International Duathlon Union

Du the Future

2009-12-07T20:01:00.000-08:00

There's a good read by Jez Cox on the "Future of Duathlon" over at Duathlon247.com.

Duathlon Nationals - it's all about the bike

2009-10-23T13:22:00.000-07:00

This news came in my inbox yesterday:

There will be a change in the first run distance for the On-Road Age Group National Championship this year. As a result of a decision by the USAT Duathlon Committee, the first run will be a 5k instead of a 10k. The race distances will be a 5k run, a 38k bike and a 5k run.

Whoa! That's shaving a huge chunk of running out of the short course distance. I wonder what their motivation was.

How's this going to affect your preparation for duathlon nationals next year?

Duathlon Worlds Report

2009-10-03T10:16:00.000-07:00

And if you haven't seen this finish yet, it's incredible:

Duathlon World's Update - 1 week

2009-09-20T21:26:00.001-07:00

2 Hours of Zofigen Action

2009-09-20T21:16:00.001-07:00

Duathlon World's Update

2009-09-07T09:39:00.000-07:00

Duathlon Worlds is sneaking up on me

2009-08-22T16:38:00.000-07:00

To Sleep or Train

2009-07-26T08:51:00.000-07:00

I had my alarm set for 6am this morning to head out for a 15 mile hilly run before work. I even woke up and turned the alarm off.

It's a tough call for an athlete. We love to train. But without the shuteye, all the training is useless. Plus, we have to consider our "regular" life when planning how much training we can handle. I find my life's current configuration to be more stressful than not. Managing one small business and one nonprofit, keeping up with family and volunteering, and living in the one of the most expensive areas in the US puts a price on my time and keeps the profit and loss statements lean. Money has always been one of my trigger points, and I've come to realize this kind of mental stress diminishes my ability to train well.

So this morning I took the option to sleep. I fell back asleep after I turned the alarm off. Instead, I got a couple of hours of extra sleep. If I don't wake up bright-eyed and bushy tailed and eager to train, then I probably need the sleep. That's my conclusion, anyway. Besides, how could I get out of bed with my wife and the kittens still in bed like that?

How do you manage your time and capacity for training? Post your thoughts in the comments.

Duathlon Worlds Training Update

2009-07-24T16:05:00.001-07:00

Duathlon ALL THE TIME

2009-07-23T14:43:00.001-07:00

There's a new duathlon website out there: www.duathlon247.com. It appears to be based in the UK, but the information, interviews, and results are great. Finally a place to keep track of the elite duathlon scene in Europe.

Time to Get Ready for Worlds

2009-07-15T19:57:00.001-07:00

Who's Going to Edinburgh?

2009-07-06T14:05:00.000-07:00

The ITU has released the dates for the 2010 Short Course Duathlon World Championship in Edinburgh, Scotland: September 3-5. The city held host to the European Championships in 2007, so this is nothing new to them. Read the full press release at duathlon.com.

Are you planning going to Scotland next year.

Back Racing

2009-07-05T10:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I rode over to the Kenwood 10k. I have not raced since Duathlon Nationals at the end of April. Given that I took all of May off from running due to injury, I was pleased with the race. On a hilly course, I ran a 38:40.

Here's my video report:

Great Duathlon Quote

2009-06-07T14:36:00.000-07:00

Raf shared this quote over at his blog:

The late Primo Nebiolo, former President of the International Athletic Federation (IAAF) and prominent IOC Executive Board member 10 years ago wrote, “Duathletes are the first cousins to our athletes - there is no confrontation, but rather continuity. Jumping onto the saddle after running ten kilometers and then running again after 40km on two wheels is a demonstration of the integrity and strength of muscles and will power of these champions. Running and cycling are both beautiful and venerable sports.”

Fast times over in Auburn last weekend - oh, how I wish I'd been there.

Doggie Duathlon

2009-05-06T15:29:00.000-07:00

Being a dog-lover and a duathlete, I'm all about the Doggie Du. Unfortunately for me, it involves swimming. How about bikejoring or canicross or urban mushing?

Any other duathletes out there who love exercising with their canine friend?

