Mighty Hamptons Triathon Sunday September 17, 2006

This was the 25th year anniversary of the Mighty Hamptons Triathlon in Sag Harbor, New York; a Swim of 1.5K (.93mile), a Bike of 40K (23.0 miles), and a Run of 10K (6.2 miles). The weather was ideal and Noyac Bay looked like a mirror, making race conditions perfect. If I missed any results from our “group”, please let me know.

Scott Kessler took 1st Place in the 40-44 Age Group in a time of 2:13:09 and was the 8th Place Overall Finisher out of 721 – way to go Scott!

In the 45-49 Age Group, Roger Levin finished 24th out of 66 in a time of 2:42:14.

In the 50-54 Age Group, Don Bond finished in Second Place, (out of 42 in his age group), in a time of 2:25:33.

The Brooklyn Bridge Swim: September 9, 2006

Before the start: Bright sun rises over Brooklyn and washes out my camera shot of the Brooklyn Bridge and the East River. But better bright sun and a washed out shot than rain and a washed out inaugural event called The Brooklyn Bridge Swim!

Were we nervous looking into the swirling waters of the East River? Yeah, a bit. Especially when a few of us spotted a five or six foot long hunk of wood with dozens of nails protruding from both ends -- and even a few in the middle floating not 3 feet from shore. Fortunately, most of the floating "stuff" was close to shore and by the time we reached 40 or 50 yards out, it was clear sailing (not counting the currents!).

Rob and Mike, happy and confident before the start -- some times, "ignorance is bliss".

Joan was there too -- always great to see a familiar face at events like this.

And now, before you have to read any further, let's give you the results:

Rob Martell finished 4th overall in a time of 19:06

Mike Engel finished 29th overall in a time of 23:36

Joan Heath finished 51st overall in a time of 29:13

To put these times in perspective:

The first place finisher had a time of 17:15
The last place finisher had a time of 43:32

And, 49 swimmers who started the race on the Manhattan side did not finish and had to be pulled from the water! Congratulations to the 77 who completed the swim and to Rob and Mike who took first place in their age groups.

Join us in the East River via pictures below!

The Brooklyn Bridge Swim: In the Middle of the East River

The escort boats are all lined up below giving us a safe path to swim thru. They were great at stopping the river traffic but they couldn't do anything about the currents!

It really was a beautiful day for a swim under the bridge and a very unique view.

Keep on swimming, they can't keep the East River closed ALL day!

If you look real close, you'll see Mike (front of this pack, left arm all the way out of the water).

We've already made our left turn under the Brooklyn Bridge and we're in the home stretch now heading for the finish line in Brooklyn Bridge Park. Ironically enough, Brooklyn Bridge Park is NOT under the Brooklyn Bridge but closer to the Manhattan Bridge in the background.

The Brooklyn Bridge Swim: Arriving in Brooklyn

Finally, we arrive in Brooklyn. Talk about a wet commute.

That's Rob above in the green cap getting ready to climb out as the 4th Place Finisher!

That's Mike above in the yellow cap climbing out...


Run Mike run. It was only a 20 yard transition "run" but it doesn't count till the chip comes off.

Brooklyn Bridge Swim: The Stories Start!

And now that it's over, the stories can start!

"When my wave started over on the Manhattan side just in back of me, the waves from the tugs were this high!" Mike E. September 9, 2006 around 1 pm after lunch at Grimaldi's at 19 Old Fulton Street in Brooklyn. That's right, I was eating pizza while the awards were being handed out. Who would have figured that I was gonna win! Not me, I, (along with everybody else) thought that it was just Top Ten -- no age group awards. Go figure, Hopefully they will mail the awards out.

Is there a prettier bridge in the world? Right now, Mike and Rob don't think so!


And, we even got Joan to pose with us.

For more information, full results and pictures, you can visit The Manhattan Island Foundation web site at:

http://www.nycswim.org/

The Manhattan Island Foundation, founded in 1993, organizes swimming events in the waters around Manhattan. Since its inception, the Foundation has attracted nearly 10,000 participants in more than 70 swimming races, thus helping to revive a local aquatic tradition that had been abandoned for nearly a century. The Brooklyn Bridge Swim was the last event for 2006 but don't you fear, 2007 will be here before we know it! And the first event in 2007 will be The Lady Liberty Swim on Sunday, May 27, 2007 -- something to think about on a cold winter's night.

Labor Day 2006 at Dix Hill's Pool: Part 1

Finally, sunshine at the Dix Hill's Pool! For those of us who were there on the other three cloudy, cold, damp and sometimes rainy days, (see the August Blog Entries below), a big thank you to Tropical Storm Ernesto for clearing out and giving us a beautiful Labor Day morning for swimming.


We're all in the pool... now let's get swimming!

When you're used to 25 yards at the "Y", the 50 meters at Dix Hill's Pool can seem endless. But not for "5K in-the-Bay" Carol.

When your stroke is good, 50 meters can seem a lot shorter than it looks. Just ask Jim.

Labor Day at Dix Hill's Pool: Part 2

Above is a good l-o-n-g stretch position from Bob. So now when he tells you to "reach out", you'll know what he's talking about. Try it, it really does work.

It's a "school" of lap swimmers!

I think that's Chris above. His left hand entry is looking good but that right hand and arm might be sneaking a bit to far to the outside. What do you think? And, is it Chris? We need names on our caps!

Jim got a loan of these... umh I'm not quite sure what to call them, (they are red), or even how to caption this picture. They belong to Tim so perhaps we should ask him.

Labor Day 2006 at Dix Hills Pool Part 3

Thanks to Bob for my picture below... Mike

And thanks to Jean (below) for setting our Labor Day Dix Hill's Swim up (again) and sitting in the chair. At least this time, the sun was out!


This was the first day of our Dix Hill's Pool swims that Jean didn't have to wear a cap to stay warm.

Bob gets a "thank you" hug for his part in setting up the swim or was somebody just looking for a little body heat?


Now that we're all out of the pool, the sun is really starting to work on warming the water up. Ah well, maybe next summer!