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Second Annual Hudson Highlands Greenway Triathlon Was a Great Success
The Second Annual Hudson Highlands Greenway Triathlon, held in Philipstown last Sunday, September 16, was a great success, attracting a total of 59 participants, up from 54 competitors last year, and many more sponsors.
Forty individual triathletes and 19 relay team members completed a 38-mile course. The event, sponsored by the Philipstown Greenway Committee and the Hudson River Navigator, once again featured Greenway Trail bike routes and running trails as well as the Hudson River Greenway Water Trail. Each of the three sections of this triathlon was a loop beginning and ending at Dockside in Cold Spring. The course consisted of kayaking, six 6 miles, to Bannerman's Island and back; biking, 24 miles, down Route 9D to the Bear Mountain Bridge and back up to Breakneck Tunnel; and running, eight miles through Foundry Preserve and up Bull Hill, then down past Little Stony Point and back to Dockside.
The overall individual winner was Keith Strudler (age 36, Beacon), who completed the course in 3 hr 20 min 18 sec (1:10:21 kayak/ 1:03:51 bike / 1:06:07 run, Champion Chip Timing by Super Race Systems). Coming in second was Morgan Stebbins (age 47, Garrison) at 3hr 32 min 46 sec, and third, Alan Fischer (age 21, United States Military Academy), 3hr 33min 58 sec.
The overall women's individual winner was Karen McGlade (age 39, Carmel), with a time of 4 hr 23 min 32 sec, with second place Victoria Gellardo (age 21, U. S. Military Academy) 4 hr 24 min 17 sec, and third, Kristin Duffy (age 32, Brooklyn) 4hr 35 min 19 sec. The overall relay team winners were Adam Barta, Craig Cutler and Naama Barta with a time of 3 hr 48 min 48 sec.
The men's age-group winners (excluding the top three men overall) were: age 18-29, David Krueger (age 21, U. S. Military Academy at West Point); 30-35, Hank Osborn (age 34, Garrison,); 40-49, Aaron Rourke (age 44, Springboro, Ohio ); 50-59, Jim Mertz (age 51, Montrose).
The women's age group winners were (excluding overall women's winner): 18-29, Pao Mei Etchells (age 21, U.S. Military Academy); and 30-39, Kim Jenkins (38, New York).
Contestants ranged in age between 18 and 55, with their median age at 39 years old. Fifty of the contestants were men, and nine were women. About half of the contestants were residents of Philipstown, with 12 coming from the United States Military Academy at West Point, and the rest from around the tri-state area. Ethan Rockmore of Cold Spring joined with the Town of Philipstown and the Philipstown Greenway Committee to sponsor the participation of the 12 cadets. Results for the full field may be found a t www.HudsonHighlandsTriathlon.org.
The Second Annual Hudson Highlands Greenway Triathlon was an event in the 8th Annual Hudson Valley Ramble, held under the auspices of the Hudson River Valley Greenway and the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area. The race was organized by the Philipstown Greenway Committee with Honorary Co-Chair Vincent Tamagna, the Hudson River Navigator. The office of the Navigator was created by the American Heritage Rivers Initiative to protect environmental and cultural resources of 14 of America's great rivers, including the Hudson. Mr. Tamagna was appointed to this post by Governor Pataki in 2003.
Michael Gibbons, Putnam County Representative to the Greenway Board, welcomed participants and introduced Vincent Tamagna. Mr. Tamagna praised the Committee and the team of volunteers for their enthusiasm and hard work in mounting the triathlon: "What a success the Second Annual Hudson Highlands Greenway Triathlon has been, and how appropriate to have the backdrop of one of America's Heritage Rivers for this event. I'm pleased to present the awards for a great competition and also want to recognize the teamwork of the many volunteers who worked hard to put on a very professional and well-coordinated event."
Prizes were wall plaques with the name of the triathlon and the date etched in recycled green glass. All participants received a "goody bag" constructed of recycled material and an event t-shirt made of organic cotton. Hank Osborn, representing the EASTER Foundation, sponsored these items and stressed the importance of using green technology to manufacture them: "In Garrison, New York, seven generations of the Osborn family have been committed to improving the health of the planet, upon which all living things depend, through the support of organizations promoting the Environment, the Arts, Sustainability, Technology, Education, and Rights." Top winners in each category also received gift certificates from Eastern Mountain Sports of Poughkeepsie.
Race director and Philipstown Greenway Committee Chair, Michael McKee, noted that the triathlon course once again made use of Greenway and potential Greenway trails and roads in Philipstown. The bike course included a two-mile stretch of Route 9D in Philipstown north of Cold Spring between Little Stony Point and Breakneck Tunnel. "The Committee is developing plans to construct a multi-use trail for bicyclists and hikers and to make other improvements along this road to facilitate access to the Hudson River and the many hiking trails in the hills and cliffs above it. A recently completed feasibility study we commissioned includes important recommendations for improving this roadway for bikers and hikers," McKee said. When improvements along Route 9D are completed, the road will be eligible for final approval as a Greenway Bike Trail, and to join with New York State Bike Route 9 as the Hudson Fjord Bike/Hike Trail, pending New York State Department of Transportation approval.
Bill and Gail Sherry, members of the Philipstown Greenway Committee and professional race timers, provided their services free of charge, using Champion Chip System timing equipment.
Deputy Sheriff Mike Szabo and the Marine Unit of the Putnam County Sheriff's office provided safety support on the Hudson during the kayak race, supported by volunteers in kayaks positioned along the route. Putnam County Sheriff's Deputies also provided safety coverage at the Breakneck Tunnel turnaround, and New York State Troopers managed traffic at the Bear Mountain Bridge.
Forty race volunteers and Committee members worked to register participants, provide water at key positions on the route, monitor traffic crossings, and assist in transition areas. A crew of young volunteers from Building Bridges/Building Boats of Cold Spring rowed their longboat, "Storm King," to a position just south of Bannerman's Castle to serve as the turnaround point for the triathlon's kayak race. The volunteers were Chloe Goldberg, Forrest Hardy, Spencer Hardy, and Lukas Lahey, supervised by organization director David Hardy and Cate Carr. Local business volunteers included four from Houlihan Lawrence Real Estate of Cold Spring.
Special permissions were granted by the Villages of Cold Spring and Nelsonville, Scenic Hudson, Hudson Highlands State Park, Metro North Railroad, and Inn Credible Caterers of Philipstown to cross properties in various sections of the race.
Sponsors of the race also included Hudson Valley Outfitters, which provided kayak rental and on-site kayak support, and Bikeway of Wappingers, which provided on-site bike repair in addition to mobile support on the bike course. Grey Printing, Houlihan Lawrence, MarketingWorksNow, Inc., Chiera & Associates, Country Bumpkin Century 21, The Country Goose, Dain's Lumber, J. Robert Folchetti and Associates, and McCoy Chiropractic, P.E. were also sponsors.
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