Westchester Toughman Official Website

The "Nitty Gritty" Details (User Opinions)

Richard I.
Rye, NY

  (11-11-2009)

"As a point of disclosure, I am the race organizer.
I want to thank all of you who participated in Toughman 09- over 500 athletes and 400 volunteers.
Our weather was exceptional, the volunteer crew amazing, and park staff great to work with. As far as any constuctive comments- please note that we encourage you to email us so that we can make our race better.
Since this was our second year and we closed out I encourage anyone who wants to race in 2010 (ToughKids sept 11th, Toughman sept 12th) to sign up when we open registration on Jan 1st at NOON.
Again thank you being part of our race!!"

Reviewed by a: Repeat Participant for 2009

Laurey L.
Bronxville, NY

  (09-21-2009)

"The Westchester Toughman is only in its second year - something very apparent by the logistics of this race. The volunteers were great (with the exception of one in transition who said we weren't real athletes since we were relaying the race) and it was a wonderful race to be a spectator at since the start and finish of each section were in Croton Point Park. The park was clean, had BBQ's, dog friendly, and scenic on the Hudson.

My comments about the race pertain only to the 2 sections that I did as part of my 2-person relay team: Swim & Run:

- The entrance and exit to the swim were in shallow waters leading up to the beach. This made it a weird baywatch-esque slow motion run to try and get out of the water.
- The swim course was well marked on the way out; however, it looked like they ran out of buoys for the swim back to shore because it was very poorly marked.
- Lots of people in kyacks and on surf boards along the swim route. Making up in some way for the lack of buoys, these people were yelling the way back to shore. On the route back I heard "LEFT!!" "RIGHT!!" alternating... must be a reflection of my directions in the water. Yikes.
- Due to the heavy rains in the days preceding the race, I think it may have been unusually cloudy (ZERO visibility... gross) and choppy on the far end. The taste wasn't so hot.
- One thing I noticed while watching the bike is that in the dismount area, similar to the swim, it seemed to be the belief that people standing around yelling instructions was better than clear signs. Naturally.
- The run course was mostly shaded which was very nice -- but HILLY. The race directors changed the course to keep the run in the shade because of the unseasonable heat of the day.
-The run course took us twice through a park that had rocks/gravel on the ground. For someone whose joints are as bad as mine from abuse, it was not good. I walked through these stretches and even turned my ankle twice on the large gravel... walking. But I'm pretty klutzy so take at your own discretion. But the guy I ran with also strained a ligament in his knee at this point.
- Lots of water stations!! No aid stations along the course :( However, there was an occasional race biker checking if anyone had wiped out I guess.
- Now to my favorite race topic - making in the bushes. Of course I did this once, it wouldn't be a race if I didn't. Only 1 bathroom option along the race route and it seemed like those porta-poties just happened to be semi-near the course, maybe from just being in the park. Ample potties near transition - but none inside the area... so potty-ing adds course times, not T time.
- Medals? Substantial and cool!
- Massages? *Sigh* I wish I knew. After finishing the run, grabbing some pizza, and quickly greeting my friends, I missed the cut off for massages by minutes!! Despite the race ending at 4/4:30, massages stopped at 3. Damn last wave! Although my relay partner said the massage was absolutely WONDERFUL :)
- The finisher's festival BBQ... free for the athletes, $10 for guests. If you're a guest, don't bother. No beef burgers or hot dogs. TONS of BBQ sauce slathered chicken, soggy corn and beans; so if that's your thing, have at it!

Overall the race was fun -- however, I don't think I ever want to swim in the Hudson again! Sorry, NYC Tri ;)"

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2009

Ridley G.
Forest Hills, NY

  (09-20-2009)

"It was a pleasure to be a part of the Westchester Toughman. The course, for the most part, was scenic and well shaded, and clearly marked, with locals along the route to cheer the participants on. It also was very well organized and staffed by helpful and fun people. The only negative aspect of my participation was the presence of less-than-friendly drivers."

Reviewed by a: First Time Participant for 2009