Races’ Places for Cole’s Goals
Kind of like picking an airline before picking your destination, I decided on most of my races before deciding on my goals. After I admittedly missed out on a few races for which I procrastinated signing up, I went on a racing sign up spree in late January. If I had decided my schedule just one month earlier, I’d have asked for race fees for Christmas. For a half second I balked at sharing my race schedule, then I realized that if someone in fact signed up for (or, better yet for my ego, avoided) a race I planned to do, I’d be honored. I welcome and seek competition as much as I do better fitting sports bras. Pre-Season Races:
Brooklyn Duathlon Sunday, April 12 - Brooklyn, NY
If there’s anywhere to fit in while riding a bike and wearing short brimmed hats, it’s Brooklyn. Since the water will still be cold enough to create instant hypothermia, this race, which features a rolling, 3-loop (10 mile) bike course sandwiched between two two-mile runs, is a perfect season opener. Local, no fuss, and with a community feel, this is where I’ll debut my multisport season. This year, I’m aiming for a much faster bike split and not leaving it up to the run.
Town of Huntington “Made to Tri” Triathlon Sunday, May 31 - Northport, NY
I expected to swim in Long Island in May as much as I expected to still wear my winter coat in March, but this triathlon is one of my favorites. It was the second triathlon I’ve ever done (and won). The swim is in the Long Island Sound, and the bike leg is hilly with lots of turns, so it works on my weakness of changing pace. Sponsored by the great guys at Brickwell, this race also features a huge raffle, where basically half of the racers and spectators walk away with a prize.
“Tri One On” Triathlon Sunday, May 21 - Port Washington, NY
This race was my season opener last year when Huntington took place in September. The course, distance, and field is a lot like Huntington, and the run is mostly on a boardwalk with a short stint through a park, which almost gives it a cross country feel, if cross country was on paved roads with a swim and bike warmup.
Olympic Distance Season Races:
New Jersey State Triathlon Sunday, July 12 - West Windsor, NJ
This was my first Olympic distance triathlon ever, way back in 2014. As much as I was proud of my 2:18 debut, I learned a ton from this race, the first being how many blisters my shoes could cause over 10k, and the second being that my triceps alone cannot powerfully pull me through 1500 meters of water. I love the swim course in Mercer Lake, which is marked every 100 meters. I am a fan of the mostly shaded run with tons of crowd support and volunteers who cheer like CRAZY. I very much look forward to the single loop bike course this year, which I contend should alleviate most of the congestion in last year’s two-loop race.
USATAge Group National Championships Sunday August 9 - Milwaukee, WI
Where can you find the most beautiful water in the world? Nope, not Tahiti, Hawaii, Bali, Fiji, or any other country ending in ‘I’. The most beautiful water you want to race in is in Lake Michigan. You don’t need to worry about jellyfish, too-warm water (ew), or even too-clear water (you do NOT want to see everything you’re swimming with) in Lake Michigan. I loved the swim last year at this race, where I swam a minute faster than in the NJ State Triathlon and earned my spot on Team USA, which brings me to my next race…
ITU World Triathlon Championships Sunday, September 20 - Chicago, IL
Like NSQ once said, “it’s not that hard to qualify for Worlds.” But it is hard to podium there! My multisport season will be capped off with the race for which I qualified at last year’s Age Group Nationals. Like with this blog post, I’m allowed to draft. Other than that, this race will be business as usual, but in a much larger, more competitive field. I’ll finally get to sport (and pay for) a Team USA uniform with my name on the butt. I already booked my hotel for this race, which is the furthest thing I have planned for anything ever, almost as long as the public has been planning for The Kardashian show to be cancelled.
That’s my season calendar! The Long Island races (Huntington, Tri One On) are still open, and I highly recommend them if you are a beginner. Some people take an early LIRR to make it to the races the day-of, so they are not a huge commitment. The other ones are sold out or require qualification, so if you sign up, congrats on knowing the race director!