The first 200m or so were absolutely brutal. My wave was relatively smallin comparison to the others, but it was a full-on washing machine style, kicked in the face a million times, sliding over people event until the field opened up. I managed to pull ahead of a lot of people, despite the fact that I was swimming hard towards the seawall for a little bit and had to be re-directed by a kayaker. Sighting was difficult with the sun rising right in our eyes, and reflecting off the water. The further downtown we got, the more disgustingly black the water became. It was always hard to see, but near the exit ramp it was like swimming in ink. I have never been so glad to get out of water in my life.

Practice OW sighting more. Put on wetsuit much closer to my wave start.

My T1 time was epically slow, as the exit ramp was about 5 blocks from the transition setup. So after nearly getting sick from the delicious Hudson that was then coursing through my bloodstream, I had to run the approx. 1/2 mile and then fight my wetsuit off my ankles. I was happy, though, to have made it out of the water and to the bike before the guy racked next to me with the P3C w/Zipp 909 package.

Spend more time learning how to quickly take off my suit. At least I got the upper half off during the run to the bike.

My experience on the bike and run are somewhat marred by the first 1k of the bike. In that time, my Profile Design AquaRack cages both tilted back to near horizontal, which caused BOTH of my bottles of Gatorade Endurance to eject from their homes, leaving me for 40k without hydration of any sort (no aid on the bike course). I had only consumed a little water coming into T1, so I had to set myself up for some massive dehydration. The course was congested enough that I couldn't turn around to pick up my bottles, so I decided I'd risk the lack of fluids and abandonment penalty if there were marshalls afoot. I made it through the course managing slightly over 18mph, which was decent considering the hills and my parched nature. I passed a fair number of people, and was dropped like 3rd period French by a lot of 30-35 guys. Had I been able to take in some water and calories, I think I could have shaved easily 6-10 minutes off of my time.
There was also a slight mechanical issue, in that my cowhorn/aerobar setup turned about 8 degrees left of straight, so I had to do the ride with my arms kinked off to the side.
Despite those two issues, though, the bike was the most fun part of the race. The scenery going up the Henry Hudson was pretty good, and the view from the top of the toll bridge was almost worth the dehydration. Once we were up into the Bronx and near Yonkers, it was much more forest-y, which gave a bit of shade and also a welcome breeze (which became a headwind at some points). The level of spectator support was impressive up on the north end of the course, which really helped to push me along back into T2.

Make sure that my hydration is properly secured, and that my aerobars are on straight. Also I should take in a few calories during T1.

My apologies to the person who's bike was racked directly behind #1926. I was so dehydrated coming in from the bike that I drank some of the bottle of water that was lying near your pack. There were several there, and I had no fluids to take in until I hit the first aid station on the run.

I was in and out of T2 relatively quickly, after drinking said "borrowed" water from my compatriot. Should have installed Yankz on my running shoes before the race, as the combo of putting on socks and tying my laces kinda slowed me down. Dehydration was a factor at this point, and I was not at all looking forward to a 10K in the heat.

Yankz on the shoes, learn to jump off a moving bike.

Until I got to the first aid station and was able to take in some sort of sports drink, I had tunnel vision and really only wanted to stop to throw up. I wasn't sure I would be able to push through 10K after not having taken anything in throughout the proceeding 1:30:00. Once I got to that blessed aid station, I drank 4 big cups of CytoMax just to put something into my body. After that it was slightly touch and go, and I was basically running from one aid station to the next, trying to take in calories and water whenever possible. I was getting passed right and left, and wasn't passing as many people as I would have liked. I saw my fiancee and future in-laws at a couple of points, which provided some much needed support. There weren't too many spectators in the park, but they were lining 72nd street when we came out of T2. I was able to push through the run, never having to stop and walk. I am amazed I was able to keep my average mile time under 10 mins, including totally stopping at every aid station to drink.

Drink on the bike.

My race performance was severly limited by the bottle ejection in the first 2 minutes of the bike. It was overall a very positive experience, but had I been able to drink during the 2nd leg, I would have entered the run much fresher, and would have been able to avoid the tunnel vision and nausea.


The race was run extremely well. Everything other than the race, however, was not. The finish line was an absolute mess, with 3200 athletes attempting to find their loved ones in a literal sea of humanity. The transition area was a solid 30 minute walk from the finish line, with no transportation offered. Also, 79th and Riverside Park is nto the most convenient location from which to remove a bike, especially as I had to walk mine down to SBR at 58th & 7th. However, the post-race cold towel massage and abundant Cytomax was a godsend. The race was good overall, but I will think twice about entering next year, just due to the logistical hassle of schlepping all over Manhattan after a hard day's race.