So why is the Verizon New York City Triathlon in July, anyway?
Week 3, Day 4 of NYC Marathon Training: More walking to my side hustles and 20 minutes of Peloton cycling
Last night, I was supposed to be starting my late-summer New York Road Runners group training classes in Central Park after work. I signed up for the eight-week series — the third time I have signed up for the NYRR sessions this year — to get me ready for the NYC Marathon. And I was really looking forward to doing this again.
However, due to the terrible heat wave we are experiencing in New York City, NYRR made the decision to cancel this week’s evening class. (We can make it up at another session of our choosing.)
So with my workout cancelled, I decided to get some more of my side hustle merchandising work out of the way for the week, and walked around the Bronx and upper Manhattan doing so Thursday night.
I got a total of 8.4 miles of walking in for the whole day, and then came home and did 20 minutes on the Peloton bike. I wasn’t really planning on having two mostly rest days this week, but it is what it is!
While I was on the way home, I heard that the annual Verizon New York City Triathlon is cutting their Olympic-distance course due to the heat wave. The 40K bike ride (24.8 miles) is now cut to 20K (12.4 miles). The 10K (6.2 mile) run is now just 2.5 miles. The 1500M swim remains the same. So this race now is essentially a sprint triathlon, but for $370 plus fees! What a deal.
And this is the fifth year in a row that the race has either been shortened or cancelled:
In 2018, they cut the race course in the middle of the event due to the heat. (I was one of the people who was directed to the finish line early, after a little bit more than a mile, as opposed to 10K!)
In 2019, the race was cancelled completely due to the heat. (I was working the race expo that year, and triathletes were furious over this!)
In 2020, COVID-19 cancelled the in-person race, although they did have a virtual option.
In 2021, the swim was changed to a run due to fecal contamination in the Hudson River. (And a lot of triathletes were angry over the swim being cancelled!)
Now this year, the race is severely shortened.
I don’t know if it’s a tide issue with the Hudson River or not, but it seems like having this event in July isn’t the best idea. Maybe it’s time to move it to a different month. So what am I missing here? (If you know why Life Time Fitness keeps on having the event in July, please let me know!)
My first Olympic-distance triathlon, and one of my greatest racing moments ever, was at the 2XU NYC Triathlon on July 16, 2017. And this was the last full NYC Triathlon to be held!
The previous month, I had done the 2017 Patanella's Flat as a Pancake Triathlon on Staten Island, which is a sprint distance, in preparation for the longer distance tri.
But while the Olympic distance is technically just twice as long as the sprint race, it is exponentially harder. I was exhausted yet exhilarated at the end of the NYC Triathlon — thrilled that I actually finished this very hard challenge!
So, I can understand why triathletes are peeved that the race distance has been shortened again. Especially when the race still costs $370 plus fees for what is now essentially a sprint distance. (First-world problems, I know, but still!)
You train for the big challenge that you signed up for. It would be like training 18 weeks for the NYC Marathon, only to see the race shortened to be a half marathon — not quite the same race, but at the $255 cost!
No wonder the NYC Triathlon, which used to sell out very quickly, still has spots available this year. All the cancellations and race shortening measures are taking their toll on the popularity of the event.
I am volunteering as a race captain at the event’s transition area tomorrow, giving tours, so I can earn complimentary entry into the 2023 NYC Triathlon. Hopefully, that race will actually happen next year! We shall see. I do expect to hear from some very cranky triathletes peeved about the course changes this year!