what’s shakin’ I


Tri Harder


n a modern version of The Riddle of the Sphinx, what propels itself while lying prone, transitions to two wheels for a


hilly jaunt and then finishes in an upright position no more than 8½ hours later? In the case of the inaugural Ironman 70.3 Syracuse triathlon, which takes place on Sunday, Sept. 19, the swim-bike-run ath- letic pursuit will involve nearly 2,500 par- ticipants, three police agencies, hundreds of volunteers and the patience of the villages, towns and ultimately the city as the termi- nus of the event. It’s going to be a long day for a lot of people.


“Nothing of this magnitude has ever hap-


pened here,” said Eugene Conway, chief of police for the town of DeWitt, which is dis- patching 12 officers for the all-day duty. “We have had just cyclists and just runners through the town, so we have had similar events. But we’re detailed through most of the day, which is a little longer than what we’re used to. We have to make it safe for both the participants and for people who are going to be driving the roads that day.” Syracuse is known as a running town;


most residents are used to street closings many times throughout the year, but this is something new. It’s part of a national tour of triathletic pursuits, the fastest growing rec- reational sport in the country. After starting with a 1.2-mile swim in Jamesville Reservoir, the athletes will head out of Jamesville Beach County Park and onto 56 miles of roadway, up and down hills, through Pompey, Fabius, DeRuyter, Cuyler, Truxton, outer Apulia and finally back to the park; then comes a 13.1- mile run—a half-marathon—from Jamesville to DeWitt and heading into the city along about five miles of Erie Boulevard East. The race ends at the Inner Harbor. And that’s where the 70.3 miles comes


from for a half ironman distance race; a full ironman, like the one Lake Placid hosts every July, doubles the mileage. Like Lake Placid, this race will be extremely spectator-friendly. With a maximum time allowance, residents are sure to be able to see as many athletes as they’d like throughout the day. The swim portion of the race begins at 7


a.m., the first cyclists should leave the park 30 minutes after that and return about 2½ hours later, before heading out on the run. The best triathletes in the world complete this distance in 3:45, but the bulk of the athletes will be in the middle of the pack. Some (like this writer) will likely bring up the rear. As long as they cross the finish line in the alloted time, they’ll be able to call themselves half ironmen (or women). But until they get to that point, there will


be plenty of support along the way. Since the bike course is the longest part of the race, both distance and time-wise, participants will be able to enjoy the most hospitality. Those training for the race discovered the DeRuyter General Store, just beyond the halfway point of the bike route, and dubbed it the 70.3 Pit Stop. It’s been handy for those needing a drink, a power bar or a bathroom break.


WWW.SYRACUSENEWTIMES.COM


Sign of the time: About 30 miles into the Ironman 70.3 Syracuse triathlon, cyclists will come upon the DeRuyter Country Store, where hydration and spectators will greet them.


“I noticed more and more cyclists stopping


here, and they labeled us the 70.3 Pit Stop,” said owner Jerry Rice. “My wife made the sign, and we put it out along the roadside.” Because athletes connected with the store,


Rice decided to apply to the race organizers to be an official aid station. “We’ll be hand- ing out water and Gatorade to the cyclists, but also folks can watch the race from here,” he said. “My hope is to get to the high school and secure the use of some bleachers for the day and bring them out here so spectators will have a place to sit. The store will be open. We’ll sell coffee and hot chocolate.” Residents around DeRuyter Lake are used


to athletes passing through even before the triathlon discovered them. Every August, the locale hosts the Tromptown Run, a half-mara- thon that follows the roads around the lake. “We are also a water stop for the Tromptown race,” Rice noted. “There will be quite a few lake people coming down to watch this race.” About 41 miles into the bike course, after


cyclists have received a relative respite from the hills on Route 13 and just before the vil- lage of Truxton, they will turn right onto Route 91. After grinding out some more elevation, they’ll come upon Labrador Moun- tain ski area, another great spot for spectators to park. But there’s something there for the cyclists as well. Marketing and snow sport director Rick


Bunnell, himself a triathlete, wanted to give athletes a reason to get that far, and to keep going. So he mowed the side of Badger run into the capital-M-with-ball-on-top Ironman logo. “I thought it would be a great inspira- tional/motivational thing for the race,” he said. “I’ve received a bunch of e-mails from people saying they enjoyed it and it motivated them. I think it’s nice to know that out in the middle of nowhere people are thinking of you.” Indeed, with several thousand athletes and


their supporters converging on Jamesville Beach, and ultimately on the Inner Harbor, it’s sure to be a long, exciting and exhausting day for everyone. “Most people I have spoken with in the Truxton area are curious about the


race, and wondering why people are doing it,” Bunnell said. “Most people,” Rice noted, “are saying this


is pretty cool.” Endurance athletes keep going with both


carbohydrates and spectator support. Come out and cheer on the bikers and runners. It’s prob- ably best to stay away from Jamesville Beach because of congestion, but the bike and run courses are fair game. So paint a motivational sign, check the maps on the event website, www.ironmansyracuse.com, and head out. Or you can choose to volunteer. Examples


of duties include: help with athlete check-in; water stations; body marking; parking atten- dant; venue setup and teardown; transition area; course marshals; registration and bike check-in; aid stations along the course; timing and chip retrieval; finish line. Anyone inter- ested in volunteering should visit the website and click the volunteer tab at the top of the page. Oh, and hope for good weather! —MOLLY ENGLISH-BOWERS


Justice League Even though Sarah Palin did her damndest


during the 2008 presidential campaign to ridi- cule Barack Obama’s community-organizing work, the strategy failed. Pundits were quick to point out that the likes of Sam Adams, Paul Revere and Benjamin Franklin were the original American troublemakers, and if Obama shared their company, all the better for him. A nationwide journey of community organiz-


ers, the Community and Resistance Tour, comes to Syracuse on Friday, Sept. 17. With multime- dia formats involving short films, speakers and dialogue, the purpose of the tour is to communi- cate about current social justice struggles. A key presenter will be Jordan Flaherty, a journalist and (gasp!) community organizer. “The lineup of activists and organizers


changes from city to city, but in every city they bring issues of social justice,” Flaherty said. “Myself, I’ll be talking about what’s continued on next page


Brewerton Road, Mattydale 315- 455-5131 EXPIRES12/31/2010


Syracuse New Times September 15 - 22, 2010 5


MICHAEL DAVIS PHOTO


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35