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		<?xml version="1.0"?><rss version="2.0"><channel><title>Duathlon - Tri247</title><link>http://www.tri247.com/index.html</link><description>Latest duathlon articles from Tri247</description><item><title><![CDATA[Monsterman winter duathlon series]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_4112.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[The summer season is nearing it&#039;s end and the chilly mornings and long, dark nights are fast approaching; so that must mean it&#039;s time to start preparing for the Monsterman series.

A well organised, great fun series, which sees the first of four races kick-off on the  December 6th (so there&#039;s even time for a post-season break before you have to start preparing) and ends with the last race on the  March 14th. The second race, which takes place on the January 3rd (just enough time to get over the new years eve hangover) is the official UK qualifier for the European Championship Green Cup off-road duathlon series.

All the races take place in the beautiful surroundings of Bordon Hampshire and the race distances are:  four miles run, 12miles bike, four miles run, with the exception of race two, which is four miles, 16miles, four miles. The races all take place on a Saturday, so you get a lie in on Sunday and every competitor gets a free race photograph of themselves, plus a free cycle top for all those who enter by the END of October. Free hot drinks and cakes will be waiting for you at the end of the race and INFINIT will be providing refreshments during the race.

For more information go to: www.gearsandtears.com 
]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Parsons sidelined following Achilles operation]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_4097.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[Following on from the news about Michelle Dillon&#039;s six hour back operation last week, another athlete has also had to go under the knife. Michelle Parsons - winner of multiple duathlon World and European age-group titles along with two top-five World Powerman Championship titles, victory at several Powerman races and a bronze medal at the European Powerman Championships - has had to undergo surgery on an achilles tendon tear. Although things are slightly better than first thought, it was initially diagnosed as a full rupture, this will come as devastating blow for Michelle, who has been managing a foot and achilles injury for several weeks.

Mother of two, Michelle, 41, is also a sports therapist working twenty hours or so a week on top of a rigid training program, that has seen her rise from a top age-group duathlete to a top class long distance elite duathlete. Michelle&#039;s injury is a double blow to a season that saw her ranked world #1 in the powerman series and win (for the second time), a bronze medal at the European Powerman Championships in April, but saw her excluded from the long distance World Duathlon Championships team. An interesting selection decision, that was mentioned in Tom Lowe&#039;s Duathlon World Long Course Championships preview back in August.

We received this news from Michelle&#039;s husband, Phil Parsons, yesterday:
 
&quot;Well the good news is that Michelle has not ruptured her Achilles but she does have a tear in the centre of the tendon which the specialist thinks is caused by the heel bone protrusion she has on her right foot. There are two bands of tendon on the outside that are still fully intact and strong which have been supporting the foot and only causing minor discomfort (you women and your pain thresholds). Suffice to say after seeing the specialist on Tuesday and having a further examination this morning she is going to have keyhole surgery to repair the tendon and shave down the bone on Thursday afternoon at the Nuffield in Bristol.&quot; 

&quot;The surgeon predicts that within six weeks she will be back on her feet and back in full training after 12. So she is really quite pleased to be able to fit in the op so quickly and effectively be back in training well before Christmas. All in all much better news then we thought in Italy last week when the message came through that it was ruptured and that would mean plaster casts and a much longer recovery period.&quot;

Tri247 wishes Michelle a speedy and successful recovery.
]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[World Duathlon report]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_4089.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[Tri247 columnist Colette O&#039;Neill reports in from the World Duathlon Champs in Rimini. Much to her surprise, transitions were her best discipline - and that has never happened before.
She&#039;s also not sure whether the pre-race lobster was the smartest selection from the menu...
You can read  her latest blog update HERE, and for the squeamish amongst you, check out the injury which wrote-off the first half of the season - ouch! ]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Rimini age group reports - UPDATED]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_4064.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[John Levison reports from Rimini on the 2008 ITU World Duathlon Championships. 
[UPDATED] Full Age Group results now available:
  Women&#039;s results from Saturday
  Men&#039;s results from Sunday
UPDATE: Provisional GBR medal table below. 
Congratulations also to the Irish team, who secured two Gold medals (David Vaughan 30-34, Desmond McHenry 60-64), one silver (Keira-Eva Mooney 25-29), and one bronze (Art MacManusa 25-29). 


