Nautica New York City Triathlon : Official Thread (Page 12)

Wow.  I see that everyone is still arguing/complaining about that dastardly dangerous bike course.  A few things:

1)  Andysrc:  The reason why I got upset that I had yelled at a TNTer is because it was a fellow TNTer.  I am also a TNTer. :-D  So I was basically yelling at a teammate (one I had never met - TNT is so big), which is not kewl at all!  Like I said though, TNT for this race was huge. They could not drag people and make them go to all of the meetings/trainings they provide.  And frankly, I agree with John Korff (RD) that it is not so much a TNT issue as a beginner tri person issue.  TNT does an excellent job of educating its people as to race etiquette, etc.  I raced my first race with them and knew all of the bike safety rules. They were almost always pointing out bike safety almost every training.  I mean often, even before we would go out on a ride, we had to listen to another lecture about bike safety and biking in a group, etc.  The TNT coaches are fantastic and really care about the safety of their athletes.  However, like I said - that is for people who actually go to all of the trainings.  Like with any team, training with TNT is a time investment. They train all week with a very specific detailed training schedule.  However, they cannot drag people from their homes and make them go to the trainings and attend the information meetings.  If I go to an open water swim training and 150 people are there and I know that there are 400 people in TNT for the NYC Tri, then that translates into 250 people missing a training right before the NYC Tri!

But it is just not kewl to yell at your teammates.

Please stop bashing TNT. TNT does an excellent job of training, educating, sending out loads of materials, etc.  Perhaps you can say - those with TNT who care not to actually train, attend the education sessions, etc. are causing problems.  TNT is an excellent team with excellent coaches, but like any team, not everyone goes to the team sessions.  I could join any of the New York City teams - like Team Lipstick, etc. - and not go to their trainings, and then on Sunday, wear Team Lipstick's colors and totally not comply with USAT rules because I did not go to the trainings provided all week by Team Lipstick.  It would be unfair to say - look at Team Lipstick - their people are clogging up the road and causing crashes.  While there are plenty of folks on Team Lipstick not clogging up the road and causing crashes, including some of their beginners who were diligent, invested their time and attended the trainings.

I think it is easy to bash TNT because there were SOOOO many this year and I think it is the largest NYC Tri team they have ever had.  So ya - you saw purple and said - okay yea - it's TNT.  But let me tell you there were more than purple people clogging up the Henry Hudson.  There were many newbies doing so - not just some of the TNT newbies.

2)  I agree that this is not a race for newbies.  I started triathlon just this year (started training in November 2008).  NYC Tri was my third this year.  I am so grateful for that!  The logistics ARE complicated!  When I told my triathlete friends at my church that I wanted to start doing triathlon and wanted to do the NYC Tri, they strongly encouraged me to NOT do the NYC Tri as my first tri.  And although they were not personally with TNT, they encouraged me to join TNT so that I would get training and know how to race.  TNT provides excellent training all week long by excellent coaches, but again, I went to almost everything offered.  I read the USAT guide.  I came on here and started hanging out with you folks and read the boards.  My first race was, thank God, on the California wide open roads.  NYC Tri is a fast, hot (and fun) race.  But the logistics are very cramped - just the two transition areas alone - and the bike back into them - and the narrow roads - and the combination of the fast and slow bikers near killing each other.. well ya.  I am really grateful I listened to my church tri friends last year.  I do not think it is much of a newbie race.  But then what is a newbie race?

I passed two crashes and one of my TNT friends (experienced) crashed because, she said, it looked like a fast biker trying to pass her skidded on the wet painted portions of the highway.  Thankfully, she was "okay" - as in she could get back on the bike despite road rash.  She said the guy who plowed into her did not make out so well.  Poor guy. :-(

So here we have a large number of beginner bikers on a wet road, not accustomed to USAT rules, on a congested logistically 'interesting' course.  I am so grateful to God that I finished well! And I really really really enjoyed myself and had a blast and ended up praying a lot for people I passed who crashed.  I already am thinking about how to improve my time for next year on this course!  Great fun fast ride! 

Maybe we can reflect on just how much fun we had.  Like, can I start something - what was your favorite part of the race?  (Mine actually was the bike.. even though I got stuck behind a lot of slow people - biking on the Henry Hudson was gorgeous!)

dbw27

Hi - I have to agree that my first impressions were great and it is only now that I reflect on everyone's posts that I start to question it a bit. This is my second time doing NYC and it is the only tri that I have ever done. I think I changed my mental outlook a  bit once the rain came down on my way to transitions. Knowing NYC I knew there would be standing water and I should expect problems out on the course. I only really got stuck behind a slow group for the last 2 miles on the return. I took it as a sign to just relax and not try to force the pass. I maybe could have knocked a minute off, but did you see how many people were broken down all over the course. No pass is worth a crash. I think it helped me on my run to cool down a bit towards the end of the bike.

I love the race because I love NYC. I had to leave my vacaction near Lake Placid to drive down on Saturday to check in. I drove back up Sunday after the race and just got back today. I moved my vacation only to find the race day had changed from last year. I wouldn't do that again as I missed out on the underwear run and the chance to meet others from this group.

I did do well and knocked 10 min off my time from last year.(Overall: 2:42:36, Swim: 22:52, Bike: 1:21:49, Run: 48:25)  My fear is that I am switching to the 45 group next year. If this means that I am going to go late and have more issues then I may have to reconsider doing the event only because of this and most of the people I do the even will still be in 40-44.

HOTEL: I stayed in the Lucerne on 79th and it was great. Easy walk to transition and back from the park.
http://www.thelucernehotel.com/