 |
| Lost City-The Gunks by LJW |
The twins will be in action this week at the Survival of the Shawangunks Triathlon or as the locals call it - SOS. This year, the infamously hard 50+ mile course, composed of an uphill bike ride, 3 swims and 4 trail runs, will be shortened due to damage caused by the recent storm. To survive the 2011 course, competitors will only have to ride 30 miles (5 of which are a climb), run a hilly 10 miles on carriage trails, swim across Lake Mohonk, and then scramble up to the Skytop monument (tower visible in the photo above). Survivors are then rewarded with a BBQ at the Mohonk Mountain House.
One of the unique elements of this race is that once the bike ride is over, you have to carry all of your gear with you the rest of the way. That means you have to run with your cap & goggles and swim with your running shoes. Sounds complicated, but the veterans of this race have mastered this technique. Since the race has been shortened significantly this year, fortunately for the rookies, there is only one lake to swim across carrying or wearing running shoes.