Cat
Men
Women


18-19
&amp;nbsp;
&amp;nbsp;


20-24
Gold: David Roper 
&amp;nbsp;


25-29
&amp;nbsp;
Gold: Danielle Stewart, Bronze: Louise Kelly


30-34
&amp;nbsp;
Gold: Emma Dews


35-39
&amp;nbsp;
&amp;nbsp;


40-44
&amp;nbsp;
&amp;nbsp;


45-49
&amp;nbsp;
&amp;nbsp;


50-54
Gold: Peter Wheddon, Bronze: Chris Smith 
Bronze: Penny Edwards


55-59
&amp;nbsp;
Silver: Elspeth Knott


60-64
Bronze: Mick Anglim 
Gold: Barbara Leverett, Bronze Barbara Law


65-69
&amp;nbsp;
Gold: Edwina Brocklesby


70-74
&amp;nbsp;
&amp;nbsp;


75-79
Gold: David Peck, Silver: Peter Howard 
&amp;nbsp;



The last time the GB age group squad went to Rimini for a World Duathlon Championships they left with so many medals that the organisers presented the team management with a special trophy in recognition. Which, as it happened, was a bit of a problem in the post 9/11 travel scenario and I remember Jasmine Flatters having to get special dispensation for the thing to travel in the cabin!

There&#039;s not enough data to say whether the age groupers will bring home another record haul but the women have started pretty well with Emma Dews (30-34) taking the field apart and winning by, in John&#039;s words, ...miles! By lap 1 of the bike she was already 1:15 clear of the field and just kept on going away. With one in the bank we&#039;ll have to sit and wait through the evening and see what else happens - the results are running a couple of hours behind and, from past experience, may be subject to the odd revision.

John managed a quick chat with Emma while the rest of the races were going on:

We&#039;ve always thought of you as a runner, but you seemed to be a bit of a bike monster too today. What have you been doing?!

&quot;I&#039;ve really been enjoying the bike, done a few sportives, a few 10-mile time trials and really just riding more most weekends: 50 miles on Saturday, 70 on Sunday and not running as much.&quot;

You seemed to take the first part of the run fairly steady before you hit the front, while a few people went flying off. Was that the plan?

&quot;Yes, I think it was because I know my running isn&#039;t as good as it was, but my biking is much stronger, so I couldn&#039;t go that hard.I also wanted to pace the run to really hammer the bike.&quot;

Is it true that you entered the race fairly late on?

&quot;Yes, I had a place, but I hadn&#039;t booked flights and everything, and confirmed I was coming. I was only definitely coming two weeks ago.&quot;

I bet you are glad you did now?!

&quot;I&#039;m really glad I did, I&#039;m really happy! It&#039;s always great to part of the GB team, because the girls are great. It such a great event to do and a brilliant atmosphere.&quot;

Anything left for the season?

&quot;I&#039;ve entered a half marathon, and maybe I&#039;ll do the Ballbuster again which I did in March. I&#039;m not sure if I&#039;ll try swimming though - seems a lot of effort to start from scratch again!&quot;

Will you be back at the world&#039;s next year?

&quot;Well, it&#039;s in the US so it depends if I can afford it - and my friends can come too!&quot;

Hopefully you can secure a few sponsors after this one?

&quot;Absolutely! if anyone wants to sponsor me and help with the trip...&quot;]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Day One: TWO Gold, Silver and a Bronze]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_4062.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[John Levison reports from the ITU World Duathlon Championships in Rimini:

UPDATE: Paul Amey may well have crossed the line in second place but he was the man that hoisted the winner&#039;s trophy at the presentation following what can only be described as a bizarre situation involving two Belgians. Jurgen Dereere put in an official complaint that Rob Woestenborghs was cycling dangerously during the early stages of the 40k bike section (Rimini&#039;s bike course is essentially a drag strip up and down the seafront with a couple of chicanes to try to slow things down a bit). Once the referees had heard the complaint and gone into a huddle they ended up with a decision that saw BOTH athletes removed from the event&#039;s results! With the &#039;winner&#039; gone, Amey retained his World title, although his post race comment indicates that he wasn&#039;t that happy with the result; &quot;It&#039;s pretty disappointing to win the world championships in this way. (Rob) definitely deserved to win today.&quot;

In the men&#039;s race, Paul Amey had been in contention throughout the three phases but ended up as the meat in a Belgian sandwich with Rob Woestenborghs crossing the line first and Bart Aernouts completing the podium.

