NEW YORK CITY, I FUCKING LOVE YOU!
Big Apple Olympic Triathlon Race Report
I absolutely fucking love New York City. After Paris, it's probably my second favorite city in the world. I love how international it is, its chaotic, magnetic energy, the beautiful buildings, the shops, and, above all, the people.
So when I saw on social media that the iconic Olympic distance triathlon was returning to NYC, I knew I had to sign up as soon as registration opened! I mean, come on, swimming in the Hudson River? How fucking awesome is that?!
And I know most people might disagree with my definition of “awesome” when referring to swimming in the Hudson River. Especially when I tell them that earlier this year I also swam in Baltimore's Inner Harbor! But for me, swimming in these waters is about celebrating the progress we've made in reclaiming our waterways back, that, for so many years, were too polluted to swim in.
And that's one of the things I've loved the most about racing this year. Getting to choose races simply because they excite me, take me somewhere new, or offer an experience I don't want to miss.
For the first time in 11 years, I stepped away from long course racing after everything that happened with my health in 2025. And while that wasn't how I originally envisioned my season, it gave me the freedom to say YES to races and experiences that I simply couldn't fit into my calendar when I was training for IRONMAN.
Some of the highlights of this year included competing in HYROX Individual Open in Miami and the USA Triathlon Olympic Distance National Championships in Milwaukee, where I qualified to represent Team USA at the 2027 Age Group World Championships in Germany. And now, the New York City Olympic Triathlon as my final race of the season!
Not a bad way to spend a year away from IRONMAN!
Another fun part of this race was getting to race it with Jimmie. It had been years since we last raced a triathlon together! Our first triathlon together was IRONMAN 70.3 Old Orchard Beach, Maine, in 2017, and our last was Diamond in the Rough Olympic triathlon in 2018.
I loved sharing this experience with my hubby! From traveling to NYC together with our bikes, organizing our gear, figuring out race logistics, and getting ready for race day, it made the entire weekend that much more special.
Now, I do have to share something about Jimmie's preparation for this race. As a triathlon coach, I spend my days helping athletes prepare for races, making sure they're training consistently, practicing their fueling, testing their equipment, and following the golden rule of NOTHING NEW ON RACE DAY.
Well, my own husband apparently decided to break every fucking rule in the book!
He hadn't been on his bike since June, had gone for a handful of runs (none longer than four miles), had maybe swum ONCE, and had done absolutely no open-water swimming in years!
He showed up with a brand new Amazon tri suit that I washed the night before we left for NYC, straight out of the packaging, and a questionable "wetsuit" that he'd never even tried on. The ONE thing I was able to help him with was his race fueling. And thankfully, he actually listened to his coach on that one!
Would I recommend his approach to any of my athletes? Absolutely fucking no!
But Jimmie has something you can't buy on Amazon: GRIT.
He works 60+ hours a week, travels constantly, and still wanted to take on this race because, well, it's fucking New York City! He knew he wasn't going to be fast. He wasn't there to compete for a podium. He just wanted to experience racing in one of the greatest cities in the world.
And honestly, I loved that he wanted to do it with me.
RACE RECAP
SWIM – 1 MILE (TIME: 19:00)
We booked our hotel on the Upper West Side, conveniently located near both the swim start and transition. The day before the race, it was mandatory to rack our bikes in transition, which was about two miles from our hotel. The swim start was another mile downriver from transition, so we decided to leave all our race gear with our bikes the night before.
No way were we going to walk three miles at 5am before even starting our race!
On race morning, Jimmie and I walked about a mile from our hotel to the swim start. The air temperature was in the 50s, and the Hudson River was a chilly 65°F. We arrived in time to enjoy a beautiful sunrise over the river, helped each other zip up our wetsuits, and dropped off our morning-clothes bags.
With approximately 1,300 athletes participating across the sprint, Olympic, relay, and aquabike events, there was plenty of race morning excitement in the air.
And just like that, it was time to say goodbye and head to our respective starting positions. I seeded myself toward the front, while Jimmie headed farther back.
The Olympic distance swim was scheduled to start at 7:30am. It was a one mile, point-to-point swim upriver, but with the incoming tide, we were promised a fast, current assisted swim. My strategy was to swim hard and take advantage of one of my stronger disciplines. I knew there would be strong cyclists in this race, so I wanted to build as much of an advantage as possible before getting on the bike.
When I jumped into the Hudson, the first thing I noticed was how salty the water was! I knew the Hudson was a tidal river connected to the Atlantic Ocean, but I was expecting more of a brackish taste.
Visibility wasn't great, but navigation was surprisingly easy. There were no sighting buoys along the course. Since it was a point-to-point swim, we simply followed the Manhattan shoreline, swimming between paddleboarders who guided us from start to swim exit.
