For one of the fastest dudes in NYC, Sean Mahon has a knack for staying under the radar. We still kick ourselves over flubbing the prime in his TTB debut at Queensboro 2016. Short story is we awarded Sean’s prime to another guy in a yellow jersey, a mistake we remedied by paying the prime twice; it was our fault after all. Even last race, at TTB Manhattan, Sean got a little overshadowed in the pre-race intros behind a slew of talented new faces. But there he was, busting out of the Manhattan pedestrian path in a downpour, for a commanding win (and that prime en route).
There’s no missing Sean this time; he’s got a real shot at becoming the first guy to three-peat at TTB. But Greg Laraia — for one — will have a lot to say. Like Sean, he’s among the city’s top runners, and threw down the hammer at TTB Manhattan this year. We’re not even gonna get into his 5K and mile PRs, which are somethin’ fierce; you can check out his profile from our past journal posts. This is gonna be an incredible rematch.
And now...the new faces. TTB Triboro is our longest race ever, hits two bridges, and even lets runners choose their own path to the first checkpoint. Not to mention those friggin’ stairs! So let’s meet a few guys who are making their TTB debuts at this special event. Some are vets whose club teams motivate them to hard-fought PRs at 5K, 10K and the half; others are new to the scene, and just seem to get faster every race. Most of all, these guys embrace our spirit of leaving it all on the bridge. As always, that means race hard, and drink a beer with your competitors when it’s done — however your race went. See you on the bridges (both of ‘em)!
Adam Barcan
RICH VELAZQUEZ
CREW/CLUB | Team MHRC
WHY WE ARE WATCHING HIM | A veteran competitor in great shape; hot damnnnnn son, those two half marathons this spring!
RUNNING BACKGROUND | A former D1 college runner, Rich has been a fixture on the NYC racing scene for over a decade. Check out the over 100 races in his NYRR athlete history! He started 2017 with a 1:15 at the NYC Half, then he nailed a 1:14 at Brooklyn, a race he called a “return to form” after not breaking 1:17 in years. He also was on the Front Runners relay squad that won Cape Cod Ragnar this spring.
FAVORITE WORKOUT | Coach Vinnie’s 5:15AM High 45 class at MHRC. Rich is a regular at this sold-out class that inspires serious FOMO to those who would rather stay in bed. Oh, and Rich makes sure to load up on the bridges in his weekly long runs.
WHAT DREW HIM TO SIGN UP | He works with Coach Vinnie. ‘Nuff said. Have you ever tried saying no to Coach Vinnie about a run?
MILE PR | 4:35
5K PR | 15:55
WHEN HE’S NOT RUNNING | COO and instructor at Mile High Run Club. Hooked on Friends reruns (so is Darcy).
Photo by: Larry Sillen
Photo by John Tran | @johntrannyc
MARTIN SOMMERSCHUH
CREW/CLUB: Front Runners New York
WHY WE ARE WATCHING HIM: Subscriber to the motto "Speed is sex. Distance is love." Well now — Martin can still kick, and he’s sure become a lover with age. He’s distance PR’ing like crazy this year, including a sub-17 road 5k, a super-impressive 34:22 10K, and a 1:19 half.
RUNNING BACKGROUND: Martin ran 10 years of scholastic track and X-C in his native Germany. We love a guy with a vendetta against his college half-miler for staying - just barely - on the wrong side of 2-flat. Like many of us, Martin rediscovered the love of competitive running by joining a club — after he moved to New York three years ago. Front Runners New York and its “wonderful team spirit” motivate Martin to keep pushing PRs as he moves up in distance. As noted, he PR’d at the half this year, and he BQ’d in his first serious marathon. But once a steepler, always a steepler, and he might just gobble up those Triboro steps.
FAVORITE WORKOUT: Speed - speed - speed. Martin says there’s nothing better than that last rep of an endless series of half mile intervals.