Defending Champion Vanessa Fernandez (POR) threw down the gauntlet in the women&#039;s race and broke away on the opening run and maintained a clear lead throughout the bike. At T2 she was 1:30 clear of Catriona Morrison and extended this to 1:45 at the end of the first lap. Vanessa eventually cruised home to victory 1:30 clear of Catriona Morrison with Ana Burgos (ESP) in third.

A full set of results for both the men&#039;s and women&#039;s races are here but we may yet have to update the men&#039;s results...

John managed to get a few words with Catriona after she finished:

World Long Distance Champion, and now silver here behind Fernandes. You must be pleased with that, considering the state your knee was in six months ago?

&quot;...and my Achilles is pretty bad right now! I&#039;ve got an appointment with the doctor on Tuesday... I was just hoping it would last.&quot; (Cat&#039;s leg was heavily strapped with pink tape during the race).

How was the race?

&quot;Beforehand, I thought I could go with the second pack. I sort of warmed up gradually, which I think is what happens when you do long course! And then I felt good on the bike, so I thought let&#039;s work together, as I wasn&#039;t going to shelter anyone in the wind - then I looked around and no one was there - and I thought &quot;Oh, I&#039;ve got a break without even trying&quot;!

How were the conditions? It&#039;s a flat course, but it seemed pretty damn windy?

&quot;Yes, it was very windy which I think plays to my strengths, since riding in the wind is sort of like cycling up hills, isn&#039;t it!&quot;

Is that it for the season now, with the injury?

&quot;No, I&#039;ve Clearwater to go, so another four-week block until that.&quot;


PosMaleFemale
1Paul Amey (GBR) 1:48:00Vanessa Fernandes (POR) 2:00:51
2Bart Aernouts (BEL) 1:48:07Catriona Morrison (GBR) 2:02:29
3Sergio Silva (POR) 1:48:36Ana Burgos (ESP) 2:04:27


The Under 23 races took place in parallel with the Elite events and GB&#039;s sole representative, Ritchie Nicholls, took the Bronze medal in his race. A full set of results are here.

Team GB took its first gold of the ITU World Duathlon Champs 2008 in the first event of the day - the junior women. 2007 European Champion, Sophie Coleman, finished the first run in a small pack of three athletes, around 10 seconds behind the Mexican, Ruth Nivon Machoud. However, wearing platform pedals, this deficit was eliminated almost completely in T1, and a lead pack of three formed. Despite working hard on the bike, her fellow escapees were unable to contribute, and by the end of lap two (of three), a larger group re-formed. Showing great maturity, Coleman relaxed in the pack, but then ensured she was at the front of the pack entering T2. Another swift change, she was away in the lead with just Balogh (HUN) for company. Not for long! Looking super strong, Sophie was quickly away and clear on the final 2.5km stage for a very impressive an clear victory. A full set of results are online here.

John spoke to Sophie immediately on finishing:

European Champ last year, World Champ this year - how do you feel?

&quot;Pretty good actually! I was pretty comfortable on the run. I was working hard on the bike, but when I could see the pack a few seconds behind, I eased up. I knew I had an advantage over most of the girls by wearing platforms, so I got out of transition first and I was confident in my run speed.&quot; 

Anything else left for the season, or is that season over now? 