And in the distance, we could see the iconic George Washington Bridge. I mean, how often do you get to swim in the Hudson River with the George Washington Bridge on the horizon?! Pretty fucking cool!
And boy, was that current FAST!!!
My average pace was 1:16/100m. That is fucking FAST!
Definitely the fastest swim pace of my life, even faster than my swims at IRONMAN 70.3 Chattanooga and IRONMAN Cozumel, both known for their fast current assisted swims.
I finished the one mile swim in 19 minutes, 5th fastest female out of 69 women and 1st in my age group.
Thank you, Mother Nature, for giving me that big push!
Not a bad start!
T1 – SWIM TO BIKE (TIME: 4:01)
After that ridiculously fast swim, it was time for a not-so-fast run into transition!
It was about 0.35 miles from the swim exit to the bike mount line, along a paved path that was anything but smooth. Tree roots were breaking through the concrete, making the barefoot run rather uncomfortable. And, of course, there was a short, steep hill thrown in for good measure!
Not the longest transition run I've ever done, but definitely not the most comfortable either.
Once I reached my bike, I stripped off my wetsuit, put on my cycling shoes and helmet, and briefly debated whether to wear my cycling gloves to protect my fingers from the chilly morning air.
I felt comfortable enough, so I decided to skip them.
Then came my little battle with the hydration bottle mounted between my aerobars.
Since we had racked our bikes and left our gear in transition the night before, I had taped over the straw opening of my torpedo bottle to keep ants from helping themselves to my Tailwind.
And if you know me, you know I REALLY don't like ants! As a child living in Lagos, Nigeria, I was attacked by enormous red ants, and to this day, I still remember it vividly.
Anyway, that bulletproof ant tape wasn't coming off quite as easily as I'd hoped. So there I was, fumbling with it while precious seconds ticked away. Eventually, I got it off and headed toward the bike mount line.
T1: 4:01 – 7th fastest female T1 split and 1st in my age group!
BIKE – 25 MILES (TIME: 1:20:30)
The bike course was an out-and-back from the Upper West Side to the Bronx along the West Side Highway, which was 100% closed to traffic. Riding on a completely closed NYC highway with stunning views of the Hudson River made me feel like a total VIP!
The course was rolling and surprisingly hilly, with 1,447 feet of elevation gain. I was constantly shifting gears, and the road surface wasn't always the smoothest, especially going over the expansion joints on the numerous overpasses.
It was a bit chilly at first, but I eventually warmed up about halfway through the ride. A few faster male cyclists passed me, and on the way out toward the Bronx, I passed only one female that I had chatted at the swim start who had started before me.
At the turnaround in the Bronx, I started looking for Jimmie, hoping to spot him riding in the opposite direction. But between staying focused on my pacing, navigating the bumps, and keeping myself tucked into my aerobars, I never managed to see him.
Then, with about eight miles left, my fingers started getting numb. And I mean REALLY FUCKING NUMB!
I was having trouble shifting gears and could barely grab my second bottle to refill my aero torpedo bottle. Remember those cycling gloves I decided not to wear in T1? Yeah, probably should have worn them!
With only a few miles to go before transition, three women passed me almost at once. With the rolling swim start, I had no idea when they’d started or where we actually stood relative to one another on chip time.
I finished the bike in 1:20:30 – 5th fastest female bike split and 1st in my age group!
T2 – BIKE TO RUN (TIME: 2:29)
Once I racked my bike, I must have spent a full fucking minute trying to unclip my aero helmet!
My fingers were so numb that I had absolutely no sensation in them, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get that damn buckle undone!
I was losing precious time, so I finally ran over to another athlete who was waiting for their relay teammate and asked if they could help me unclip my helmet.
It's amazing how something you do hundreds of times in training can suddenly become so complicated when your fingers refuse to cooperate!
Freedom! Helmet off!
I quickly removed my cycling shoes, put on my running socks and running sneakers, grabbed my race bib belt, one gel, and off I went!
T2: 2:29 — 27th fastest female T2 split and 2nd in my age group.
FUCKING HELMET!
RUN – 6.20 MILES (TIME: 50:09)
As soon as I started running, I realized the bottoms of my feet were completely numb from the cold bike ride! But I wasn't too worried. I figured that after a couple of miles, the sensation would come back. And thankfully, by about mile 2.5, I could finally feel my feet again!
The run started on the streets of the Upper West Side before taking us into Central Park. Our first mile was along West 96th Street, which was one steady uphill!
Honestly, I wasn't expecting the run to start with a hill. I knew Central Park was hilly, but apparently NYC wanted to get things started early! The total elevation gain for the 10K was 302 feet.
What I didn't realize was that this first mile would be the calm before the storm.
West 96th Street was completely closed to traffic. There were a few New Yorkers cheering from the sidewalks and police officers holding traffic for us. Otherwise, it was surprisingly quiet.