Duathlon is Back

2009-04-30T21:49:00.000-07:00

I've only been around the duathlon scene for a relatively short time. I gather from reading about the sport that duathlon's popularity among multi-sport enthusiasts has sagged since the late nineties. People have proposed reasons from triathlon's seductive marketing machine to lack of sponsorship and high-profile athletes. Whatever the cause of the duathlon recession, the event management company Sports Backers and USA Triathlon managed an economic turnaround for the sport at this year's Duathlon Nationals in Richmond, VA.

After travel all day Friday, I moved slowly Saturday - building the bike, munching on food, napping, and checking in. I managed to take in some sights in Richmond: the James River, the war memorial, the characteristic Southern charm. Despite a sidewall blowout on my ride back to my host's house, I felt as prepared as I could be.

I spare you the play by play of my race and just say that the atmosphere was great. A snafu with a train a couple miles into the first 10k made for an interesting few moments, as everyone in the 30-34 age group was held up behind a freight train. The event director was quick to offer his apologies for the mishap after the race. For me, racing is racing. Things happen. Things fall apart. Lucky for me, one of those things wasn't me. I managed to hold myself together in the baking sun.

The first 10k was rough on me; I did not feel on top of my game. The twisty and turning course kept me interested and on task. On the bike, I stayed on a fast cruise control, pushing myself on the undulating 3 laps. The bike course was one of the most interesting I'd ever done, looping back on itself several times each lap with only one turnaround.

The last 5k of the race I could tell I had not done my brick work. I managed to nearly catch the 4th place finisher in my age group, but not because I was super speedy. On the day, I finished 5th in my AG and 27th overall. In the best of my dreams, I'd hoped for more, but with life's realities as they've been lately, I'm pleased. Satisfied with less than the top spot? That in and of itself is a major accomplishment for me.

I have to say thanks again to USA Triathlon, Sports Backers, and all the volunteers who made this a great race. It was wonderful to see hundreds of athletes testing their mettle in Richmond. Good luck to everyone who qualified for Worlds! I'll see you in Concord.

Arrival in Richmond

2009-04-24T20:18:00.001-07:00

Arrival in Richmond, originally uploaded by bradleysaul.

One of the great joys of travelling to events is seeing the town and
meeting people. Here in Richmond I'm staying with a couple of friends
of mine, Ken and Tracy. The were gracious to pick me up at the airport
after a long day of travel. They even have a blossoming dogwood tree
in the frontyard - something I was looking forward to.

Now I'm planning out tomorrow. I have two tasks: build my bike and
check in. The bike build comes first as that will be my transport to
the transition area. I mapped it out on my iPhone at 10.7 miles.
There and back will be a good ride for tomorrow.

I plan on checking out the running courses while I'm out. I hope
there's a place to stash my bike as I didn't bring a lock with me.
I'll take it easy tomorrow and try to stay cool -- perhaps doing a
couple of harder efforts to open up for Sunday.

I hope everyone else's travels have gone well. Any interesting travel
stories to share?

Packing the Essentials

2009-04-23T22:56:00.000-07:00

It's 11pm, and I'm packing for Sunday's race. I head the door tomorrow at 6:30 a.m. to catch the airporter; 15 hours later I should be in Richmond. I'm packing light this trip.

I've distilled my mental checklist down to two essentials: tri shorts and cycling shoes. Everything else, I figure, you could buy, beg, borrow, steal, or go without if you had to. The tri shorts are a must because most people aren't going to let you steal and heaven forbid if you went without! If you forget your bike and pedals, your cycling shoes are probably useless, but you might be able to use the velcro to fashion something else you might have forgotten.

Let's look other things you'll want to forget:

Everyone's into barefoot running these days, so why need running shoes?
You could borrow a helmet and even a bike from a spectating kid, though it wouldn't be as aerodynamic.
Life is risky anyway, so do you really need an extra tube & co2 cartridge?
In a pinch, a T-shirt, dorky though it may be, could replace your tri top.
The race is only 55k in total so even if you did bonk, you could probably finish. Who needs food?
If you can find a Kinko's you could make like an 18-year-old and print a fake USAT license.

What items are you forgetting on your way to Duathlon Nationals this year?

