The rain stopped, the skies cleared, and the wind started blowing to the east, creating near-perfect conditions for the Montauk Lighthouse Triathlon on Sunday, despite choppy waters.
“The weather yesterday, we just had to set up a little bit earlier and go as quickly as possible to beat the lightning and the storm coming,” Victoria Ventura, the race director, said at the finish line. “And then this morning, the water was a little rough so we ended up shortening the swim because we had 255 first-timers. So we just pulled it back about 100 meters just to make sure everyone was going to be covered and safe.”
East Hampton Volunteer Ocean Rescue, local police, and the Fire Department were on hand to guarantee a safe finish for all 650 participants.
“This is something we started 30 years ago. It is the largest sprint triathlon in the Northeast. We max out at 650 contestants, which we did actually over a week ago. Sold out — which we love,” said Joe Gaviola, the keeper of the Lighthouse and the president of the Montauk Historical Society. “We think it’s the finest finishing spot in the country. Can’t beat the views. It’s one of the most prestigious races in the country. All the money goes to the Lighthouse here to support our operations.”
Matt Raske, 44, from Bronxville, won the race — a nearly half-mile swim, a 14-mile bike, and a 5K run — in 1:04:46.07. His wife, Lisa, a collegiate athlete who ran at Providence College, and four sons, Dylan, Jack, Luca, and Maxwell, were all cheering him on.
“It’s amazing seeing them at the finish line. It gave me a little extra boost,” Raske said. “It was a huge challenge, especially in this wind today. The swim was a little bit choppy, so we had to power through that. The hills of Montauk and the bike course are just beautiful, and the run around Camp Hero is amazing. Perfect conditions, temperature-wise.”
Shawn Faurot, 47, from New York City, took second place in 1:06:40.19. He was a big fan of the weekend weather. “I saw the rain coming and I was like, ‘All right, we’ll be okay with the smoke.’ And then I saw the rain was going to stop. As long as it’s not raining, we’re good,” he said. “The swim was choppy, which suits me well. The bike was good. We had a tailwind on the way back towards the Lighthouse, which was great, and the run’s great. It’s shady. It’s got a little bit of hills, but it’s downhill on the way back so you can really push it.”
Cole Higgins, 33, from New York City, rounded out the podium, taking third place with a time of 1:10:18.45. He carried his 2-and-a-half-year-old son, Milo, across the finish line, while his 6-month-old son, Nico, watched from the sidelines.
“I spend a lot of time training in the dark, trying to give as much time to them as possible, so I do a lot of early mornings, train with a lot of intention for them, so it’s fun to come out here with those same intentions. I want this to be an inspiring thing for Milo, where he sees what athletics can do,” Higgins said. “I’ve done this race a couple of times and I’ve been on the age-group podium before, but this is my first overall podium. So, it’s pretty great.”
Higgins was one of several athletes to call the Montauk Lighthouse Triathlon their favorite sprint course.
“It’s an unbelievable production by the EventPower team. They do an amazing job,” he said. “I’ve raced all over the world — in Germany, all over the U.S. — and this is my favorite race.”
On the women’s side, 18-year-old Emma Leary from Center Moriches finished first, in 1:13:10.71, a big jump from her sixth-place finish last year.
“I’ve gotten second a couple of times. This is my first first place,” she said. “It’s awesome. The course is so great. It’s such a pretty course. The swim was rough this year. The run was hilly, but it was great.”
Leah Nowakowski, 14, from Lake Ronkonkoma, took first place in the youth category and was the third overall female finisher with a time of 1:15:04.01. Her 20:44 finish in the 5K was just 42 seconds behind Raske, who won it all.
While Nowakowski is new to this race, she’s no stranger to the podium. She just finished eighth grade, but is already a part of Sachem North High School’s varsity cross-country and track teams. In March, she and her 3,400-meter intersectional relay teammates became New York State and Federation Champions at the NYSPHSAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.
“I did pretty good. I was taking it kind of tempo pace since we have Nationals coming up,” she said. “It felt great. It was a really fun course, challenging, but really fun.”
Henry Donald, 40, from Springs, was the first local finisher, taking sixth place with a time of 1:12:09.74. He’s a big believer in the home-field advantage.
“We do the Montauk Cycle Company Hot Laps on Thursday nights. We ride up these hills like every week, which has got to be an advantage. But, it’s a little tougher on the tri bike, which is heavy,” he said. “It was tough. The swim, even though they shortened it, was super choppy. Swallowing water, so it was tough, but the bike was good because we had a tailwind heading up the hills. I really like the run. It’s rolling hills. You think you’re running flat, but you’re not. It’s good. The finish, you can’t beat it. Up the hill, empty the tank.”
Just 32 seconds behind Donald, Thomas Brierley, 30, of East Hampton, was the first barefoot finisher of the day, and the first in the 30-to-34 age group. Brierley, the assistant chief lifeguard for the town, fell into barefoot racing by accident.
“I think this is my fifth year doing that, and I did it because I forgot to drop shoes off here one year and I kind of just kept going after that. It just stuck. It doesn’t faze me anymore,” he said.
His father, Craig Brierley, 61, the head coach of the high school boys swim team, a lieutenant for the Ocean Rescue squad, and an ocean lifeguard captain, said they’ve developed Flintstone feet from all of their barefoot time on the beach. He took third place in the 60-to-64 age group, with a strong 1:35:40.28.
“It felt great today. It felt really good. Conditions were a bit challenging, which made it fun. I love the challenge. We just swim right through it, streamline right through that chop,” he said. “I just wanted to finish strong, and I did. I’m happy with it.”
