Jumping into the Hudson River — an unusual opportunity

Hannah Harnest
Jul 20, 2017 · 2 min read

It’s that time of the year again. After a previous day of rain, the 2017 New York City Triathlon got lucky with the weather, and kicked off with the 1500M swim race in the Hudson River at 5.50am on Sunday, 16th July, to be completed later on with a 40K bike race on the West Side Highway, and a 10K run in Central Park.

From the Marina at West 79th Street and Riverside Drive, where the transition areas for the time between the different races were stationed, you could see the sun rise like a red fireball in the far distance.

Athletes leaving their shoes to jump into the Hudson River

There were thousands of athletes and spectators here in the early morning, and you could see some of the participants line up to receive written identification numbers on their limbs from the official Triathlon staff, or walk along the Hudson Promenade towards the swim start at West 99th street and Riverside Drive.

The race was organized so that different groups jumped into the Hudson successively between 5.50am and 7.05am: men and women, divided into age groups, professionals and amateurs, as well as para triathletes & guides.

Athletes lining up to jump into the Hudson, divided into different groups

‘I am really excited and quite nervous’, said the 37-year-old Aubrey Chung from New York, who is a freelance make-up-artist, and who did his first New York City Triathlon this year. He was dressed in a yellow and black wetsuit, and was halting and fidgeting while he was talking. ‘I wanted a physical challenge and see how far my body can go, and wanted to get over a huge fear of the open waters’, he adds, pointing out that he didn’t know how to swim back in January.

Aubrey, the make-up artist

The Hudson River is generally not known to be particularly clean, and usually serves the boat traffic and not the leisure swimmer. There were condoms, plastic waste, and other dirt floating in it this morning.

‘I’m not afraid of the Hudson at all. I’ve already done it, I’ve already swum in it’, said the 46-year-old doctor Michael Pickney from New York, also wearing a black and red wetsuit. ‘I just wanted to stay in shape and have been preparing for four months now’, he continued. He brought with him his wife, a friend, and his seven children and their cousins. They all came from Delaware, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and New York to support him.

Michael and his extended family

People engaged in the race for several reasons, from personal to charity ones. The New York City Triathlon gave you the opportunity to race for a good cause, as it partnered with many great charities. A coach and her male athlete from Bloomberg, both of whom wanted to remain unidentified, had raised more than 85000 Dollars for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, in a team of about 65. ‘I’m not a professional athlete, I just look like one’, said the athlete and giggled, while waiting to jump in the Hudson.

‘I just look like a professional athlete’
Last picture for the press before the jump into the cold water
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