On to Kona via the Green Road

Nancy gets a little extra "green" to help her on the road to Kona.

Does this put her in the "pro" ranks? Nah. Not with the amount that she got from us!

" If you see a fish any bigger than this... swim faster!"

Harry shows and explains to Nancy how all the locals will be dressed (the local tourists, that is!).

Nancy tells Harry "Not me buddy!"

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!

August 31, 2006 Dix Hills 50 Meter Outdoor Pool

Problem: The "Y" Pool was closed and it had rained for the past week so OWS at West Neck Beach was certainly "at your own risk".

Solution: Swim at the Dix Hills 50 Meter Outdoor Pool.


Thanks to Jean and Bob for setting it up -- some of us were getting a bit "water deprived"!

Next year we'll be trying out for a synchronized swim team.

Joe arrived a bit later than the 6:30am start but managed to get in a good swim.

Before you ask... the answer is NO. Bob did not do a full 50 meter Butterfly Lap, he just swam a bit for this "action" picture -- though I do admit to asking for several re-takes! Hee Hee.

Good Elbow position from Chris O. and check out his hand entry form... it's picture perfect.

Early Morning At Dix Hills Pool: 8/31/06

Air temperature was 62 degrees. But, NOBODY wanted to know what the water temperature was after a week of rain and NO sunlight to heat the pool.


No matter what the temperature was, you could see from one side of the pool to the other -- and this is a 50 Meter Pool -- talk about room for swimming!

Bob shows some near perfect stroke work. Want more underwater "stroke" shots? See below.

Underwater "Stroke Evaluation" Pictures From Dix Hills: 8/31/06

It really isn't as sunny, (ie. WARM) as it looks! It is amazing what you can do in Photoshop.

This is a great group of photos to use to check out stroke form. Chris V is above.

And, above is Ken -- a regular West Neck OWS'er trying out Huntington's ONLY 50 meter pool.

Thanks to Bob for my picture above. Now if I, (Mike), could only learn to swim and take pictures at the same time...

Scott or is it Ken (?) shows some really good extension. Maybe that's the secret of fast swimming!

Results: Vytra-Tobay Tri August 20 2006

In the Individual Age Group Category of Male 45 -49:

Harry took a FIRST Place with an overall time of 1:07:27 (Harry’s Swim time was 16:47)

Harry was also awarded TOP Male Master (40 and over)!

Don took a THIRD Place with an overall time of 1:13:43 (Don’s Swim time was 16:42)

Richard Y. finished 18th out of 108 with an overall time of 1:17:00 (Rich’s Swim time was 19:01)

Tim S. finished 46th out of 108 with an overall time of 1:25:16 (Tim’s Swim time was 16:56)

In the Individual Age Group Category of Male 60 -64, Armand took a THIRD Place (out of 14) with an overall time of 1:29:12 (Armand’s Swim time was 22:25)

In the Individual Age Group Category of Female 40 -44, Lynn took a SECOND Place (out of 53) with an overall time of 1:14:49 (Lynn’s Swim time was 15:37)

In her most impressive Tri to date, Lynn was 4th Overall Female! (in EVERY Age Group) Way to go Lynn!

In the TEAM CATEGORY of Family, Rich and son Austin took FIRST Place with an overall time of 1:14:35. (Rich’s Swim time was 17:20)

In the TEAM CATEGORY of Sibling, Joe, Steven and David C took FIRST Place with an overall time of 1:20:34. (Joe’s Swim time was 18:32)

The OVERALL TEAM WINNER was Team Bike Junkie with Rob R., Ned and Adam with an overall time of 1:01:32. (Rob’s Swim time was 15:38)

In the TEAM CATEGORY of Mixed 140-179,

Huntington swept to victory in both FIRST and SECOND Place. Bob’s team took first in an overall time of 1:09:59 (Bob’s Swim time was 17:56) followed closely by Mike’s team with an overall time of 1:15:13 (Mike’s Swim time was 16:41). One special note on Bob’s Team, his biker, James D. turned in the 5th fastest bike time of the day (25:58) with an average of 21.5 MPH!

I know that I’ve missed a FEW people, (including Jim), but I am getting older and my eyesight isn’t what it used to be (thank goodness – for those who remember all my eye operations!) – please pass along any results that should be included and I’ll be happy to add them.

Congratulations to all and enjoy the pictures below.

Mike

To the Victor Go the Spoils

... and apparently Teddy Roosevelt as well!

2006 Vytra-Tobay Triathlon & Tri Relay

The 2006 Vytra-Tobay Triathlon & Tri Relay was held on Sunday, August 20, 2006. I'm not sure of the exact number of atheletes who participated but one announcement said that there were over 1,400! Which based on the "Sea of Bikes" pictured below is probably pretty much right on the money. If you had left your house between 5 and 6am on Sunday morning, it certainly did not look ideal for a race. In fact, at times, it was pouring. It rained hard enough to leave fairly large puddles throughout the transition area but by race time, the sky began to clear and the course dried out fairly well. Except for the Swim, of course, which really had ideal conditions.

As usual, Bob pulled together another winning team as his relay pictured below took a First Place in their age group. But, if you get the chance, ask him if he beat the swimmer of the relay team that took Second in that same division. (Sorry Bob, I just couldn't resist!)

And, talk about your "usual suspects", check this happy trio below. Left to right, it's Tim, Jim and Rich (hiding under that Nike cap).

It's all in the transition... or is it?

Ok.. so its not ALL in the transition. You still have to Swim, Bike and Run -- but a good, (FAST), transition never hurts in the 2006 Vytra-Tobay Triathlon & Tri Relay.


But, before you can get to the transition you have to get out of the water. Is this part Swim or Transition? Mike's not sure, he's just running!

Don's approaching in perfect transition form but from here it takes teamwork.

Husband and wife team, Don and Ellie show some excellent Transition Teamwork in switching the chip from bike to run. Mike, the Swimmer on this Second Place 2006 Team (up from Third Place in 2005) does what he does best... he stays out of the way and takes a few pictures!

Take a look in the upper right hand corner of this picture... isn't that Rob R. and Bob M. engaged in some "after swim race" chatter?

More Pictures from Tobay Tri: 8/20/06

Jim was there!
A Father and Son Duo but Dad Rich let his Son take BOTH the Bike and Run leg!

Rich was there!

Don was there!