Hot in the City: MK City Duathlon

The debut edition of the MK City Duathlon

On what was the hottest Easter weekend for 70 years, the MK City Trail Duathlon organised by Big Cow Events took place on Easter Sunday. The event hub was at Willen Lake, which meant big crowds as people came to enjoy the sun.

The event was brand new: a duathlon with a difference, supported by the Parks Trust. The real draw of the event was using the now permanent Cyclocross track at Campbell Park, which had previously drawn huge crowds when Milton Keynes hosted the Cyclocross World Cup in 2014.

Three distances to choose from, suiting both beginners and seasoned duathletes. The Taster Trail was a 2.5km run / 3.5km bike / 2.5km run, the Tough Town included 5km run / 11km bike / 5km Run and finally the City Epic which included a 10km run / 16.5km bike / 5km run. There were also 5k and 10k run-only routes around the lake in the glorious conditions.

The run leg was around Willen Lake and certainly not an indication of what was to come. Following the transition back at event hub, it was time to head through Newlands and towards the ‘light pyramid’ at Campbell Park. This was no simple route, twists and turns all the way, up and down (who said Milton Keynes was flat!). The ascent towards the pyramid was tough and gave the riders three options: to ride, to push or the cyclocross tactic of carrying or shouldering the bike.

The descents were quick and offered the riders brief respite. Another section at Campbell Park included downhill sections before tight hairpin curves before heading back up the same hill. The City Epic riders had to endure this tough section three times.

The event was made tougher by the unusual conditions, reaching a high of 23 degrees, even hotter in the sun.

Following the final transition, the competitors headed back to Willen for the final run leg around the lake before crossing the line ready for some much-needed water and replenishments.

For the City Epic, Ben Chapman came in first male, while Kate Robinson of Berkshire Tri Squad was the first female over the line. Harry Hammond of Team MK took the top male spot in the Tough Town, while Rachel Edwards (Greenlight PT) was first female. In the Taster Trail, Lilly O’Dell came in first overall and first female, with Will Grover taking second and first male.

The feedback following the event has been fantastic, with plans already in place and early bird offers coming for the 2020 event! In the meantime though, why not try out other Big Cow Sports Ltd events?

The Cowman Triathlon in August is our flagship event, with many tri clubs coming down and making this their summer social! Come and join us for our Cattle Creep 10k run in June and our 5km run through the closed road town of Newport Pagnell as training for the Cowman Triathlon. Or, if you’re as crazy about duathlon as we are, come and join us for the Cowman Duathlon – if you’ve taken part in the sister triathlon you’ll know this is not for the faint hearted!

For more information on all our events go to: big-cow.com/events