Like last year the air was a bit chilly and the wind was high (bad enough to ban disk wheels). But alas that wasn't enough and shortly before our race started we had the rain come down. And it was hard at times.
Still, we hardy duathletes headed out to the start line. The race was a 5K run, 20K bike ride (a bit short) and a final 2.5K run. The runs were pretty flat and both used the same course. The bike ride was crazy hilly and twisty, though the same course we have used before.
As soon as the race started I took off with the goal of not only placing well, but also getting the fastest runs. The other guys are pretty darn fast on the bike, though I will admit I put in some extra efforts this winter on the trainer.
It was a strong headwind running out and we did the 2.5K course twice to make 5K. I held the lead the whole way, but was impressed that Colin managed to stay so close to me. We both finished sub 18 minutes and for me that was quite something. I had never done that to start a duathlon before, though based on my Park Runs, it was not totally a shock. I crossed the line in 17:43.
To the bike and as usual I managed to get through transition pretty fast. I was off onto the bike and held the lead for quite a bit, finally getting passed by Colin early in lap 3 of the 4 laps. I was really struggling with the head winds, but managed to get in some great efforts with the tail winds and also on the climbs. The wet roads didn't really seem to be an issue, though I was very cautious on one 180 degree turn. I was waiting to get passed by Greg and Kevin, though only Greg did and that was right near the end of lap 4, after which I managed to pass him back right near the end. I was really impressed with my effort and finished the bike in second place with the 3rd fastest bike split (the actual time is off due to my Garmin getting messed up but it was around 32 km/hr.
To the run and this is where I finally noticed the cold. My hands were so cold from the bike that I had issues getting my helmet off and when I did get my sneakers on and stat on the course, I couldn't feel my feet at all. It was probably 1 km before I did.
Colin had built a lead of about a minute on the bike and I had work to do. I pushed hard and really started to gain on him. Sadly the 2.5K course just wasn't enough. I did end with the fastest second run in a time of 9:22 but I missed catching him by about 16 seconds. Still I was really happy. Faster than last years and in what I would call worse conditions. All those tempo runs and time on the bike trainer have helped a lot I think.
A wet but happy Ian
So second overall and first in age group. This year the Duathlon passed out age group medals. But I was most happy for the hot shower.
I like a good solid top group at the races and this didn't disappoint. The top 5 were all pretty tough competitors. We all beat the weather and came out to tell the tale.
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