My First Duathlon

It was supposed to be a Triathlon, Dual Distance, which means you could choose between a sprint, Olympic distance. I wouldn't say I had my "heart set" on doing my second Olympic distance triathlon, but I was looking forward to it. I had even managed to talk a couple of my co-workers into doing the Sprint distance for what would be their first triathlon...

Unfortunately new rules set in place by someone on Guam requires any organization having an event that involves people getting into the ocean requires a permit 30-day in advance. It's hard to do a triathlon when you can't get in the water. Ever adaptive, the Guam Triathlon Federation opted to turn the Triathlon into a Duathlon (Run, Bike, Run). Despite the change in race format, I was still able to convince one of my buddies to join me. Early Sunday morning we took off and got ready for what was our first Duathlon.

The Duathlon consisted of two 5K runs with a bike ride sandwiched between them. At the check-in you had the option for selecting a 20K or 40K ride. I figured since I was planning to do an Olympic distance Tri which includes a 40K bike ride, and since I wanted to get the most bang for my buck, that I would go ahead and do the longer distance.

All things considered, it was a great day for racing, with the weather warm (not too hot), no rain, and not a lot of wind. After a 20:10 5K, I was off on my bike.

The above picture is probably one of my favorite racing pictures. It totally has to do with the camera angle, but it does look really cool. I have to give all the props to our photographer who happened to be another friend from work who was there to cheer on/take pictures of someone else, and was kind enough to snap a few of me.

Another great shot. I have to admit there is one big downside to doing the 40K, and that is the fact that it was the same course as the 20K you just did it two times which equates to 6 laps. It's a flat course, easy to ride (minus the potholes), but there isn't much to it.

Here I am trying to grab a drink of Gatorade from the sports bottle Duct Taped to the front of my bike. Unlike my first Olympic triathlon when I didn't use a lid, had the straw fly out during the first lap, and only had the occasional splash of Gatorade on my chest to cool me off, this time, I actually used a lid which proved much more effective at keeping the drink inside the bottle and readily drinkable. I finished the 40K ride in 1:09:34, and it was time for my second 5K.

The first mile of running after a long bike ride is always the hardest. It's hard to describe how my legs feel, but I'd say it's a mix between Jell-O and cement; very heavy, yet also very unsteady. The most important thing is to keep them moving.

My second 5K was over in 21:59 for a total time of 1:51:43. Of the 45 racers that started, 10 of us did the longer 40K ride. My time was good enough to put me in second place which was kind of surprising since the 3rd and 4th place finishers were two guys on the Guam National Team. Still, I'll say the same thing about all my other races, it's not about what place I come in, it's just about finishing.

All in all I'd say it was a great first Duathlon, and I could see myself doing another one if the opportunity should present itself again.