The Survival of the Shawangunks is a

triathlon A triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of Swimming (sport), swimming, Cycle sport, cycling, and running over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall completion time, racing each segment sequentially with the t ...

held in the town of

New Paltz New Paltz () is an incorporated U.S. town in Ulster County, New York. The population was 14,003 at the 2010 U.S. Census. The town is located in the southeastern part of the county and is south of Kingston. New Paltz contains a village, also with ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. It is unusual in that it has seven transitions among the three racing modalities, compared to the two that are typical for the sport (switching from

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

cycling Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from two ...

, and then from cycling to

running Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. Running is a type of gait characterized by an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This is ...

). Self-sufficiency in this race that culminates with a thousand-foot climb to the finish line is celebrated; participants must carry their running shoes as they swim and may only have a single person assist them during the competition.

History

The SOS was founded in 1983 by Don Davis as a way to train for the

Ironman Triathlon An Ironman Triathlon is one of a series of long-distance triathlon races organized by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC), consisting of a swim, a bicycle ride and a marathon run completed in that order, a total of . It is widely consider ...

. The best overall time for the event was 4:10:43 by Erik Grimm in 1993; Jan Wanklyn holds the record for best female finish with her time of 4:44:49 in 2000. 94 participants completed the course in 1998, the earliest year for which results are available. The race was capped at 150 participants until 2007, at which point the field was expanded to 170. In 2007 and 2008, 149 competitors crossed the finish line; among them were triathletes from throughout

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

, including

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, and

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. The race was originally run unofficially by Davis and two others in secrecy, as they had not obtained permission from private landowners for the competition, but the following year's competition was open to other triathletes, all of whom must have completed a half-ironman triathlon in the previous 18 months, or in the prior year's SOS, within certain time restrictions in order to be eligible.

Course

The race is long, beginning at the Ulster County Fairgrounds. Participants begin by bicycling thirty miles. This is followed by a total of seven transitions, more than is found in other competitions of this sort: a run to Lake Awosting, 1.1 mile swim across the lake, a 5.5 mile run to

Lake Minnewaska Lake Minnewaska may refer to: *Lake Minnewaska (Minnesota) Lake Minnewaska is a lake in Pope County, in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is approximately 8,050 sq acres (33 sq km) in size with 20 miles (32 km) of shoreline. The lake has a maximu ...

, a swim along that lake's eastern shore, an run to

Lake Mohonk Lake Mohonk is a lake in Ulster County, New York, United States. It is located approximately northwest of Poughkeepsie. Activities on the lake are operated by Mohonk Mountain House. Description The small lake, long and deep, is located above ...

, a swim along the east shore of Mohonk Lake, and a uphill run to the Skytop Tower on

Shawangunk Ridge The Shawangunk Ridge , also known as the Shawangunk Mountains or The Gunks, is a ridge of bedrock in Ulster County, Sullivan County and Orange County in the state of New York, extending from the northernmost point of the border with New Jersey ...

. The course gains and loses several thousands of feet of altitude and provides a number of stunning views for participants, and the finish line is visible from a number of points along the course. In 2002, weather conditions necessitated a modified course of bicycling, a run, a swim in Lake Mohonk, and a final run up Skytop, a total of . The number of transitions between swimming and running necessitate competitors bringing their running gear with them as they swim and their goggles as they run. Athletes tuck them into their swimming gear, carry them in a plastic bag, or pull them on small rafts. Self-sufficiency is a theme for the competition, and to that end, participants are only permitted one assistant.

References

External links

* {{coord, 41.722, -74.120, type:event_globe:earth_region:US-NY, display=title Triathlon competitions New Paltz, New York Tourist attractions in Ulster County, New York Recurring sporting events established in 1983 1983 establishments in New York (state)