I’m just curious as to how many duathletes post here. Sometimes I feel like I’m the only du guy out there.
I started out racing BMX many moons ago and ran to stay in shape for that then I saw Ironman on TV in 84 and thought “I want to do that!” I “tri ed” for a few years then I did a duathlon and thought “this is my sport”. It was more out of shere logistics, the nearest pool is a considerable distance and it was pretty pricey to join. I could run and ride right out of my front door and in the late 80’s and early 90’s I could race a du every weekend from April to November. They have become a bit more sparse but seem to be making a small come back locally. I started doing tri’s again in 96 and did pretty well considering my lack of swim training but swimming still feels very foriegn to me so I have yet again decided to stick to du’s.
Anyway, thats my story. Just curious to hear from some other landlubbers.
I wouldn’t consider myself a “full-time duathlete” but I have been doing more “swimless triathlons” the last couple years. Mostly because I suck so bad in the water, plus more of the races in NJ are du, and the tri’s are in MD and DE. Naturally then I have to work hard on swim drills (boring), while running and biking are more like anytime fun training.
Keep your faith, as Ken Souza once said, “Swimming is for the birds.” Of course, he wore a lot of neon and colored his hair.
It’s funny, I call myself a triathlete (have done 2IMs) but I actually do more duathlons. Most years, my A races are either a full IM and/or several 1/2’s but I use duathlons for speedowork and as an alternative to another long training weekend. Up here in western NY we have a lot of F1 style du’s that are run/bike/run/bike/run and that makes for good practice for transitions, nutrition and running off the bike. I wouldn’t call myself a duathlete but I love em and can usually place in my age group in the local races.
'04 will be my first season as a duathlete. School is kicking my butt and I just mentally can’t get jazzed about swimming after all these years. I luuuuv running and cycling and don’t consider the training time in those two diciplines as “workouts.” I enjoyed doing tri’s but somewhere along the way I had to come to terms with the fact that I can’t “do it all.” One day, I might get back in the water seriously, but who knows, I gotta finish school first.
Glad to see this post. I am a Duathlete and have been for 8+ years. Used to be a good swimmer but a chronic inner ear infection prohibits swim time. In Texas you can Du pretty much year round with the various series available. Biggest problem is they are pretty short (2M10M-2M). Planning on going to Ohio to du the 1/2 Iron Du scheduled in August.
Good to hear from you guys. I’d love to do the long course nationals in OH. as well but they fall the week before short course nationals in GA. I’m going to GA because I really liked the area last year and the feel of the race. You can ride or walk to the transition area from the hotel and it just has a cool atmosphere.I’m sure the OH race will be cool too but finances forces me to choose so GA here I come. I envy your living in TX and being able to race all year. Here in IN its a little to nasty to do that!
As a weak swimmer and stronger runner, I would do some duathlons if they had more around here (north Florida), particularly some longer ones. I keep working at my swimming, but it is much more satisfying to compete in what you can do well. (Ironically, because of a hamstring injury I have been largely confined to swimming of late.)
When I lived in the Atlanta area around 1990, I did some dus and could occasionally place in my AG. At age 55, I think I could place even better now (after I recover from my injury!), unless I was up against national-level competition.
I’m a duathlete and I’m proud of it. I used to be a rather decent triathlete (oly PB of 1:54:13) but now prefer duathlons for several reasons. Easier to train for. You can run twice in a day, ride once and have more free time. Duathlons are more physically challenging, tri’s are like joining the boy scouts, du’s are like joining the Marines. Similiar to running a 10k road race but you don’t have to sprint to the finish line, go bike then run again tossing in that final sprint. I was physically trashed- sore calfs, glutes and quads for a week after du nationals and du worlds in 2002. Never been tired more than 2 days from a tri.
It’s good to see more duathlons sprouting up across the country especially longer ones. I just wish they wouldn’t schedule the long one’s the same weekend as a Dannon race. We should have a slowtwitch duathlon meeting at the Dannon’s this year to meet each other. If I’m in my new house for the Dannon Lake Pleasant race maybe I’ll throw a informal dinner party the night before.
Out of the question for us non runners but my favorite event of the year is this one big duathlon I do every year with another guy as a team.(of course I ride the bike, he does the run). We get the gold for the team event, more because of his running than my biking. I never get gold in a tri so duathlon would be even further away if going solo, but on a team and riding the bike, I think duathlons are absolutely the greatest.
I’ve done a couple of sprint tri’s but mostly du’s. My running sucks and my swim is almost non-existent so I think I’ll work on one problem at a time so it’s just du’s this year. Looking at Great Buckeye Challenge Du since Powerman TN is not being held this year.
<< Duathlons are more physically challenging, tri’s are like joining the boy scouts, du’s are like joining the Marines.
I love the comparison, and I would whole heartidly agree. I have been doing duathlons since 1989, back in the days of the old Coors Light Duathlon series, and then helped kick off the Dannon Duathlon series (winning it the first year when it was just one race). A lot of years my schedule has been triathlon heavy just because there are a lot more tri’s, but this year, so far of the 9 multisport events I have scheduled, 7 are duathlons:
I’m seriously considering my first du this year. May du more if I like it.
My biggest consideration for du-ing is not having to train for the swim. I like to swim and I’m halfway decent, but I can’t just swim whenever I feel like as with running and biking. My training times for swimming are often inconvenient and I usually have to swim alone or try to share a lane with a much slower swimmer. The other big problem I have is the chlorine gives me sinus problems and I and up having to use a spray after every long training session. I’ve tried a nose plug but it really bothers me.
So despite the fact that running is my weakest discipline I may become a du-er.
I won the first duathlon I ever tried, back in 1987. I won my age group, and the masters group, in the only duathlon I did last year, while putting in the second fastest bike time of the whole field.
Those two reasons are why duathlons don’t interest me that much. Swimming kicks me way on back in the field, so triathlons are more interesting for me…most people would guess I’m looking for the challenge. However, triathlons DECREASE the pressure I put on myself, because I don’t expect to win…I have yet to finish first in my AG in a triathlon, and may never do so. So triathlons are more enjoyable due to the decreased pressure I feel.
This is also one of the reasons I quit road racing. I won a lot. I don’t think I ever lost a sprint. Sure, I could have moved up higher in the ranking system and gotten the snot beat out of me, but, I didn’t have the time/desire to pursue cat 1/2 or even 3 level racing. I got to train with some of those guys, and that was enough for me. So, I moved on to triathlons.
It’s the combination of reaching for a goal, being forced to do something that is good for me even if I don’t like it much (swim), and not expecting to win…while having a chance to do so, that keeps me interested in triathlons.
I might see you in Corralitos. I was signed up last year, but got sick and did not show up. The weather was nasty. Hopefully this year will be better. If you wear the same tie as on the picture with Slowman then I will recognize you for sure!
The bike course is fairly hilly and goes through narrow “valleys” that don’t see much sun in the winter. Bring your warm clothes, you may need them depending on the weather on race day.
More specifically, you start going up the steepest hill soon after the start on Browns Valley road until the reach the top somewhere on Hazel Dell Road and go down until you reach Mt. Madonna Rd. After that it is a bit of rollers, but nothing major if my memory serves me well. (this year’s course is a bit different from 2003)
For the run, I don’t know about Merk road on the 10 K, but the rest is more or less flat.
I am not sure of my exact travel plans yet. Depends on how much work I get done that week, more done early in the week means I can leave earlier. I am going to stay with some friends that live in Seaside near Pebble Beach. Hopefully I’ll get up there two days before the race so I can go out and get a good preview of the course. Really don’t want to waste myself on this course because I have Powerman Alabama the next week.