Going to New York City to race a triathlon is something I NEVER imagined I would do in my entire life. When we first arrived, it looked as if it would be a typical Sunday in August, but that was definitely not the case. It was storming as my cab pulled up to the drop off area of the Nautica New York City Triathlon. I walked from my cab to the transition area, which is where all my equipment was set up for me to put on and take off between swimming, biking and running. I had heard the swim exit was on the way to the start line. I thought for sure I had passed it on my way to the start line since I felt as if I was walking forever. It wasn’t until I quit talking to the person next to me that I realized that I was just coming up to the swim exit. My immediate thought was, “Are you kidding?” For crying out loud, that means that the distance I had just walked was going to be what I would have to run just to get to the transition area. Why is it that so many triathlons have such a long distance from the swim exit to the transition area? That distance doesn’t even count, is it not enough that I am already swimming a mile, riding 25, and then running 6? I guess not!
Once I got to the start things were looking up, except for the weather. I was excited to see Hannah Curlee, Olivia Ward and Irene Alvarado, Season 11 Biggest Loser finalists at the start of the race. Hannah was prepping for the swim leg of the triathlon. I had a New York City camera crew that had been following me the entire weekend for my new show “Live Big with Ali Vincent.” After doing an interview with them at the start, the time had come to actually start my very first Olympic distance triathlon.
Hannah and I lined up together at the start line. It felt so crazy and rushed. We were both so excited and scared at the same time. 20 people at a time every 20 seconds….talk about crazy considering there were over 3,000 triathletes. I will say that it was the best start I have every experienced, usually everyone starts together and everyone is scrambling to find their way through the pack, hoping they can shake off the person swimming on top of them. The one challenge with the Hudson River is you cannot see someone swimming next to you, not even a few inches away. That aside, I thought the swim was great!
The bike and run were surprisingly easy. The ride only had a few climbs and the run had even fewer. All in all I will say that the Nautica New City Triathlon is definitely a favorite of mine and I would recommend it to anyone who not only wants an amazing triathlon experience, but an amazing vacation.
New York City obviously has amazing scenery, shows, shopping, and dining, but you also get to walk everywhere! I hope everyone gets to experience NYC once in their lives.
Next up on the race calendar is the Nautica Malibu Triathlon…..I hope I win that one. Did I mention I’m getting a new Cannondale bike?!?!
xo,
Ali
0 COMMENTS
No comments added.