September 2011 - Achilles International

Mock Tri
On a warm Sunday afternoon in July the Achilles Triathlon team returned
for their second annual mock triathlon at beautiful Old Greenwich
Beach. Fourteen athletes and sixteen volunteers swam, biked,
and ran or cycled through the pristine landscape, followed by a celebratory
picnic. Thank you to veteran Achilles athlete and Old Greenwich
resident Joe Dowling for securing our beach permit for the day
and for all the athletes and guides who participated.
NYRR Queens Sprint Tri
An excessive heat warning from the NYC Office of Emergency Management
could not stop thirteen Achilles athletes and sixteen volunteers
from participating in this year’s NYRR Sprint Triathlon Event.
Applause was heard as each Achilles athlete completed their 400 meter
pool swim, 13-mile bike, and 5k run in Flushing Meadows Corona
Park. Congratulations to first time triathletes Sarah Heller and Billy
Lister who had great performances. Equally noteworthy is that each
athlete who completed this race last year improved their time considerably
this year. Congratulations to Allan Tyson who finished the race
in a time of 1:29:33, bettering his time last year of 1:41:25 and Irene
Hecht who improved on her original time by over 10 minutes.
Nautica NYC Triathlon – August 7th
Nine Achilles athletes and fourteen volunteers participated in this
year’s NYC Triathlon. After carbo loading at a pre-race dinner the
night before at Carmine's restaurant, each athlete finished the race
in under four hours qualifying for the National Championship Division
next year. The five Achilles athletes who competed in the National
Championship Division qualified for Paratriathlon World Championships.
Geoffrey Kennedy will be representing Achilles and the United
States in the Paratriathlon Worlds this coming September in Beijing,
after finishing first in his division by a margin of over 3 minutes.
New York City Chapt
National Championship Division Results:
Geoffrey Kennedy placed first place in Tri 1, Sean VanGerena placed
2nd in Tri 3, Lamar Brown and Joe Bellantoni placed second and
third place respectively in Tri 6 (in their first Olympic distance triathlon).
Joseph Dowling came fourth in the Tri 1 division and at 72 years
young was the veteran paratriathlete by over two decades.
Top row: Achilles goes sailing! Second row l-r: master swimmer Tyler McNeil stops to give Kathleen Bateman a high five; Carol Hopper, Carmelo Puccia and Nina Delgado work
the Achilles team at the Queens Spring Triathlon; Achilles swimmers in the beautiful JCC pool; proud finish
6 Winter 2011