Many Levittown alums may remember Bob Calabritto, class of 1989, as the captain of the Division Avenue High School All-Conference football team, or as the captain of the Division All-County lacrosse team, but next week, Calabritto will be competing as an “Ironman” in the Ironman U.S. Championship in New York City.
Calabritto, a native Levittowner, moved to Indonesia in 2000 for “life adventure,” he told the Levittown Tribune. He is a freelance writer and magazine editor, and owns a garment-trading company. His mother, an Island Trees High School graduate herself, class of 1965, still resides in Levittown.
“I am racing in honor of a number of friends and their loved ones from Levittown who have battled cancer,” said Calabritto. He told the Tribune that his participation in the Ironman will benefit a charity called “Stomp the Monster” which helps people, and their caregivers, who are fighting cancer.
Calabritto has been competing in triathlons for years; he has also completed many Olympic and half-Ironman distance competitions. He has been training for six months for the Aug. 11 competition.
“Coming home to do my first full Ironman distance, on my home soil, is beyond special,” he told the Tribune.
What’s next for Calabritto after the Ironman championships? “Milkshakes, cupcakes and pizza,” he says laughing, although he plans to continue training for the Asia Pacific Championships in Phuket, Thailand, and qualify for the Ironman 70.3 World Championships.
On Saturday, Aug. 11, approximately 2,500 athletes from around the world will assemble in New Jersey for the inaugural New York City/New Jersey metropolitan region competition.
“Bringing the Ironman experience to the New York City metropolitan area will allow athletes to compete with the world’s most iconic skyline as their backdrop,” said Ben Fertic, chief executive officer and president of World Triathlon Corporation. “With the collaboration of NY/NJ officials and New York City Triathlon organizers, we have created an urban course that will provide an unmatched experience for athletes and spectators.”
The course includes a 2.4-mile swim in the Hudson River, beginning in New Jersey, a 112-mile bike race through Bergen and Rockland counties, and a 26.2-mile run beginning in Fort Lee, NJ and finishing in Riverside Park in New York City.
“We have been working for seven years to bring an Ironman to the metro area and it’s finally here,” said John Korff, organizer of the New York City Triathlon. “New York City and the surrounding tri-state community is a hotbed for triathlon, and we are thrilled to partner with Ironman and local officials to bring a new world-class race to the streets of New York and New Jersey.”
For more information about the Ironman U.S. Championship in New York City visit: http://ironmanuschampionship.com/
