Rye Brook's Izzo Gives NYC Ironman High Marks

RYE BROOK, N.Y. – Rye Brook triathlete Richard Izzo will tell you from personal experience that Saturday’s Ironman U.S. Championship in New York City was an exciting and satisfying experience.

“It was New York so what could be bad about that,” Izzo said Sunday after having conquered the 140-mile swim, cycling and marathon triathlon, the first of its kind ever in New York City. “I did much better than I expected; the swim went very well and that helped get me going.”

Izzo, a chiropractor with a life’s devotion to training, health and triathlons, covered the grueling race in what he called a “respectable time” of 10 hours, 38 minutes and 6 seconds. He did the 2.4-mile swim in about 45 minutes, the 140-mile bike race in 5 hours, 32 minutes and the 26-mile marathon in 4 hours, 12 minutes. Individual times do not equal the total time because they do not include the time in between it takes a contestant to get to the next event, but the total time is a running time that does. 

“The swim was quick because the currents were helping,” Izzo said. “The bike race is always tough and the marathon went as well as it could have with the heat. I went in just wanting to enjoy the New York experience and that was great.

Izzo, 47, placed 14th in his age division and 165th overall in a field of more than 2,000 entries. He said the logistics of the event were handled expertly by the U.S Ironman organization and New York and New Jersey (cycling venue along the Palisades) and the marathon into Manhattan was exciting.

“Overall, I had a much better time than expected, but the memories and relationships you experience are even more important,” Izzo said. “U.S. Ironman did a great job in dealing with this event and I’m looking forward to the next one.”

Izzo, an advocate for training and sports injury specialist in his practice, also is an organizer for the fifth annual Westchester-based Toughman Half event, which wil be Sept. 9 at Croton Point Park. This year’s Toughman will include a ToughTeen event for the first time.

“We are excited about having young people (ages 15-19) involved because the training improves health and is a great discipline,” Izzo said. “And we include a fundraiser that adds to the experience.”

For information on the event, go to toughmantri.com.

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