By Rebecca Roozen
July 21, 2007 -- Triathletes will be going to bed early tonight in the city that doesn't sleep. At 5:50 a.m. tomorrow morning, the second race of this season's five-race Lifetime Fitness Triathlon Series--also including the Lifetime Fitness Triathlon in Minneapolis, Minn., the Accenture Chicago Triathlon, the Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Triathlon and the inaugural Toyota U.S. Open Triathlon in Dallas--will be on it's way for the seventh year. On an island that the trapped heat feels like someone just opened an oven in summer, it looks like participants will luck out with temps in the mid-70s and a cooling breeze that's cut the worst of the humidity the past few days.
Athletes begin the Olympic-distance course with a cruisy swim in the Hudson River. A dip, really. The Hudson is a tidal river, so athletes swim with the current, making for ridiculously quick time.
In 2006, pro Brian Fleischmann made it out of the water in 11:14. The expected water temperature is 74 degrees F, and wetsuits are allowed. From there, athletes will make their way onto the flat bike course and run around part of Central Park.
Last year, Aussies Emma Snowsill and Greg Bennett took the golds at the Nautica New York City Triathlon. This year, the likes of Hunter Kemper and Rebeccah Wassner are expected to lead the professional field. But there's another race within the race, a showdown among determined Ivy Leaguers.
The first-ever Ivy Tri Championship will be held as part of the New York City Triathlon tomorrow. All current undergraduates, grad students and alumni from each Ivy League school--Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, Princeton University, University of Pennsylvania and Yale University--plus Northwestern, Duke and Stanford are eligible to compete.
Those competing for their schools are also eligible for awards in age group, elite amateur or pro divisions. Here's the deal: The lowest combined time from the top five finishers from each school count toward the Championship. The top five must include at least one man and one woman. The name of the winning school goes on the perpetual trophy that stays in New York, and the winning school's top five finishers each receive a special award at the Finish Festival Awards Ceremony. It's all for some good old-fashion fun. Spectators should expect to see school jerseys and painted faces among the usual.
Local Channel 4 will be covering the race; it will be shown on WNBC Channel 4 on various days starting Sunday, July 29 at 2 p.m. Check local listings or nyctri.com for more information.