HBS does not attract many underachievers and neither does the sport of triathlons. Eighteen such HBS overachievers started the new academic year in style at the 2nd Annual Lobsterman Triathlon on September 7th. While many avid sports fans were tuned into the first NFL Sunday of the season, 16 EC and 2 RC students trekked up to Freeport, ME to compete against 800 athletes in an Olympic Distance triathlon. For seven of these HBS students, this race represented the first time they had swum 1.5 km, biked 40 km and ran 10 km consecutively, racing while transitioning from one leg to the next.
The cold temperatures in ME in the preceding days were a factor as the water temperature was a frigid 58 degrees. Swimmer-extraordinaire Craig Lichtenstein (OB) noted that “my fear of getting attacked by a shark in the open waters was still less frightening than the prospects of getting sharked after a cold-call on cranberries in TOM.” Even more disconcerting than cold water temperatures and Craig’s bad business school jokes was the fact that Rahul Advani (OB) had brought only one sneaker to the race, highlighting his and perhaps some of his teammates lack of athletic focus this summer.
Nevertheless, the team completed the swim and transitioned to the hilly bike ride without major incident. The team’s fast swimmers were quickly defeated by HBS’s strong cyclists, Casey Nolan (OC), Marcus Mollman (OI) and Jon Gibbons (OI). Mollman went so far as to say, “I would have gone even faster had I not been dragged down by my newly-groomed mullet. But it is a beautiful mullet, don’t you think?”
During the course of the ride the chilly weather gave way to a beautiful, though hot, Maine day. After 25 miles of exhausting climbs, all participants rolled into the transition area and traded their bike cleats for sneakers to carry their bodies through the final 10 km. During the next hour, the HBS triathletes all grinded out the last leg of the course. Veteran triathlete Alex Kazaks (OE) planned ahead and enlisted the support of a fellow section-mate to help pace him on the run. After finishing the race, all HBSers gathered in the finish area to cheer their fellow classmates home. The final 1,000 meters witnessed amazing feats as competitors exhausted all their energy to pass one another. Battles emerged, including RC Greg Thompson (ND) successfully fending off some hard-charging ECs breathing down his neck.
Everyone had an amazing experience complete with a post-race Lobster Bake. First-time triathlete Jen Daily (OF) commented: “I heard others complaining that their legs felt like bricks after riding a bike for 90 minutes and then immediately needing to sprint uphill. But my legs felt absolutely fine. As a matter of fact, I was still able to dance to Bruce Springsteen all night long.”
Special congratulations to all athletes who participated in the weekend’s festivities. The list includes: Roy Kim (OA), Sara Stramiello (OA), Brian O’Connor (OA), Dan Rogers (OA), Craig Lichtenstein (OB), Rahul Advani (OB), Casey Nolan (OC), Alex Saltonstall (OC), Alex Kazaks (OE), Andrea Colpitt (OE), Jen Daily (OF), Molly Hellerman (OH), Jonathan Gibbons (OI), Marcus Mollman (OI), Quentin Chu (NA), Greg Thompson (ND) and relay team Suzanne Michels (OB), Lauren Uppington (OF) and Adriana Boden (OI)
