by Laura Conaway

Lake Placid
Jeff Erenstone

Where'd everybody go?

Jeff Erenstone writes:

I live in Lake Placid, NY, the site of the Ironman, USA. My house and office overlook the road that both the bike and run course use. Every year people flock to Lake Placid to train on the course before July 26th, the race date. In years past, as soon as the snow melted away and the weather gets nice, I would see hundreds of people training every weekend on the course. This year there are a lot fewer athletes.

This does not mean that there are fewer people doing the event.

 

Race registration opened the day after the previous year event and the race filled up within an hour after registration opened. But instead people are taking fewer trips to Lake Placid to train for the race.

Ironman Triathlons generally attracts people with more professional incomes. Most years athletes drive up from the cities, stay in the hotels, and train on the course so they feel totally prepared for the event, Some people will drive up every week for the months before the event. Most years there are so many riders, that the road are completely fill with bikers and driver get upset. This year people seem to be opting to stay at home and not incurred the added cost of training here. Drivers are happier.

In response to the massive amount of training athletes we normally get, my family have made up a little song for them: "Iroman, Ironman, doing the things that an Ironman can."

We have not been singing it much this year.