We recognize our athletes achievements which help build team spirit and inspire athletic advancement.
Meet Empire athlete Luis Arce
After college, Luis became interested in running long distance races and has completed various marathons to date. He practices Krav Maga, the self-defense system, which combines techniques from different martial arts. He finds it helps him focus while under stress.
One Sunday in July a few years back, he watched athletes compete in the NYC Triathlon and was impressed with their endurance. “I thought, wow, all those racers already swam and biked before their run. That takes discipline! I have to do that.” This past July at the 17th annual NYC Triathlon, Luis finished his second NYC Tri race and managed a 17 minutes personal record.
“I felt confident during race day as I knew I had been training for it. I think my excitement about participating in the race overshadowed any nerves I might have had about it. I just tried to focus on each leg at a time. I found myself thinking back to my training whether it was how to complete my swim stroke or pedal on the bike hills. I was thinking about my pacing, and how to sustain it.”
“Being part of Empire Tri Club made a significant difference in my training. I really enjoy working out with my teammates. Being part of a training group helped me to push harder and stick to a training schedule. I look forward for the Saturday bike rides with my teammates and learn tricks from them. It was motivating seeing some improvement each month. For instance, the bike rides to Piermont and then to Nyack started to feel gradually easier.”
Luis will continue training for the IRONMAN Lake Placid 70.3 this September. This will be his second 70.3 distance. His goal is a bit different than when he first raced a Half IRONMAN aiming to just finish. This time around, his goal is to improve his time!
