has found a way to move a lot of participants (usually 4000-5000), over a course that is situated in the heart of Manhattan.

The swim is my favorite part. The course begins around 99th Street on the Hudson River Park. Racers go out on a dock that is brought in specifically for the race. You jump in and hold onto a rope while you wait the 2 minutes before the wave goes off. The waves are handled very efficiently and start almost exactly 5 minutes apart. While the idea of swimming in the Hudson may not sound appetizing to most, the race is planned around a favorable current so you can float the course (no strokes or kicking) in 25-30 minutes. With some relaxed stroking, you can usually clear the 1.5K in under 20 minutes. Last year there were jellyfish, but do NOT let this deter you. There was some sort of weird chemical imbalance documented in the Atlantic last summer which led to more jellyfish than usual. This was not a problem in 2005, 2006, or 2007. Be warned though � you will want to bring a pair of flipflops with you to wear to the start � you have to walk the entire distance. Some of this is on pavement and some is on grass next to the West Side highway. Again, this sounds worse than it really is � if you can�t put up with walking the distance of the swim course, you probably shouldn�t be competing in the race. The other warning I have for this race is that you have to run about a quarter mile AFTER you get out of the water to get to the transition. This is on smooth pavement, but comes as a surprise to first-timers.

The bike course is really fun. You ride on the Henry Hudson Parkway, which takes you up the West Side of the Upper West Side, Harlem, and then over to the Bronx and finally Yonkers. When crossing the Harlem River, you ride through toll booths which is a unique experience. The course is an �out and back� format. It is a mix of flats, downhills, and uphills on the way up with a few more downhills on the way back in. There is one large climb during the race which is on the way back. The end of the bike can be confusing: You pass the start point and continue about 0.5 miles to the end of the Parkway and U-Turn at 59th Street to head back up the Parkway to the bike finish. This can again come as a surprise to first-timers. I consider the bike course to be very fast overall with a lot of long hills.

The run course offers varied terrain and is a nice tour of New York. You run out of the transition and go up a short, but steep hill. After that you run across town on 72nd Street, which is a wide boulevard. This is where the greatest crowds are located prior to the finish. Running between the tall the buildings while cheered by thousands of onlookers is definitely a rush. You follow 72nd Street right into Central Park and onto the outer Central Park Loop, which is a series of rolling hills up to Harlem. The Park is packed with a mix of spectators and other joggers. You get words of encouragement from many people while you make your way uptown. There is a large uphill near the start of the third mile, which is followed by a large down hill and then another large uphill as you go West to East in the Park. After you finish the second large uphill, you are home free: except for a few small hills, you have about 2 miles of flats and downhills before the finish. The finish is tricky. You run over what looks like a bridge, and come down the other side and then take a sharp right that goes out and around a fountain before arriving at the finish. It is almost like running a capital P. Wait to kick at the top of the bridge thing otherwise you�ll be out of gas by the finish.

Overall, this is a great Olympic distance race � short swim, fast bike, and challenging, but nice run course. As I said before, it is run extremely well which is a huge positive in my mind. I recommend this to both first time Olympic Distance racers and those who are looking for a solid destination race."