New York City, New York United States World Triathlon Corporation 85F / 29C Sunny

Total Time = 12h 08m 59s Overall Rank = 687/2500 Age Group = 35-39 Age Group Rank = 126/400

Well, I spent over an hour doing my RR but received a BT error message when I hit save. Not doing that again so here is the short version.

Arrived in NYC on Thursday with my wife, Rowena and her sister, Virginia. Stayed at the Candlewood suites on 39th st since it was within walking distance to the Ferrys, IM village, and had a kitchen.

Race morning: up at 2:30 am. That sucked. I sleep like crap before races even worse before this one. Probably 70 minutes of sleep. That sucked. Walked down through the people still partying to catch the ferry. Ran into ShawnfromNorfolk (BTer) on the ferry.

Tires pumped, bags in place, waited in line for the ferry to the swim start. Got off the ferry jumped in and swam with a wicked current as you can see by my swim time. I’m a 1:10-1:15 swimmer. This year I’ve had a 1:30 and a :51. Crazy.

Out of the water both hamstrings cramped. No idea. Very relaxed during the swim, small kick, sleeveless wetsuit, hydrated well leading up to race, stayed off feet. No explanation.

T1 sucked because I was slow walking the cramps away.

Bike: 28 minutes in a bee or wasp flies into one of the three small vents in my aero helmet and stings the crap out of me. Swing off the road where a guy is changing a flat, I smack the bug, he smacks the bug, I pull the stinger and check if he needs help. He’s good, I’m gone, just with a bit more pain in my head.

Take it easy on the first loop getting a feel for the course. Shim in aero bar somehow comes loose, I stop to fix, can’t get it done. Keep riding, stop at special needs for some tape to try to keep the bar from moving no dice, finally find bike tech and they get me squared away.

See Row and Virg screaming their heads off, wearing their IMNYC I ring my cowbell for Chris shirts. Awesome.

Second loop, killing it on a downhill when a wind gust sends my front HED3 into the dreaded death wobble (just like IMLP ’10) get under control and decide to watch it for the rest of the ride. Lost time all over the course.

Run: Wicked hard. Took it really easy but the hills from the bike and the killers on the run took their toll. Finally got to the bridge and the supposedly flat side of the run only to find it wasn’t so flat. Wanted to just run 10s, just 10s. All my long runs were mid 8s. Came nowhere close towards the end. Saw Row and Virg plenty once I hit New York but I was beat down and in no place to give happy smiles. They were awesome. Lots of smiles, encouragement, and love. Nothing like the hug Row gives me after one of these races. Plenty of pain but her smile and hug take it all away.

The Hudson spots me 25 minutes on the swim and I still don’t come in under 12? Nice. Ready for a break.

For all those tools who kept harping logistical nightmare, well they can suck it. It was a great event and well run, no hiccups from where I stand. Volunteers, spectators, aid stations, venue, everything was cool. Most of the haters out there will find something to bitch about at every race. What I got a kick out of the most was that there were so many people that talked smack yet they would have the sack to even try any IM. These races are an adventure, if you can’t handle it, get out of my way so I don’t have to wait in line to sign up.

On another note, Nothing and I mean NOTHING of what I wrote above mattered at all two days later when we found out that Rowena’s deployment which was being given to someone else has landed right back in her lap with only one possible out, which is out right cancellation. After a wonderful long weekend hanging with the wife and sister-in-law, reality smacked the crap out of us. She’ll head off for training in a handful of weeks and head off to a not so safe place before we get to ring in the New Year.