One of triathlon’s most decorated short course athletes, Mario Mola, turned his attention to the roads last weekend, where he raced the Lisbon Half Marathon in Portugal.
The three-time triathlon World Champion, who also won the World Duathlon Championships last year, is known for his incredible running ability and had already demonstrated his prowess on the country this year back home in Spain.
Lining up against an impressive field of professional runners in the Portuguese capital, the 34-year-old ran a new personal best to finish just outside the Top 25.
Back to his roots
Having last raced a WTCS event in July, where he finished 49th in Sunderland, Mola seems to have switched his attention to cross country and the roads over the last six months, with some strong performances to his name.
Finishing eighth at the iconic Cross International de San Sebastián in October, Mola was then tenth at the Elgoibar International Cross Country in January before finishing 13th at the Spanish National Championship.
In Lisbon, Mola finished in 27th with a time of 1:05:42. The race winner, Dinkalem Ayele of Ethiopia, came home in a mind boggling 1:00:36 to take the tape by a mere four seconds.
Obviously still in tremendous shape, it will be fascinating to see what Mola decides to race next. With the World Multisport Championship in Townsville, Australia this year, could we see the Spaniard head Down Under to defend his duathlon title?
