Here at TRAVLETE, we find ourselves in our second season of race reviews. Woohoo to us and to all the race directors out there planning adventures that leave us clamoring for more. While there are still a zillion events we’ve yet to cover, sometimes it’s important to do a race we’ve done before, as a benchmark for our progress as well as a gut check for why we got off the couch in the first place.

For me, that race is the Nautica NYC Triathlon.

Adrian, Susan and I reviewed this race in 2010, and nothing has changed about the course, so I won’t dwell on those details. (The gist: 1.5K dip in the Hudson, 40K bike up the Henry Hudson Highway, and 6.2K run across 72nd St into Central Park for a clockwise loop of the Northern Hills, finishing just off the 72nd St Transverse.)

The main difference this year was in race day organization, which turned out to be a Hangover 2 kind of let down.

Bottom line, the bike course is too jam-packed. And instead of addressing that head-on with a change to the course and/or limiting the number of athletes, race organizers keep expanding the field and trying to band-aid the situation.

This year’s attempt was a “less stressful” time-trial swim start (sort of a Hello Kitty-style band-aid), sending 20 athletes into the Hudson every :10. Or at least that’s what happened for the first wave of age-groupers. After a 20-minute break between female and male athletes, officials realized :10 wasn’t enough of a spread and they spaced groups out a bit better. Kudos for adjusting on the fly, but it still sucked for me. They also told later groups not to sit on the dock before jumping in. Those of us that did sent our feet over the timing mat about :20 too early. (Don’t worry, I already asterisked that in my data spreadsheet…) My bad for following the masses and not doing a standing jump, true enough, but it woulda been nice to have that heads up for everyone across the board.

OK, so there was less bodily contact at the start, but isn’t that part of the sport of triathlon? The swim start is supposed to be a frenzy with a couple of “accidentally” thrown elbows you shake off. On Sunday, the personal space only lasted for a couple hundred yards anyway, when I caught up to a boatload of slower swimmers from other groups. (At least a few kayak loads anyway; there were so many people in distress that kayakers were actually inside the swim lane with people hanging on.) There was a lot more congestion for the bulk of the swim than in past years, which led to a giant pile-up on the ramp to exit the water. I was grasping at metal, waiting for a volunteer to help me up, only to be offered the hand of what looked to be a 14-year-old kid who weighed less than me. Not exactly the beefy guys in past years who hauled me up like a sack of Yukon Golds with my legs and arms still flailing from the end of my swim. Then at the end of the barge, I had my second weird volunteer encounter – there was a guy physically interfering with athletes attempting to run to T1, telling us to slow down and walk. WhachyoutalkinboutWillis?! I understand the need for caution but walking should never an option in a race, nor should volunteers impede progress. (And if they could finally get mats or carpet on that asphault for the ridiculously long run to transition, we wouldn’t need to be so p*ssyfooted anyway.)

This is a RACE, not a stroll.

There was much hullabaloo about the water quality and temperature of the Hudson this year, too. Race organizers assured us they were testing it and supposedly it was safe on race day. Fine. The sewage runoff issue is never going to change. But the big shock this year was the chop in the water. Ocean swells, actually. We all tend to forget the Hudson is a tidal river and take the swim for granted as “easy.” True, it’s the fastest 1.5K you will ever swim in your life without Jabberjaw hunting you down, but too many inexperienced swimmers get in that water unprepared. Very sadly, two people experienced cardiac arrest in the Hudson this year and passed on. Of course we don’t know the extent of their training and preparedness, and yes, deaths happen in other races and triathlons. But what I do know is that the Hudson was very rough this year, and an easy breezy swim wasn’t a given.

Swimmers beware, Hudson River conditions vary DRASTICALLY from year to year.

