Blogfinger

Checking the time while crossing the finish line

Photos and text by Mary Walton

I caught the tail end of the Jersey Pride Triathlon on my Sunday morning bike ride. The athletes had already completed a 300-meter ocean swim and a 10-mile “flat and fast” bike ride through Asbury Park and other shore towns.

MARY TAKES A BIKE RIDE

When I reached the casino they were sprinting toward the finish line on the Asbury boardwalk, after completing a three-mile run around Wesley Lake.

I biked past them to the north end of the boardwalk where dog owners were coming off the beach under an 8:30 a.m. deadline. There, I encountered a woman numbered #170 walking somewhat dispiritedly toward the finish line on the far side of the Convention Center.

“They’re waiting for you,” I said by way of encouragement. “Am I the last one?” she asked sadly. “I don’t know,” I said. Just then several other runners came into view, and #170 broke into a jog.

These guys were cheering on the finishers