Welcome to a new feature on Tri247, supported by Gatorade (www.gatorade.co.uk). We know (because we have the statistics…), that races and race results are one of the most popular and well used resources on the site, which thousands of you rely upon. In association with Gatorade, we’ll be profiling our Athlete of the Month from that information.

Our choice may be based on one, or perhaps a combination of factors including:

• Outstanding performance at one race,
• Consistent performances over a number of events,
• Recognition of an athletes efforts over many months, years…or even decades in some cases!
• Overcoming setbacks, challenges or obstacles.

Or indeed, any other reason we can think of. We will also be asking you for your nominations.

As well as the recognition, each monthly winner will receive:

• Six month's supply of Gatorade
• A limited edition Gatorade bike top
• Six Gatorade bike bottles
• Two Gatorade gym bottles
• A Gatorade towel
• A personalised engraved plaque

At the end of the year, one athlete out of the twelve will be selected as the overall Athlete of the Year.

March 2008: David Vaughan

We’ve chosen David as the recipient of our first Athlete of the Month following a series of great performances throughout the month. Starting off at Clumber Park, David won the first round of the Mazda National Duathlon Series. A week later he was winning again, this time at the Spring Ballbuster over the classic Box Hill course, and then rounded of the month with a third place in a very competitive event at the Steyning Duathlon.

We caught up with David to find out more about him, and his season so far. David’s sporting background was … as a competitive international sailor! We’re not quite sure how that’s crossed over to run/bike, but it’s clearly working. “I’ve been running for about four and half years, and then got into duathlon about a year and a half ago. I was travelling in New Zealand, and stumbled across the Ironman there and just loved the whole multisport vibe”. Training-wise, he runs with Garden City Runners, and joined North Road Cycle Club about six months ago, “That’s the best thing I’ve ever done; every ride just ends up as a complete burn-up! I figure that if you can manage to hang on with pure runners and pure cyclists, you should be OK at duathlon”.

Of his March performances, the Ballbuster was a real highlight. “I was amazed by my improvement on the bike this year. I’d always thought of myself as a runner, and while I’ve been really focussed on the biking in training, to win the race on the bike is what has made me the happiest of everything, especially beating Lee Piercy – he’s real class. I can tell you, I was running scared on that second run”! While the Steyning Duathlon was a close third place finish, David said, “It was a great four-way battle all the way around – well, apart from the agony of it because it was so hard”.

For the rest of the year, his main focus is the Age Group Championships - European and World - in Greece and Italy respectively. He also plans to do the National Championships in Milton Keynes and, hopefully, the elite wave at the London Duathlon in Richmond Park; “I did my first 10km in Richmond Park, and it was also where I did my first duathlon, so it has become somewhere I keep returning to”. After two good events so far, he’s also hoping to continue his form and secure the overall BT/Mazda National Duathlon Series.

Longer term, having focussed on cycling this winter for the age group season, he plans to change the focus to running next winter, hoping to build to some elite racing in 2009.

We noticed that David has been racing in the in-vogue compression socks, and while he said he thinks they do help recovery after the event (“even though they do look somewhat Japanese schoolgirl-ish”), his primary motives of late were more straightforward: “It’s been so cold, and I was trying to keep warm”!

On hearing of our choice, David said, “It’s a real honour to be chosen as Athlete of the Month and recognised, especially as the first winner. I really like the Tri247 site, particularly the weekend roundup on a Monday morning as it’s a great way to keep up to date”. He has no plans to add ‘tri’ to ‘du’ – “I don’t like getting wet”, but with performances like those in March, I think we’ll be hearing more from David Vaughan, duathlete, in the months and years ahead.

You can follow his progress at: www.davidvaughanduathlon.blogspot.com

While David is our worthy winner for March, honourable mentions this month include:

• Emma Dews (Thames Turbo). Overall winner at the Steyning Duathlon, defending her title there and a close second place at the Spring Ballbuster Duathlon to Lindsey Courage.
• Peter Wheddon (BAD Tri). Peter won his Age Group (50-54) at both the Clumber Park and Steyning Mazda National Duathlon Series events, finishing up at the sharp end of the race overall.
• Dan Corner (Shorter Rochford/Exclusive Ranges). Dan had continued his good form of 2007, winning a very tough F3 Duathlon at Dorney Lake in early March just edging out bike demon Chris Birch. He followed that with a convincing win at Round 1 of the Thames Turbo Series.

Do you know anyone who deserves this award? If so, tell us! Get in touch with us on aotm@tri247.com and tell us who you would like us to recognise and why.

Images of David are used courtesy of Phil O'Connor.