It's tomorrow! And yes, just like this picture, there are arms and legs and bodies everywhere in that swim. It's every woman for herself, and you just hope you don't kick someone in the head.
After all of the biking, running and swimming, I'll be pulling it all together tomorrow morning at 6:24 am when I get into the Hudson (this is when the 2nd wave of woman ages 30-34 kicks off). The elites get to jump off the platform, the rest of us climb into the water and hold a rope until we get the go ahead. And they start at 5:50 am. Early.
I realized that it's quite a bit of a logistical and organizational nightmare. There are about 3,600 athletes divided into 2 color groups (red or yellow), with all the numbers, stickers and tags color and number coded (everything gets marked - the helmet, the bike, the runner). There are 37 waves of about 100 swimmers each, each wave with it's own color coded swim cap. The picture below shows a wave walking to the platform in the Hudson (that's the George Washington Bridge in the background).
I went to my mandatory briefing yesterday and am sporting a really yellow cute wrist band at the moment. And later today I will ride my bike up to the transition area to drop it off. This is when I had my accident last year, so am hoping for better trip this year!
For everyone who asks about the Hudson River quality, here is what the official Tri site says:
Q: Is the Hudson Safe?
A: Yes, the Hudson is safe and clean. Water quality testing is done regularly. No vaccines, no shots, no panic attacks necessary. Calm down. The race has sports psychologists at the start for the faint of heart. The Hudson River is the fastest Olympic distance swim in the world. It is a tidal river so you swim with the current.
A: Yes, the Hudson is safe and clean. Water quality testing is done regularly. No vaccines, no shots, no panic attacks necessary. Calm down. The race has sports psychologists at the start for the faint of heart. The Hudson River is the fastest Olympic distance swim in the world. It is a tidal river so you swim with the current.
I'm going for a personal best time, am not going to mention it unless I hit it!
What I find incredibly amazing are the Para Triathletes. It's hard enough for me to swim with 2 arms and 2 legs. Anything less and I'm not sure I could do this. But they do, and I find it incredibly amazing.
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