About the Event and the Race Director

The Pascack Valley Triathlon was launched in 2008. Since its inception it has has drawn many local participants, both beginner and advanced to the event as well as many first timers that have gone on to become active participants in other triathlons.

This triahlon will consist of doing a 300 meter swim, a 10 mile bike and a 5K (3.1 mile) run. The race is considered a "sprint" triathlon because of its short distances in each event. There is also a relay option where competitors can do one or two of the events as a part of a team.

The course is designed to be easy for 1st timers to complete but challenging enough for veteran tri-athletes to compete in as well. I kept the swim short and easy. The swim is usually the most challenging part of this event since most people find it hard to find time to swim. The rare thing about this triathlon is that the swim is in a pool. Not too many of them have that option and an open water swim really scares people off. The bike course three loops and rolling hills; Mountain bikes provide for an easier ride because of the hills and turns where they tend to be a disadvantage in other road races.

Ideally a participant should be able to complete all three distances separately. Putting it all together the day of the race should be easy and a matter of mostly nutrition. Taking in fluids and calories during and before the event will get you through the consecutive distances. The adrenaline of competition and cheering crowds will also keep you going.

About the Race Director

I have been a runner for many years and have participated in over 25 marathons and am doing my 15th NYC Marathon this year. I started doing triathlons back in 2005 because they were mentally and physically challenging and a great overall work out and also because some day I wanted to do an Ironman or Iron distance triathlon. I thought that it was the ultimate challenge because of the distances for each event. It is a 2.4 mile Swim, a 112 Mile Bike and a full marathon-26.2 mile run. The event needs to be completed in a 17 and a half hour time range for you to be able to get a finishers medal. I have completed two Iron distance events; most recently in July 2010, in Ironman Lake Placid finishing in 11 Hours and 14 Minutes. I am signed up to compete in the first ever Ironman NYC in 2012 where the US Championships will be held and where I hope to qualify for the Ironman World Championships in Kona Hawaii the same year. Qualifying will be a challenge as I will need to shave 45 minutes to an hour off of my time, but without setting goals and giving yourself challenges life would be boring. If you are interested in tracking my races on athlinks.com click here: Athelete Tracking.

Ironman -Lake Placid, NY 2010 - From left to right: (1) At Mirror Lake with the kids where the Ironman swim will take place, (2) Half way through the Ironman Marathon run signaling one more 13.1 mile lap to go, (3) After the finish with the kids and the Ironman medal.

I have introduced many friends to both sports and I think both are a great way to keep fit and motivated. Plus the competition and goal setting take the boredom out of working out. Triathlons especially keep you on your toes and keep you from getting injured because you are constantly switching sports and cross training.

The one thing that always bothered me about triathlons is the expenses associated with it. I feel that they keep people from competing in the race that simply cannot afford to. The race entry fees are usually between $80 to $150 for the shorter distances and $150-$1000 for the long ones. Then there are bike and swim gear expenses. A good road bike starts at $1000 and a wet suit which is not mandatory but important for some of the longer races is about $200-$300. For this race there is no need to wear a wet suit. The bike course is short so you can use a mountain bike. The entry fee for this event is approximately half of what other entries are and we to provide for goodie bags, products and finisher medals for every participant at that rate.

I encourage anyone that has an interest in challenging themselves to do Triathlon. This is a great one for a beginner. You never know what you might accomplish if you just Tri.

Bo Petkovich, Race Director
Pascack Valley Triathlon, pvtri.com

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