5,000 Athletes Take Part In NYC Triathlon
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - About 5,000 athletes gathered Sunday morning in the Upper West Side to begin the NYC Triathlon requiring them to swim nearly a mile, bike nearly 25 miles and run more than six miles through Central Park.
The race came at the area sees some of its hottest temperatures in years amid an early summer heat wave, reports CBS2's Marc Liverman.
The pro division jumped into the Hudson River just before 6:00 a.m., with additional waves of amateur athletes starting afterwards.
The group's swim runs from 96th Street down to around 80th Street before taking to bicycles.
This year's race features about 250 able-bodied and paratriathletes facing temperatures expected to rise into the upper 90s by midday.
"You've got to train in the heat a little bit," said Adam Robbert. "You've got to make sure you're ready for the heat. I would be concerned for athletes who are starting a little bit later because it's going to get exponentially hotter as the day goes on."
"We're from the south, we're pretty used to training in this heat - expect we're not trained enough," said Pia Christian, adding they have worked to stay hydrated and get extra sleep prior to the race.
To deal with soaring temperatures, several course emergency medical staff are on hand to help deal with an heat-related emergencies.
Officials have also set up cooling centers in all five boroughs which will stay open through Monday and likely into Tuesday as well.