&quot;I&#039;ve got one race left next weekend in France, a club cup team time trial, but this was the big one to finish off the season with&quot;

In the Junior Men&#039;s race Richard Muray (RSA) defended his title. Tom Bishop did break away on bike, and with Richard led into T2, but his legs were blown when he started running. Jonathan Brownlee has been injured, and has done no fast running for 10-weeks, so didn&#039;t have the speed. In the end he finshed best of the Brits in 13th with Matthew Sharp 14th and Tom Bishop 24th.


PosMaleFemale
1Richard Murray (RSA) 0:56:13Sophie Coleman (GBR) 1:04:01
2Alex Ascenzi (ITA) 0:56:19Ruth Nivon Machoud (MEX) 1:04:43
3Oscar Vicenzte (ESP) 0:56:23Barbara Balogh (HUN) 1:04:43
]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Winter off-road duathlons]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_4055.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[Entry forms are now available at www.triferris.com for this winter&#039;s Cirencester off-road duathlons, supported by Noah&#039;s Ark Bikes.

Winter fun for all abilities in the beautiful surroundings of Cirencester Park.

Race dates are as follows: 


Duathlon 1 - 16th November 2008
Duathlon 2 - 8th February 2009


Race distancs:


Long - 2 mile XC run, 10 mile MTB, 2 mile XC run 
Short - 1 mile XC run, 5 mile MTB, 1 mile XC run


Entry forms are available at: www.triferris.com or for more information call: 01793 853 933 or email: triferris@btinternet.com

]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[World Duathlon Championship preview]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_4048.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[Following a knee operation several months ago Tom Lowe has been patiently going through the slow, painful process of rehabilitation. Thankfully, after a long wait he has turned a corner and is now able to ride for up to three hours. Running is harder and he&#039;s still only able to do some very steady jogs, but his predictions are that he&#039;ll be back and running properly by christmas, with the hope of returning to racing next year. Lets hope all goes according to plan, it would be good to see the 2007 European Bronze medalist back in action. Tom is putting his down-time to good use by keeping Tri247 readers abreast of all the latest duathlon news and in this article takes a look at GB&#039;s elite team and medal potential ahead of this weekend&#039;s duathlon World Championships in Rimini.



This weekend&rsquo;s World Duathlon Championships in Rimini, Italy, will be the highlight of many athletes&rsquo; racing calendar. The race will be the culmination of months of training since the qualifying races in April and May, and the last race before a deserved break until the madness starts again.

Great Britain has a rather impressive history in this event with four gold, three silver and a bronze at the senior level all since 2005 as well as numerous U23 and Junior medals. This year&rsquo;s team will have the pressure of living up to previous years successes and on paper, looks like it might just succeed.

Cat Morrison is GB&rsquo;s only representative on the Senior Women&rsquo;s start list, however as World Champion in 2006, silver medalist in 2005 and European Champion in 2007 her record in short course duathlon is as impressive as any. A second place at 70.3 Monaco just a couple of weeks ago with a very fast run split proves that Cat seems to be completely recovered from her early season injury and is in excellent form.

The senior men&rsquo;s team is led by double World Champion Paul Amey whose titles in 2005 and 2007 were achieved on courses with flat run legs where speed is the key. With Rimini being a very flat course this should suit his racing style and pure running ability. However it must be noted that if race tactics dictate that the bike is very tough, usually decided by the Belgian team&rsquo;s plans, Paul is strong enough on the bike to deal with the situation. With last year&#039;s runner up Jurgen Dereere from Belgium and bronze medalist Sergio Silva from Portugal confirmed entrants the race will prove to be tough. Jurgen can never be discounted and is hungry for a title that has amazingly eluded him during his career and I can personally vouch for Sergio Silva&rsquo;s current form having seen him on recent run sessions at altitude in Font Romeu.

Current National Duathlon Champion Phil Wylie has made huge gains this year in fitness and racing experience. As a member of Les Tritons Meldois, Phil has raced regularly in the French Grand Prix Duathlon league this year which is a must for any elite duathlete wishing to improve and race the world&rsquo;s best more than the twice a year that the World and European Championships allow. A superb ten mile time of 49.53 at the recent Tilburg 10 in the Netherlands proves that Phil is currently in excellent run shape and strong over a long race distance. The flat course will also be to Phil&rsquo;s liking in what will be his first World Championships.

