Smith Point might be the best sprint race on Long Island. From the stunning sunrise over the water to beachfront finish, Smith Point delivers the scenic bookends to the fastest show on earth. Joining the team for their first race this year were Neil Cusick, Earl Forde, Emily Harris, Laron Rhodie, and Rocco Toscano who beamed across the course with joy. Almost as much joy as Eric Hayden, who took home an Age Group 2nd Place. Team Treasurer Joe Fasl finished 3rd in the Open Division but was even happier winning a raffle…finally. Jim Waters and Russell Rodin duked it out in the retired division, putting up faster bike splits than years prior. Next year, more sun, more sand, more competition!

Count them up: 11 IronMan Lake Placid finishers! This includes five NYPD Tri Team members who completed their first ultra-triathlon: Mike Aliseo, Tim Dowling, PJ Henry, Jesse Jansky, and Bill Mackay. Several athletes were repeat Placid-ers, like John Carson, finishing his 5th IMLP. Other ultra distance veterans, like Matt Romano, were giving IMLP their first shot. The monsoon-like weather made the bike course difficult, especially considering the infamous Keene descent, a winding downhill where athletes top out near 50 miles per hour. But the rain also brought on cooler weather, which may have helped team members Jenny Driscoll, Joe Fasl, Eric Hayden, Mike McDonnell, and Jon Sorocki set their personal best times on the hilly (understatement) course. Or maybe it was just the consistent training from day one in January that helped chip off minutes and hours from previous results. The only thing for certain is that the NYPD Triathlon Team conquered Lake Placid, one grueling, grinding step at a time.

The team would like to thank all of its “crew” that came out to support and cheer throughout the rain and shine. We would also like to express our gratitude to IronMan for putting on a fantastic event and keeping spirits up throughout the course.

Full pivot from ultra to sprint: Smith Point, August 3rd. See you there!

First podium of the year goes to team treasurer Joe Fasl who took third place in his age group at the Harryman 70.3 this weekend. When asked for comment, Joe quickly pointed out the 4,900 feet of climbing would be good prep for IronMan Lake Placid. Also enjoying the significant elevation were Matt Romano, Mike Aliseo, and Eric Hayden, who happened to miss his new wetsuit delivery by a day. It’s unclear how much faster Eric could have been, posting a respectable 1:56/100 OWS pace.

With the race over, awards won, and cheers given out, the athletes set out on the hardest part of the day: driving through the Bronx traffic to get home. 

Next up is the RJA Mighty Montauk in June. Stay tuned.

On a blustery Spring day, members from both the NYPD Cycling Team and the NYPD Triathlon Team donned the spandex and racing shoes to compete in the Brands Spring Duathlon. This was the second year in a row starting the season with a duathlon, with even faster results. Bill Mackay and Jon Sorocki both dropped time. However, unlike 2024, neither placed in their age groups. It seems the field of athletes has gotten better, faster, stronger. Nothing encourages training better than fierce competition. We hope to see this race back on the schedule in 2026 with a fuller contingent of NYPD Triathlon Team members. Next up for the team, Harryman Triathlon on May 17th. Wish us luck!