They arrived before dawn Sunday and removed their bikes from the roofs of their cars, dressed in their choice of swimming attire -- bathing suits, wetsuits, even Hawaiian shorts -- to compete in the annual Jarden Westchester Triathlon at Rye Beach.

After checking in and receiving their race numbers, the athletes secured their bikes in large racks located in Rye Beach's parking lot and headed down to the beach for a quick warm-up swim in the Long Island Sound.

The sky began to lighten as sunrise approached and the triathletes gathered in groups distinguished by the color of their swim caps based on their age, gender and ability.

A 10-second warning sounded, then the starter's horn sent the athletes running to the water. Participants splashed through low tide until they reached sufficient depth to begin their .9-mile swim around a marked course as kayakers and police boats kept them safe.

As they completed the swim, the triathletes ran up the beach to the transition area where they stripped off their wetsuits and ran their bikes out to a mounting area. They followed a 25-mile bike ride with a 6.2-mile run through downtown Rye.