Rich Hobby is a relative unknown to GB duathletes due to his French base however he has gained sound results in this years French GP league for Tri Du Pays Grassois. An ex-professional cyclist, who I am reliably informed has found some quality run form, will be racing in GB kit for the first time.

The final senior men&rsquo;s team member is new guy to the sport Dave Mitchinson. This is Dave&rsquo;s first season in duathlon however his running ability has made for some interesting races so far this season. Originally lacking the cycling ability to make his devastating run count, Dave has recently turned to bike racing, which is an ideal way of improving, especially in a drafting environment when concentration and awareness of surrounding riders is required at all times. With personal bests of 14.04 for 5km and 29.23 for 10km I look forward to seeing how Dave will perform should he finish the bike leg in close proximity to the leaders. Suffice to say, anything is possible.

2007 U23 European Triathlon Champion Ritchie Nicholls is the sole British U23 representative at the event. For those who only know Ritchie&rsquo;s triathlon results you may also be interested to know that he is a World Duathlon Championships Junior Silver medalist from 2005. Considering Ritchie&rsquo;s strong running off the bike he is a strong contender to medal this weekend in Rimini.

Sophie Coleman will contest the Junior Women&rsquo;s Championships and is obviously returning to form after a quieter period of racing. Sophie was crowned 2008 British Junior Triathlon Champion in Strathclyde earlier this year and won the European Duathlon Championship title for Junior Women in 2007 on a tough course in Edinburgh. The form that has given her some impressive run results this year will be required on Rimini&rsquo;s flat and not particularly technical course.

Three junior men will tow the line for GB this weekend. Jonny Brownlee, Matt Sharp and Tom Bishop were first, second and fourth respectfully at this years National Duathlon Championships in Tredegar. For someone so young Jonny Brownlee&rsquo;s results already constitute an impressive CV and include National Duathlon and Triathlon titles at youth and junior level in 2006, 2007 and 2008 and finally not forgetting bronze medals at the Vancouver BG Triathlon Junior World Championships in Canada and the Triathlon Junior European Championships in Lisbon earlier this year.

With few bends and wide roads the course in Rimini this year is about as far from technical as a course could possibly be. However this doesn&rsquo;t necessarily make it any easier as it soon shows who has been spending the time doing the quality speed work essential for this type of course. Out and back courses can be a blessing if you are feeling great and want to see where your competitors are and the physical state they are in. On the flip side if you are having a hard time yourself reaching the turnaround point can feel like an eternity. Add to this the fact that the organisers have decided to locate the transition area on a roundabout which is going to make a very interesting T2 (I know where I&rsquo;d want to spectate!) the lack of technical difficulty could be more than made up for.

Good luck to all of team GB 
]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[1485 Tri Club Duathlon]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_3978.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[1485  Tri Club (www.1485-triclub.com) are hosting a duathlon on the 19th October 2008, 10.30 am start, over distances of 5km  run-21km-cycle 5km run.
The event venue is  Market Bosworth Water Park, Leics, and entry fee is a very reasonable &amp;pound;10 for BTF members. 
More information, including bike and run routes can be found on the 1485 website, while entries can be made online here. ]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Brownlee and Nicolls team up with McColgan at First Monster Challenge]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_3994.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[Liz McColgan very  nearly led her team to a surprise victory at the First Monster Challenge on Saturday. Team McColgan was expected to win the battle of the celebrities and claim Nell McAndrew&rsquo;s 2007 title. Liz&rsquo;s team comfortably saw off Nell&rsquo;s challenge, but also came with in three minutes of claiming first place outright in the 120km team relay duathlon around the shores of Loch Ness. It&#039;s not surprising that Liz&#039;s team did so well as it was made up of three very accomplished triathletes, Jonny Brownlee (Bronze medallist World triathlon Championships 2008), Ritchie Nicolls (under-23 European Champion 2007) and Neal Young (GB team age-grouper).

