Survival of the Shawangunks (SOS) is a whole different breed of triathlon. A 30 mile bike (the last five miles of which are straight uphill), followed by a 4 mile run, a 1.1 mile swim, a 5.5 mile run, a 0.5 mile swim, an 8 mile run, a 0.5 mile swim, and a final run 0.7 miles straight uphill.
Oh, and lest I forget - all athletes must devise a way to carry their running shoes - and whatever else they bring with them - during the swims.
This was Rick's first SOS and he did great - he finished 29th overall in a time of 5:14:34. And next year when he goes back he'll be faster.
Because all of the segments of SOS are point to point, there aren't many opportunities for photos. I did take a few pictures of the bike start - but they aren't worth posting. The swim pictures you see are from the second swim, in Lake Minnewaska. I included some finish line photos, as well as a few post-race shots.
 eating and organizing his dry bag |
 cramping |
 heading toward the finish |
 the finish |
 #28. Rick Slifkin . . . |
 post-race refreshment |
