The Pine Hill Arms Triathlon was begun by a group of skiers who were interested in organizing an athletic competition that would take place just before the annual spring ski races at Belleayre Mountain. The first race consisted of mostly weekend skiers and local teams who thought the race would be fun. That first year, the winner crossed the finish line in his bare feet because his support person arrived late with his running shoes.

As word began to spread about the Triathlon and its difficult mountain climbs, competitive athletes joined the race while the weekend skiers dropped out. The second year of the competition, Mike Halstead, from Kingston, NY, one of the top Ironmen in the northeast, competed in and easily won the race. Mike continued to win for the next nine years. It wasn’t until the event’s 11th year that he was unseated by his young long-legged protegé and and training partner, Alex Sherwood, who won by a margin of thirty seconds. Since then, winners have come from Lake Placid, Colorado Springs and New Zealand. Mike, though, came roaring back two years ago to take first place.

The beginning leg of the race consists of a flat traverse across the summit of Belleayre Mountain and downhill skiing along Roaring Brook, the longest trail in the Catskill Mountains, to the base of the mountain. The racers then set off on a 10-mile bike leg that includes three exhausting climbs, the longest of which is from Pine Hill back to the Belleayre Mountain Ski Center, that includes a twisting and turning downhill section during which riders are moving at speeds in excess of 50 miles an hour while maneuvering through a series of S-turns. The final stage of the competition is a run that takes participants from Belleayre back through the streets of Pine Hill to the finish line at Pine Hill Arms. Over the past decade, the Triathlon has become a major athletic competition, with racers participating from as close as New York City and Boston and as far away as New Zealand and Europe. This year’s race takes place on Saturday, March 19, 2011. Registration is from 9:30 am to 11:30 am at the Longhouse Lodge at Belleayre Mountain, and the race promptly starts at 1:30 pm from the top of the Tomahawk lift. The fee is $50 per racer if you pre-register and $55 per racer if you register on race day. After the race, an awards ceremony with live music, dancing and a Bayou Buffet celebration is the perfect way to enjoy the company of fellow athletes and relax after an exhausting day.

For more information about the Pine Hill Arms Triathlon, please contact Pine Hill Arms at 845 254 4012 or visit their Web site at www.pinehillarms.com. You can also visit the Belleayre Mountain Web site at www.belleayre.com.