For one glorious mile, we practically had the streets to ourselves! And then we entered Central Park.
HOLY CHAOS!
As soon as we turned onto West Drive, we joined what felt like thousands of people out enjoying their regular Saturday morning. Runners, walkers, people strolling through the park, and then there were those of us trying to race a 10K after swimming and biking!
At times, I was weaving around people while also trying to figure out exactly where the course went. I relied on volunteers and other athletes to make sure I was heading in the right direction.
Not exactly the easiest environment for racing, but hey, it's New York City!
As for my run, I would have loved to push harder. But my heel is still healing, and I knew I couldn’t push it to my absolute limit. So I raced with what I had that day, knowing my run training had been limited by my heel injury. And I'm okay with that.
I finished the run in 50:09 – 12th fastest female run split and 1st in my age group!
Another Olympic triathlon in the books, and what a fucking cool place to race!
POST RACE
After crossing the finish line, grabbing my medal, a Gatorade, and a turkey focaccia sandwich, I started getting cold REALLY fast!
My body temperature dropped, my race kit was wet from sweat and all the water I'd been splashing on myself during the run, and all I wanted was my morning-clothes bag so I could change into something dry and warm.
Simple enough, right? Apparently not!
Our morning-clothes bags were supposed to be transported from the swim start to the finish area, but the truck carrying them was stuck in traffic and having trouble getting into Central Park.
So there we were, a whole bunch of freezing triathletes standing around waiting for our clothes.
For an entire fucking hour!
I was still holding my turkey focaccia sandwich and an orange Gatorade. I was too cold to eat the sandwich, and anyone who knows me knows that I only drink yellow Gatorade!
So there I was, standing in Central Park, shivering, holding a sandwich I couldn't eat and a drink I didn't want, with no phone because, of course, that was also in my morning-clothes bag.
Meanwhile, they were announcing the age group awards. Normally, I would have been very interested in knowing how I placed, but at that moment, I couldn't have cared less. I just wanted my fucking clothes!
While waiting, I started chatting with some people around me. There was a woman in front of me who had three friends from NYC there supporting her, and one of them noticed how badly I was shivering.
She asked, "Where are the finish-line blankets?”
I explained that triathlons don't usually provide those. Well, she wasn't having any of that!
Off she went, and a little while later she came back with a blue hospital sheet cover she'd managed to get from the ambulance crew. She wrapped it around me, and I finally stopped shivering.
I never got her name, but I will never forget her kindness.
And this is one of the many reasons why I fucking love New Yorkers! They're direct, resourceful, and when something needs to get done, they get it done. This woman didn't know me, wasn't there to support me, and had absolutely no reason to go out of her way to help me.
But she did.
Eventually, our bags arrived! I changed into dry clothes, ate my sandwich, and checked the results on my phone.
First in my age group and 4th female overall!
At 50 years old, racing against women in their 20s and 30s, I was feeling pretty fucking good about that!
Menopause has been kicking my ass lately, with five to six hot flashes a night, interrupted sleep, and some pretty lousy recovery. So to still be racing competitively against women decades younger? That felt pretty damn good!
Of course, a few days later, after some timing corrections, I was bumped down to 6th female overall. Well, shit. I liked 4th better!
But 1st in my age group, 6th female overall, and a finish time of 2:36:11? I'll happily take it!
Once I was warm, I collected my age group trophy and headed back toward the finish line to look for Jimmie. And my timing couldn't have been better! I arrived just as he was crossing!
Remember how I mentioned earlier that Jimmie's preparation for this race was pretty much a triathlon coach's worst nightmare?
Well, my hubby finished an Olympic distance triathlon in 4:06, placing 270th out of 274 men.
At the finish line, there was a young boy, maybe 10 years old, putting medals around the athletes' necks. When Jimmie crossed, the boy looked at him and said, "Hey, you finished late!"
Without missing a beat, Jimmie replied, "Better late than never!"
And I couldn't have been prouder of him. He fucking did it!
We couldn't have approached this race more differently, but we both crossed that finish line and got to share another adventure together. And that meant a lot to me.
Looking back at 2026, I couldn't have asked for a more interesting season. I tried new things, raced different distances, pushed myself in ways I hadn't in years, and discovered that I still have plenty of competitive fire left in me at 50.
And racing the Big Apple Triathlon was the perfect way to end it.
“¡Una raya más al tigre!” Another stripe on the tiger.
And now I'm already looking ahead to 2027. I'm planning a return to long course racing with an IRONMAN 70.3 in the spring, and later in the year I'll be representing Team USA at the Olympic distance Age Group World Championships in Germany.
Long course and short course. Two different challenges. And I'm fucking excited about both!
But first, thank you, New York City, for one hell of a race weekend.
I fucking love you, NYC!
