Atlantic City has come to be known for many things: its historic boardwalk along the Atlantic Ocean, its casinos and nightlife, and its rise to fame during prohibition. One thing that doesn’t particularly jump to the front of your mind when hearing the words ‘Atlantic City’ is triathlon, but that’s about to change with the rise of Major League Triathlon (MLT). Not only does Atlantic City have a professional franchise - Atlantic City Waves - it also plays host to the first race of the season.
Last year was AC’s first year hosting a super sprint mixed team relay (MTR), and it was unique for a couple of reasons. First: not too many spectators have seen a MTR style race - they are fast-paced, exciting events with two men and two women per team. Second: no triathlon had ever taken place completely on the historic Atlantic City boardwalk. For the athletes, racing our bikes on wood took a bit of trial and error, bumping over the top of the boards and judging our braking distance and turn speeds.
The atmosphere made for an all-around exhilarating spectating and racing experience. Tourists lined the course and were 2- or 3-deep in some parts. Everyone wanted to get a peek of what was going on. It isn’t often that athletes in draft-legal triathlon get to compete in front of such large crowds on US soil.
MLT is special to our team, the Waves. Triathlon is, for the most part, an individual sport, so more often than not we are actually competing against each other. It is a chance to not only compete with each other, but for each other, and for Atlantic City. In our sport, if you’re lucky you get to represent your country, but to represent a city is a new thrill. Our training sessions are a bit more fun knowing that they are helping us prepare to race together as a relay against other franchises from both home and abroad.
We all train under Ian O’Brien as a part of the Origin Performance squad. While we train hard together day-in and day-out, we very rarely get to compete with each other as teammates. Training with other athletes makes you closer, but our team is very close. We travel all around the world for training camps and due to short-term stays we are often cramming into an apartment together to make things more economically feasible. In tight quarters you really get to know each other and develop bonds that may not otherwise surface. I think this brings us closer together and helps us optimize each other’s potential.
To Atlantic City, this is my call to you: I hope to see you lining the boardwalk at 1pm EST on Saturday. Head to the Landshark Bar & Grill and join in the festivities. And if you can’t make it, you can watch the live stream on MLT’s Facebook page.
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