Despite leading for much of the race and at one stage being 12 minutes clear, Team  McCoglan were caught by &lsquo;Bikes and Fitness Inverness&rsquo; who boasted former Commonwealth Games cyclist Kenny Riddle. The local Inverness team retained their title as Champions with a very impressive five hours and 35 minutes, beating the course record of five hours and 45 minutes which they set themselves in 2007. 

Liz said: &ldquo;The guys in my team are all extraordinarily fit and competitive - in  fact, I am the weakest member of the team! I am really pleased to have put up such a good fight, but at the same time gutted not to have won. It is a fantastic course and a great event &ndash; I&rsquo;ll be back in 2009 with Team McColgan stronger and fitter and looking to claw back those precious few minutes!&rdquo; Team McColgan completed the event in five hours and 38 minutes.

Leading the First TransPennine Express team was Nell McAndrew. Despite the disappointment of relinquishing her celebrity crown, her team finished a highly respectable 17th place and she was delighted with the overall time of six hours and 56 minutes, only five minutes slower than last year.  

&ldquo;My team finished third outright in 2007, but there is a much bigger field this year. Added to which Liz and her team were untouchable!&rdquo; She added: &ldquo;The most important element of the race was raising money for Save the Children - hopefully  many thousands of pounds will have been raised. I thoroughly enjoyed the First Monster Challenge &ndash; its very well organised with a great atmosphere. I hope to be back next year &ndash; I would love to try and get a little closer to Liz&rsquo;s time!&rdquo;

Adventurer Ben Fogle was unable to do his run leg due to suffering from suspected malaria. He returned from a filming trip in South America late last week and was advised by his doctor not to race but he insisted on taking on his bike leg. Former Commonwealth athlete, Peter McColgan took on Ben&#039;s running leg. Ben&#039;s team completed the event in seven hours and 35 minutes.

Organisers FirstGroup, the UK&rsquo;s largest bus and rail company, hailed the First Monster Challenge a resounding success with the event attracting around 180 teams.

&ldquo;Monster 2007 was tremendous, but 2008 has surpassed our expectations. It has been a fantastic day,&rdquo; said Chief Executive of FirstGroup, Sir Moir Lockhead. &ldquo;My congratulations go to each and every competitor. It is a very tough challenge, but everyone has risen to the occasion and dug deep &ndash; it&rsquo;s been a mammoth effort from everyone both from a physical and money raising perspective. We have had two teams from the army complete the course carrying a 15kg bergen and even one First employee from Aberdeen do  his legs in a pair of pink bloomers! Although we have yet to calculate a grand total, thousands of pounds has been raised for Save the Children. All the competitors seemed to thoroughly enjoy the event and it is particularly satisfying to see so many First teams take part. We had teams from First Great Western, First Capital Connect, First TransPennine Express and First ScotRail. First UK Bus too was well represented with teams from throughout the UK. FirstGroup America even flew five teams in from  North  America. Although I would never  dream of participating nowadays, I did take a shift driving a bus to transport competitors to their handover points.&rdquo;

The First Monster Challenge attracted some of the UK&rsquo;s fittest celebrities. Joining Nell McAndrew, Ben Fogle and Liz McColgan was Scottish rugby legend Gavin Hastings. He said: &ldquo;I was delighted to get round in one piece! It&rsquo;s the toughest challenge I have completed  in quite some time, but I am reasonably proud of our time. It&rsquo;s a great course, the camaraderie was terrific and the organisation first class. I&rsquo;m relishing the opportunity of coming back next year to battle the Monster.&rdquo; Hasting&rsquo;s First ScotRail team finished in 101st place with a time of eight hours 11 minutes.

First also introduced a grueling element to the 2008 event. A number of elite athletes  battled the &lsquo;First Iron Monster Challenge&rsquo;. Iron competitors completed the entire 120km course (40km running and 80km cycling) solo. Winner was Andrea Priestley (42) from Stirling. She completed the entire course in eight hours four minutes. 

