I competed alongside Irene Hecht as an Achilles Guide. Irene is partially blind with limited mobility. She competed in the NYRR Sprint Tri one week ago and was determined to kick some ass today.

The Pequannock Tri is extremely beginner friendly, offering a Sprint Tri (400 m swim, 12 mile bike, 3.1 mile run) or a shortened version (200 meter swim, 6 mile bike, 2 mile run).

Irene was originally signed up to the 2-6-2 tri and decided last minute to swim 400 meters. The swim was an out and back in a lake and was a scorching 81 degrees! The Achilles Tri Team getting ready:

Almost Time!

Lining up !

The swim was as safe as can be – the lake was well marked by lifeguards and was the first time seeing scuba divers on stand-by. Irene kept a consistent pace throughout the swim and looked extremely strong and comfortable. She swam straight which made my job easy! About 16 minutes later, we were on the beach heading towards transition. Her swim time was around 4 minutes faster than last week and we concluded it was due to my presence. My aura radiates speed.

Irene opted to use a handcycle for both the bike and run course. The course was flat and traversed through residential neighborhoods. There were families competing in the race together which was nice to see (especially the 5 year olds).

We crossed the finish line and won 3rd place in her age group! I’ll let the photos do the talking:

Irene and I - The Dream Team

Team Achilles

The team collected their awards.

Winners

Afterwards, we headed to Joe and Denise’s home for an outdoor BBQ. Amazing house, amazing food, amazing company. The perfect way to end the day.

Time to Relax

Achilles Outing