The Durham Duathlon 2008
Report By Rob Wright
A cold, chilly and overcast morning greeted the 72 competitors entered in Durham duathlon but on the plus side it was dry. Once registration was over three of us decided to do a warm up lap of the run, it was at this point I wished I had brought my off road shoes as the conditions underfoot were like a quagmire, I knew the run was on a field so it was my own fault and Chris had told me he was taking his. After taking my bike into a quiet corner and having a word with it about punctures, my transition was set up and I was ready.
The competitors all gathered at the transition run exit and in no time the race was off, 3 laps to go. The field went off at a lung burning pace, the hill on the run didn't even slow them. Coming to the end of lap 1 I had settled down into my pace and had managed to keep my footing, 2 more to go, they seemed to fly by and soon I was running into transition.
Onto the bike, I rode this course some weeks earlier so I knew what to expect, once out of Waterhouses it’s a mile hill climb to the top, but I had to get there first. The legs felt good so it was down onto the tri bars and peddle hard. After the first roundabout it’s 6 miles to the hill with a bad junction in the middle where I had to come to a stop and put my foot down, this junction was policed for the first time, they are making it harder to put on events, but it passed without a problem and I was on my way again.
Left out of Waterhouses, down to the base of the hill, my brother is in sight, with as much speed as I could get I attack, but it soon sucks all my speed out of the bike. This is where I should gain some places, I pass someone struggling with gear problems and another at the crest who took it easy to recover from the hill, I hoped for more but you take what you can get and my brother is out of sight. Three lefts and I'm on the down hill, its time to grit the teeth and clench the rear as I head down hill as fast as I dare, a strong head wind kept me from reaching warp speed but its still over too quickly.
The final section of the bike, have I got it in my legs for a decent go at the second run, I know it’s going to be slower but by how much, racking the bike I go for my helmet and with hands colder than any doctors it's a fumble but I'm soon into my shoes and away. The hill on the run reduces me to a snails pace but cramp stays away so I will take that as a consolation. The ground underfoot is churned up and coming to the end of lap one and I'm in danger of looking like someone at a Glastonbury festival as my footing goes but thankfully my balance stays, 2 more laps to go.
I can see my brother at the other side of the field, I'm not running strong at all, my muscles don't feel too bad but I can’t take on enough oxygen to make them go any faster, so as I plod around the final lap I plan my revenge. I come to the final corner and thank the happiest marshal on the planet for the great encouragement on all 6 laps and head to the finish line, muddied, lungs burning but happy, it was a good race.
Sun City finished as follows:
9th Andrew Macrae 1.26.30
21st Jeff Stobbart 1.32.38
39th Chris Wright 1.37.32
42nd Rob Wright 1.39.38