WHAT DREW HIM TO SIGN UP: Encouragement from fellow Front Runners, and the draw of a “last man standing” type race. Martin’s psyched to “play out [his] still lingering middle distance qualities” outside the ordinary NYC racing circle. Add the smaller crowd than usual, so better socializing.
TTB: Are you doing anything special to prepare for this race?
Martin: I always get a haircut before the really important races. This is a special race...
MILE PR: 4:39
5K PR: 16:41
WHEN HE’S NOT RUNNING: Manager of a climate change project at the United Nations.
COLBY SCHULZ
CREW/CLUB: OSR
WHY WE ARE WATCHING HIM: Colby is a talented transplant to the NYC running scene. He’s run fast times this spring and has got a lot of upside.
RUNNING BACKGROUND: A high school track and X-C runner, Colby got excited about grown-up running after the 2014 Chicago marathon. Training with Three Run Two - his local Chicago crew - helped him, as he put it, “discover the running community in all its glory”. Since his recent move to NYC, he’s clocked a speedy 17:35 on the tough 2017 Red Hook Crit course, and crushed his goal of a sub-1:20 at Brooklyn Half. Colby’s 1:17:45 left him with “gas in the tank”, and the feeling he could go a lot faster. We agree.
FAVORITE WORKOUT: Mid-range tempos after dark. Can’t think of better prep for a TTB. Colby says he’s doing course recon for TTB Triboro and is ready to go!
WHAT DREW HIM TO SIGN UP: The running community events are full of great people and unmatched vibes. As Colby says:
I love how small and raw the races can be while maintaining a such a high intensity level. After coming out and watching TTB Manhattan, I felt the need to get in on the action.
MILE PR: 4:48
5K PR: 16:57
WHEN HE’S NOT RUNNING: Web / mobile developer, live music fan
Photo by @elitefeats
ANTON KORNIEV
CREW/CLUB: Bellmore Striders
WHY WE ARE WATCHING HIM: Anton’s a young runner who’s improving quickly as he trains with Bellmore Striders — aka TTB running royalty. In five races to date, his teammates Vicky and Sean have three wins, a second and a third. We’re super excited to see what Anton’s got.
RUNNING BACKGROUND: Anton’s tearing it up in 2017, just his third year of running. Following a strong Red Hook Crit (17:34), he ripped 40 seconds off his 5K PR to take third overall at the Massapequa Firecracker 5K. He’s run TTB too, taking top 5 in TTB Brooklyn last year as a last-minute registrant.
FAVORITE WORKOUT: 12x400, 2x200. It’s the perfect training for running rhythm, with a fast finish. Remember Anton, that race finish will be a big downhill!
WHAT DREW HIM TO SIGN UP: Those Bellmore teammates! It helps that Vicky is his sister.
MILE PR: 4:41
5K PR: 16:28
WHEN HE’S NOT RUNNING: Competitive gamer. Yoga and swimming to round out his running.
DMYTRO MOLCHANOV
CREW/CLUB: Ukrainian Running Club NYC
WHY WE ARE WATCHING HIM: Our good friend Illya Tarasenko calls Dmytro TTB Triboro’s “dark horse”. This guy’s for real; just check out the impressive PRs he’s set over the last few months. .
RUNNING BACKGROUND: Dmytro really took off as a runner following his move to the US; he hated running in school. He says running cut the stress of his move, and provided a gateway to making new friends. Over the past couple of years, he’s run several major marathons, a ton of races across the road disciplines and a few triathlons. We most have our eye on those PRs this spring, including a 16:47 win at an Al Goldstein 5K, a 35:29 for second at a 10K on Long Island and a 1:16 at NYC Half.
FAVORITE WORKOUT: Stay at home with a lot of sweets and watch a movie. Uhhhh...we don’t believe you, Dmytro.
WHAT DREW HIM TO SIGN UP: Dmytro is always game for a new running experience, whether Ragnar Cape Cod or an obstacle race. We love it.
5K PR: 16:47
WHEN HE’S NOT RUNNING: student
Photo by Island Photography