Summer of Racing on Tap

By Jim Gazzale

Racing is back, baby! It’s a phrase you’ve probably heard more than once in recent weeks within your training circles. Following 2020, a year in which nearly all races were canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, triathletes have been eager to showcase their fitness. Over the next four months, they’ll have more than a half dozen local opportunities to do so.

Crystal Lake Sprint Triathlon – As president of the Capital District Triathlon Club forgive me for being a bit biased by first mentioning Crystal Lake. After missing last year, this local favorite will be celebrating its 20th running on Saturday, August 21. Race director Lee Hilt is expecting the race to reach its capacity of 250 registered athletes in the coming weeks, which hasn’t happened in quite some time. “Athletes should expect the largest field in recent years,” Lee said. “There aren’t many local sprint options any more so Crystal Lake is always a popular race.”

That’s evident by the number of repeat racers, including former CDTC president Ken Lane who hasn’t missed the Crystal Lake Triathlon since 2008. Several other club members, including Sean Stahlman, Thomas Denham, Robin Davey and Kristen Hislop, are huge fans of the annual event and have competed many times over the years.

Lee believes part of the event’s continued success and popularity is the ability to train over the course week after week each summer. CDTC hosts an open water swim practice, with the ability to ride and run the course as well, every Tuesday night from June through Labor Day. “It’s so racer friendly at a great venue with plenty of parking and the opportunity to train each week,” he said. “No other race offers that.”

Tom Denham, who focuses mostly on sprint distance triathlon agrees. He has the Crystal Lake Triathlon on his calendar every year without fail. Two main reasons for that are the convenience of the race and the finisher medals. “Bling is my thing,” Tom said. “I’ve done this race three times. It’s a 35-minute drive and nowhere else can you find this amount of parking. Oh, and you can’t beat the lake and that swim either!” 

Kristen Lennon-McMahan is also a three-time finisher of the Crystal Lake Triathlon. After a year without racing, she’s excited to get back out there. “I really love this race. The swim is very peaceful to me. The bike is scenic and challenging. The support is amazing, especially for a small race. For multiple years, I have watched my best friend, Kelli Schuhl, take first in her age group. We really just have great memories here,” she said.

The race is a favorite for first-time triathletes as well. Heather Gray had competed in half marathons until she broke her back five years ago. Within the last two years she’s built up her strength and conditioning. Coming out of the pandemic, she set the Crystal Lake Triathlon as a goal. “I wanted to get back into something competitive, but really for myself,” Heather said, “I wanted to have a goal to look forward to.” She’s doing just that by taking advantage of her weekly CDTC training opportunities.

One new feature of this year’s race will be the addition of a competitive racing wave to start the event. With a high number of fast athletes in the region, this will give them the opportunity to race head-to-head. Lee plans to deliver that this year along with a top-notch swag bag, and most importantly, a safe race for participants thanks in part to his continued relationship with the Averill Park emergency services team. Lee said, “We do need more volunteers. If you can help out on August 21 it’s greatly appreciated.” Those interested can contact Lee Hilt at 518-698-3751 or race@cdtriclub.org. To guarantee your race giveaways, you must sign-up by July 15. To register, visit: cdtriclub.org.

Alpha Win takes over Lake George Triathlon – One of the more noteworthy changes to the local triathlon landscape is that Alpha Win (formerly HITS Endurance) of Saugerties, has taken over race management for the Lake George Triathlon Festival to be held on Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 4-5. 

After 14 years, Randy Rath and his team at Adirondack Race Management, which includes Paul Bricoccoli, Paul Fronhofer and Jim Fox, sold the events to Alpha Win. As a goal race for many local triathletes, the decision to turn over control of the race wasn’t one the group took lightly. “We put our heart and soul into the event each year and would love to see it continue to grow and succeed,” Randy said. “There’s always going to be growing pains, but we’ve given them the tools to move forward with a good event. Everything from DEC permits, to the exact times racers will be at certain intersections of the race, to volunteers. They were listening and asking the right questions, which was a promising sign.”

With Alpha Win now in control of the Sprint, Olympic, and Half (70.3) distance events, company president Tommy Struzzieri understands there is a level of expectation he needs to meet this year and beyond. “First and foremost, our goal is to provide a safe race for everyone participating. The expectation is that this is a big local race and we need to meet that expectation.”

One area where Alpha Win plans to deliver is through its Sprint distance event, which will be a new offering this year at the Alpha Win Triathlon: Lake George. “Our goal is to welcome beginners into the sport with the Sprint distance event this year,” Tommy added. “Participants and spectators both will see a personal touch to our events that they’ll appreciate and enjoy.”

After purchasing the races in January, the next day Tommy and his cousin Chris Pace, marketing director for Alpha Win, were walking door-to-door along Canada Street in the village of Lake George introducing themselves to business owners. It’s the commitment to the community and to customer service where Alpha Win feels like it sets itself apart.

In previous years, HITS Endurance has garnered mixed feedback from local triathletes. Tommy and his team recognize that and have been actively addressing the concerns from local clubs and athletes. “We have significantly improved our operation since rebranding,” Tommy said. “There is more effort and more attention to detail than ever before. The races we’ve put on locally and in other parts of the country so far this year have been extremely safe and very well-received. We’re looking forward to continuing that this summer in Lake George.” 

If feedback from Alpha Win: Hudson Valley on June 26 was an indication, they’re off to a good start. Kathy Meany of Altamont, commented “It was well organized, Olympic course was well marked, volunteers were plentiful, aid stations were frequent, traffic control and volunteers were at intersections, awards are cool, and I talked with other Capital Region participants who had good things to say.” 

Alpha Win is also having a Lake George Triathlon Camp on August 20-22 with training tips, course info and more for all skill levels and ages. For the triathlon or camp, contact your triathlon club for a 20% discount and other club perks. To register, visit: alpha.win.

Other best bet summer and early fall races include: 

• Vermont Sun (sprint) & Branbury Classic (paddle) Triathlons, their 36th year at Branbury State Park on July 18: vermontsuntriathlonseries.com.

• Vermont Sun (sprint) and Lake Dunmore (Olympic) Triathlons on August 15: vermontsuntriathlonseries.com.

• Old Forge Ky-Tri (kayak/run/bike) Triathlon in the Adirondacks on Sept. 10-12: willowrunning.com.

• Josh Billings RunAground (bike/paddle/run) Triathlon, celebrating 45 years in the Berkshires, on Sept, 19: joshbillings.com.

• Alpha Win Triathlon: Saugerties and USA Triathlon Splash and Dash Youth Aquathon on October 11: alpha.win.

• Mohawk Towpath Byway Duathlon (run/bike/run) on a scenic route in Clifton Park on October 17: mohawktowpath.org.

Jim Gazzale is president of CDTC and owner of SENS Fitness, online nutrition and endurance coaching: sensfitness.com. Jim is accepting clients into his signature Wine and Weight Loss program, which helps men and women lose weight and get into race shape while drinking wine and eating whatever they want.