Sports

Jim Byrne Captures Montauk Sprint Triathlon

Earns second victory this year, hopes for more success at Empire State Games.

Winning has become a habit for Jim Byrne. The Sachem teacher and coach won the Montauk Lighthouse Sprint Triathlon last weekend, marking his second big victory this season. 

He finished the race, now in its 15th year, in 1:04:33.903 - nearly two minutes ahead of the next athelte. It was a much better ending compared to last year's disqualification.

"I unbuckled my chinstrap before I got off the bike," he said. "It sat with me over the winter and really bothered me. This was redemption. I knew I could win it and wanted this bad."

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Last year he finished third, but was not recognized in the final placements because of the DQ.

Byrne, a fifth grade teacher at Chippewa Elementary School, won the Great South Bay Triathlon last month and was enamored by the emotional victory. He ran to honor his mother Veronica, who passed away from leukemia in December at the age of 66.

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"She was with me again," he said. "I'm not surprised. It's just a different feeling."

He's also adjusting to the limelight at the end of each race, grabbing a microphone and addressing the crowd.

"I told me buddies I didn't want to be a one-hit wonder," said Byrne, who praised race director Jose Lopez for the quality of the event, which ends at the Montauk Lighthouse.

The triathlon win comes at a perfect time since Byrne is heading to Buffalo this week to compete in the Empire State Games for Long Island's open men's cycling team. He's been training double-time, putting in extra hours on Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings.

Members of the 10-man team will compete in a 10-mile individual time trial, 75-mile road race, 20-mile criterium and a 40-mile team time trial.

He admits he's not a "pure cyclist," but his determination and strong abilities on the bike have him hoping for more athletic glory by the end of the week.

After Empires, Byrne, who coaches freshman football at Sachem High School North, will compete in the Smith Point Triathlon on August 8.


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