I must start this article by apologising. As I sit here writing just two days before Christmas, I can’t help but admit that I competed in my first duathlon at the end of October. It is fair to say life has been busy since then and I have only just got around to finally sitting down and writing about the experience. A fairly poor excuse you might say but better late than never I say. With that in mind, hopefully I will give you an honest account of what you can expect when racing your first duathlon.
Duathlon Vs Triathlon
This was my first season competing in any multi-sport event and all of them up until this point had been triathlons. I’d trained specifically for these, working on my swimming technique and open water ability, cycling in the time trial position and of course running quickly too.
I was a bit nervous about cutting out the swimming and having two separate runs to complete. Would my body hold up and be able for it? There was only one way to find out.
As much as I enjoy swimming, the one thing I wasn’t sorry to say goodbye to was the faff of having to get in and out of a wetsuit. Regarding the latter, I have also learned that I’m particularly bad at it. Other competitors seem to slip out of theirs with ease, but I have often been sat on the floor trying to wrestle my way out of it, bleeding away time in the process.
All of my triathlons had been the standard distance, which involved a 1500 metre swim, 40 km bike ride and 10 km run.
The standard distance duathlon involved a 10 km run, 40km bike and then a 5km run. All in all the duration of the race would be close to that of a triathlon, but it was all about that double run and how much harder this would make it.
The Event
Never wanting to do anything in halves, I decided that my first event should the ATW Grafham Water Duathlon. The course itself isn’t particularly challenging, however this event was to be a qualifier for the European Championship in 2025. I figured that a quality field would participate, I’d be able to measure myself against some top amateurs and maybe even qualify myself. He who dares wins as Del Boy would say.
Having already completed the triathlon here earlier in the summer, it was handy knowing where the transit points would be and what the bike course had in store too. Marginal gains as they would often say in the cycling world.
The Race Itself
Running a 10km when you’re racing your first duathlon is a tricky one to judge. I’m used to emptying the tank at the end of a triathlon and knowing that the finish is close at hand.
With a standard distance duathlon though it is of course right at the start and you’re acutely aware of having a 25 mile bike ride and 5km run still to do. Go out too hard in the 10km run and I can well imagine that the rest will be very hard indeed.
My Run
I have never raced a 10km run on its own so don’t have a pb for the distance. I did some research though and estimated my running pace based on my triathlon efforts and training sessions too. For me that would be around 6 minutes thirty seconds per mile, which ended up being exactly what I achieved.
I felt comfortable throughout and always felt I could push that bit harder, which I of course didn’t. It was satisfying completing the 10km in around forty minutes flat. Despite the good pace, the quality of the field really showed and it was humbling seeing how quick the athletes were at the sharp end of the race.
Being an out and back course, I almost couldn’t believe the speed they were running at and the times they completed the distance in. Many were under 36 minutes with the quickest runner talking just over 33 minutes. Very impressive on its own let alone with the bike and 5km run still to do.
The Bike Leg
With no wetsuit to have a battle with, my transition onto the bike was pretty seamless and incident free. I opted to ride my helmet without the visor simply to save a few extra seconds, instead just sticking with the sun glasses I was already wearing. A good move in the end I though.
The bike leg is my strongest discipline and I soon found myself catching and passing other riders. A few twinges in my left calf signalled an oncoming cramp, which is indeed what happened. I am not sure whether this was caused by all the sweating during the run and the fact I hadn’t drunk enough or simply because I was now asking a different muscle group to work after others had been hammered during the run.
Boy was it painful and I found myself free-wheeling for what felt like an eternity. Riders I had caught came past me again and I honestly felt like throwing the towel in. Thankfully I didn’t and it passed with some electrolyte drink taken on board as well as a couple of gels.
Soon I reeled those cyclists back in and pressed on all the way until the end completing the 25 miles in just over 1 hour 5 minutes. Average power was around 245 watts, which I was pleased with, even if it was less than the power I used to put out during a hundred mile time trial around four years ago.
The Final Run
I felt relatively strong getting off the bike and got into my running again without issue. Completing many brick workouts certainly helped with this and is something that is essential if you hope to achieve your best. Click here to find out more about why these brick sessions are so important.
Even with all this preparation though, my pace and overall spirits fell off the edge of a mighty high cliff after about a mile. I didn’t feel knackered, but simply couldn’t put out the same pace I had completed the 10km run in. The 6 and a half minute per mile pace soon dropped to seven minutes and continued to head in the wrong direction.
A few other athletes caught me and it was rather soul destroying watching them slowly pull away while I could do bugger all about it other than focus on putting one foot in front of the other.
In the end I completed the final 5km in around 22 minutes, which was around 2 minutes slower than I had hoped it would be. It was a great relief to cross the finish line and be re-united with my dad who had come along to cheer me on.
My Final Result
My final time was 2 hours 12 minutes and 59 seconds. This was good enough for 67th place out of a field of just over 200. I was fairly pleased with the result and wasn’t expecting it to be anywhere near good enough to qualify for the European Championship. How wrong I was to think that!
Just over a week after event, I received the news that I had qualified to represent team GB as an age-grouper in June 2025. I may have just scraped into the team but I am very grateful for the opportunity and it gives an excellent incentive to train hard ready for the next racing season. I look forward to sharing this journey with you.