For me personally, and based on much non-scientific polling post-race, the time-trial swim start failed. The start was easier, but the rest of the swim and exit was more congested than ever. And the bigger elephant in the room is safety. Instead of dividing us by age, perhaps athletes should be grouped by swim pace, similar to road races. At registration, athletes could submit prior race results to prove their swim speed; and if they have no prior experience, maybe they should be grouped together and sent off after the other age-groupers or be required to get certification. (NYC Swim does this.) Not only would that eliminate the Frogger effect of having to sight for errant back-floaters and doggy-paddlers rather than the exit barge, but it seems like it would be easier to track the newbies if they were all together.

I digress. Let’s get back to the clusterfluff that was T1. The secondary result of the swim pile-up for me was significant congestion in Yellow Transition (the transition area for women and a few of the men). I had to wait at a stand-still with my bike to exit transition, and again behind the mount line because volunteers were not herding folks along. I appreciate that this race is chock full of new triathletes. I was one once. But that’s exactly why the volunteers have to be on top of things at all times, highly vocal, and moving the poor girl who can’t clip in to the side before she gets her block knocked off by someone in an aero helmet who’s using a disc wheel for an Oly. (No, that’s not me.) In the past, the volunteers have been top notch at this race. I’m not sure what happened this year.

By the time I finally got on my bike and maneuvered through the masses up to Hot Corner and entered the highway, I was already 7:51 into my bike split. Granted, it was rainy and that slowed the novice riders down that much more, but what the WHAT. The rest of the bike course played out similarly. It was far too crowded, and admittedly, I went outside the cones on the left many more times than was safe or smart in order to either get myself out of a blocking situation, or to have any shot at gaining speed. There was debris all over the place and water-filled potholes that took down more than a few experienced riders. The terrain of the course presents a decent challenge — and the brutal headwinds on the return trip this year certainly added to that — but it’s just too narrow and too crowded to be safe, or even particularly enjoyable for those who want to, well, RACE.

Hills were virtually the only areas that provided relief from an overcrowded bike course.

The good news is, once you get out of T2, the run is basically awesome. The support on the course is fantastic. Aid stations were well-stocked with water, Cytomax and gels, volunteers were on their game, there were hoses in several places to help combat the steamy temps, and the crowds were out in force. The west side hills provide a cruel test of will and leg strength, then the east side descent toys with whatever you have left, begging you to pound out the last mile for the cheering crowds. The finishing chute seems to go on too long, but it also makes everyone feel like a pro. Props for the ice-cold towel as well as medal around your neck within seconds of finishing.

The NYC Triathlon's saving grace...the run.

I can hem and and haw about logistical issues on the swim and bike, and I’m certainly not alone in that. (Just ask anyone who’s ever raced NYC, whether it was last Sunday or 10 years ago.) But it’s still kind of awesome to have such a big event in our backyard, and it never gets old to see the joy of so many first-timers and inspiring parathletes cross that finish line in Central Park.

Course: D   The time trial swim start didn’t eliminate any of the congestion on the bike; if anything, it created more of a pile up down river, at the swim exit and in T1. The bike course is just too friggin crowded. The run is great, but it’s not enough to counter the issues with the other legs.

Organization (pre-race): B   Pre-race e-communication was great. The expo and athlete briefings are well run, although more emphasis should be placed on course etiquette; there was way too much blocking, drafting and littering going on out there. With all the hoopla over water quality and temperature, many athletes expressed a desire for more frequent updates and honest communication.

Organization (race day): C   Time-trial swim start didn’t work, and wasn’t consistent for all athletes. Volunteers on the swim and in transition seemed overly concerned with slowing everyone down and not concerned enough with traffic flow and accommodating athletes of all skill levels.

Atmosphere: A   The crowd support is fantastic. It’s a big deal race that makes you feel like a big deal as a finisher.

Logistics: B   Not surprisingly, there’s traffic everywhere near Riverside Park on both Sat and Sun. I didn’t use any of the nearby hotel shuttles but many athletes took advantage of them. Pedi-cabs back to transition after the finish festival are a nice touch but be prepared for a long wait on your feet to take one.

Overall: C   Until the logjam on the bike course is resolved, this remains a great race for first-timers, and probably even those with a score to settle a second time around. Beyond that, set your sights on other venues. Then tell us all about it!

-Julie

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