The Richest Weekend in Duathlon

2009-04-23T14:52:00.001-07:00

This past weekend, Duatlon Gernika and Powerman Alabama hosted some of the world's best duathletes competing for top prize money. The pros in the Deep South races for $5000, while their fellow athletes in Spain's Basque country had a purse of 17,000 euros.

In Alabama, Jessica Jacobs and David Thompson walked away from their respective fields over the 8k/53k/8k course in downtown Birmingham, winning the Elite Duathlon National Championship. USA Triathlon has a report from the event on their website. Pictures and other reports would be great if anyone wants to share them in the comments.

Raf Baugh wrote a report for duathlon.com on the Duatlon Gernika. There are some fast man and women out there! This is an event I definitely want to make it to one day.

Here's the women's race:

And the men's. Watch how fast they start!

Weather Check

2009-04-22T22:11:00.000-07:00

The forecast for Sunday in Richmond: 90 degrees and sunny. I hope the roads aren't melting by my start time of 10:50 a.m. I probably will be by the time I finish.

Though we've had a couple of unseasonably hot days in the past week, acclimatization to heat is challenging in a coastal biome. Unlike when I lived in Tucson, AZ, there are only a few scorching hot days each year.

I have some experience racing duathlon in the heat. The heat and sun at last year's Long Course Duathlon Nationals in Auburn, CA was truly oppressive. People were wilting like parched tulips on the final run. Having only started running training 8 weeks before the event, I felt lucky to still be moving forward on the last climb. I managed to finish in a few minutes over 5 hours, plodding as quickly as I could to the nearest shade.

Even in a short course duathlon, heat exposure can still be a problem. My preparation plans haven't changed, other than focusing on staying cool and out of the sun before the race. During the race, though, I will concentrate on keeping my core body temperature cool. Dowsing myself in water at the water stops is a favorite method of mine. How are you planning to keep cool this weekend? Let us know in the comments.

Dear Legs, Are You Ready?

2009-04-21T22:09:00.000-07:00

I hope you are. I know I haven't treated you as well as you deserved the past few days. Standing on concrete for 8 hours a day is not the greatest preparation for Du nats, I know, and I could have treated you to more massages and TLC. What can I say? Life isn't fair. I hope you'll stick with me through Sunday.

People are saying that this weekend's Duathlon Nationals is the biggest duathlon ever on American soil. Count me in. I'm flying over 3000 miles from my little hamlet of Sebastopol, CA to Richmond, VA in the heart of tobacco land. Are the dogwoods and azaleas in bloom? I originally hail from South Carolina, and I miss Spring south of the Mason-Dixon line.

Pretty blossoms aside, I'm interested to see what this "duathlon resurgence" is all about. Is this a flash in the pan with ITU Worlds being hosted in North Carolina this year? Or are people truly interested in duathlon?

I am. I'm stoked on it. I admit to a personal motivation to see that duathlon booms. Secretly, I want to get back to being an elite athlete, and it would be fun if the depth of the duathlon competition stepped up and the quantity of events increased. I raced bikes for years and picked up running a couple of years ago. While I love heading into the coastal hills for long rides, I've come to love a long run through the apple orchards around Sebastopol just as much. Now I get to combine the two!

Between owning a bike shop and directing a nonprofit organization, I don't have the time to train that I once had, but I still manage to squeeze out some semblance of form somehow. Come Sunday, I'm going to ask my legs (and lungs too) to use every bit of that form to do it. As they say, "du or du not, there is no tri."

Big Day in Duathlon

2009-04-18T09:59:00.001-07:00

Both the Duatlon internacional de Gernika in Spain and Powerman Alabama (USAT Elite Duathlon championships) take place today. I'm looking forward to the reports and results.

It's going to be a fast one

2009-04-11T19:26:00.000-07:00

I've been reviewing the courses of duathlon nationals. As best I can tell, this is going to be a fast race! The elevation profiles are gentle. Though there a few turns on the bike course, the straightaways look fast and smooth.

I'm feeling fast myself - not WOW fast, but fast. I'm looking forward to a trip east in a few days.

Off Road Duathlon

2009-04-07T11:46:00.000-07:00

These peeps in Spain know how to organize a race. This looks like fun!

Professional Duathlon Team

2009-03-19T18:19:00.000-07:00

Check out this video of (the world's only?) professional duathlon team.

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