To access the results in full, which includes details of the celebrities&rsquo; times, log on to: www.firstmonster.com]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[How to succeed at: The London Duathlon]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_3923.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[After years of bike and run training in Richmond Park, former world number one duathlete Annie Emmerson takes a look at How to Succeed at the London Duathlon, which takes place on Sunday September 14th 2008.
Vital facts

 
 Race date
 September 14th 2008 
 
 
 Future dates
 TBC
 
 
 Website
 www.thelondonduathlon.co.uk
 
 
 Location
 Roehampton Gate, Richmond Park, Surrey
 
 
 Race distances (advertised):
 Challenge: 9k run, 20k bike, 5k runSprint: 5k run 10k bike, 5k run
 
 
 Series / Qualification / Championship Status
 None
 


Background
Set in the stunning location of Richmond Park, this is the fourth year IMG Events have staged this event, which has become a firm favourite with duathletes of all abilities. With a challenging course, great scenery, excellent organisation and the added bonus of closed roads, this is a race that shouldn&#039;t be missed. 

The First run - 9k


The first run will give you an opportunity to take in the beautiful surroundings of the park. From the starting point just next to Roehampton Gate you head up to Richmond Gate, be warned; don&#039;t go off too hard as this is a long slow drag which will catch you out if you&#039;ve started too fast. At Richmond Gate you have one more short climb and then you can enjoy a nice long downhill section to Ham Gate. Here you divert from the main road  and head through the centre of the park (this is a flat section, but beware; if the wind is up you&#039;ll feel it here), to Robin Hood Gate and then it&#039;s the last push for home back to T1 to pick up your bike. NB: this is a tough, undulating run course, which takes place mainly on road and I would think twice before putting on your super-fast racing flats, especially if you&#039;re not used to running up and down hills.

The bike - 20k
The bike course takes you in the opposite direction to the run so you&#039;ll head back towards Robin Hood Gate. When you get to the first roundabout you head straight over and up a very nasty little hill (beware of roaming deer), make sure you have the correct gear ratio and be prepared to be in your easiest gear when you near the top of the hill; it&#039;s not long, but it does bite! From here you roll towards Kingston Gate, where just before there&#039;s a very fast little downhill section (my advice is to ride or drive the course in the week beforehand so you don&#039;t get any surprises). After Kingston Gate you start an undulating section which takes you towards Ham Gate (where you turned off on the first run), and it&#039;s here that there&#039;s another climb, but this one is more progressive and the stronger cyclists will probably stay in the big chain ring. At Richmond Gate there&#039;s one more small uphill and then it&#039;s downhill all the way home! Well just about, there&#039;s one more 10k lap on the bike to go. Even if you&#039;re not blessed with sunny warm weather on the day keep fuelling as this is a tough little course and you&#039;ll need some energy for the last 5k run. Note: make sure you&#039;ve tried and tested any sports drinks or gels that you&#039;re going to use in the event before race day.


The second run - 5k

Once you&#039;ve got this far you know you&#039;re on the home straight. Apart from tired legs you&#039;ll enjoy the last 5k run, which follows the same route as the first run, but only as far as where the climb starts on the kick up to Richmond Gate. Here, instead, you turn left to White Lodge (The Royal Ballet School), and it&#039;s a gradual uphill for about half a mile before you head downhill back to Robin Hood Gate and back to the finish line. You&#039;ll be tired but now, but don&#039;t think about the pain, think about how good you&#039;ll feel when it&#039;s all finished!

This is a challenging course, no doubt about it, and if you don&#039;t respect the bike and (especially), the run you will pay. But make sure you take in some of the sights and enjoy the scenery. 

Transitions
Nothing specific to note. 
 
Other information
Even though the bike is a little technical, with roundabouts and one or two downhill sections to take in, there are some straight downhill and flat sections, which mean it&#039;s worth getting as aero as you can on the bike.

Although the Park roads are closed (the only time of the year which there are), the roads are narrow in parts and you do have to share them with other competitors, both running and biking, so keep focused at all times. And one last thing; the famous deer of Richmond Park normally keep themselves tucked away when it gets busy, but keep your eyes out in case there&#039;s one or two that want to join in the fun.

For more information check out our Route of the Month: Richmond Park or go to: www.thelondonduathlon.co.uk]]></description></item></channel></rss>