Why don't you do duathlons?

Triathlon Forum
1

Slowman has asked us this question a few times, so I thought I would give my perspective as a BOP swimmer. There aren’t many around me, and those that are don’t have many participants. I have seen a couple of tris in the area have du options, but sometimes fewer than half a dozen people will line up for it. I saw one last year where the total du participants consisted of two men and one woman. I did a duathlon that had about 20 participants and enjoyed it, but I didn’t feel like we were part of the main event. It was like we were at the kid’s table. It felt like the real athletes were doing the triathlon. So around here anyway, no one does duathlons because no one does duathlons.

I will let the rest of you speak for yourselves.

2

I do duathlon and crossduathlon during the winter and pre-season to get some racemiles in my legs.

I think the reason why not a lot of people do it is simply because it hurts way more than doing a tri. I remember my first duathlon feeling like i got thrown to hell and back a few times.
On the other hand i find them quite fun because it gets you out of the winter non-racing blues and it’s a great way to test your bike strength.

3

I no longer run so aquabike would be a natural transition. I don’t for mainly two reasons:

  1. I’m a a bad /non-competitive swimmer but a strong cyclist. I can compete better in cycling and while I often compete against myself, it does still feel good to place somewhat strongly overall.
  2. The few aquabike events I have seen locally had few participants. Not the main reason, but definitely a slight deterrence.

I haven’t completely given up the thought of doing them, just haven’t felt the need to yet.

4

I’m still pretty new to tri, but find the bike/run so much more enjoyable than the swim that I’m leaning toward going to dus. I’ve only seen one du in my area (DFW), but I have to think there’s more. A lack of race options, though, would probably keep me from really taking the plunge.

5

I’ve done a few duathlons because they’re cheap, logistically easy and run throughout the year (i.e. in winter). These were small, standalone duathlons though, not part of a bigger triathlon event, so participation was usually decent enough to make it feel like a race.

Whilst they’re really good fun, it does feel as though you’re missing out on something without the swim; I’m a rubbish swimmer but still enjoy the swim portion of a tri, so wouldn’t choose to do one ahead of a triathlon. I often use them as a good, hard training session to measure my current fitness, or a quick and easy tune-up in the weeks before a tri.

I don’t mean to do a disservice to all the talented and successful duathletes out there!

6

The last du I did had 76 racers. The Tri at the same time had 338. 10 people did the aquarun at the same time.

I only do dus. IMHO they aren’t done because of a lack of marketing. Tris are seen as asparational events. Dus aren’t seen at all.

7

The last du I did had 76 racers. The Tri at the same time had 338. 10 people did the aquarun at the same time.

I only do dus. IMHO they aren’t done because of a lack of marketing. ** Tris are seen as asparational events. Dus aren’t seen at all**.

I absolutely agree. You hear people talk about wanting to do a triathlon by the time they are 40 or something similar, but you never hear people talk about duathlons. They just aren’t on the cultural radar.

8

“Tris are seen as aspirational events. Dus aren’t seen at all.”

I would say around Boston, Tris and running races are seen as aspirational and accessible. They market to beginners who are just looking to finish, and then try to get them hooked on improving their times. Cycling races and duathlons are much more competitive - you enter those races looking to go fast. I would venture to say very few people enter a duathlon with a rusty mtn bike, and no one enters a crit with one. You see them all the time in any local sprint triathlon.

9

I always figured they were for people who either couldn’t…or hated swimming. The question I’d ask myself is…why not just do a tri?

That’s just an honest answer.

10

In the entire Tampa Bay region there is only one standalone duathlon each year. It is the largest duathlon in the State of Florida and isn’t even a USAT sanctioned event (cue Lifetime Fitness thread here). All other duathlons in the area are part of triathlons that have added it just to bring in a little more revenue. In these cases, choosing to ‘race’ the duathlon is the equivalent of entering a fun run instead of the headline event at a big road race. Although I have raced USAT Duathlon Nationals (short and long course) and Powerman Zofingen (ITU Long Course Worlds), I do not race these local duathlons because they are a sparsely attended afterthought. To call them the undercard would be to overestimate their draw within the multi-sport community.

11

“Tris are seen as aspirational events. Dus aren’t seen at all.”

I would say around Boston, Tris and running races are seen as aspirational and accessible. They market to beginners who are just looking to finish, and then try to get them hooked on improving their times. Cycling races and duathlons are much more competitive - you enter those races looking to go fast. I would venture to say very few people enter a duathlon with a rusty mtn bike, and no one enters a crit with one. You see them all the time in any local sprint triathlon.

I’m a Bostonian and part of the problem may be there aren’t enough Dus. FIRM eliminated two this year - including an awesomely fun race that was done on an auto race track. Once the water warms up, any Dus are add-on events (think Season Opener, Whaling City).

I agree that duathletes are much more competitive and hard-core but I don’t think that’s a reason why people don’t participate. I suspect most just don’t know the sport exist (and fewer know about aquabike/aquarun). I think triathlons may benefit from the “Ironman Hawaii” effect. Most people think of Kona when they think of triathlon. Duathlon doesn’t have a similar event.

12

I agree that duathletes are much more competitive and hard-core but I don’t think that’s a reason why people don’t participate. I suspect most just don’t know the sport exist (and fewer know about aquabike/aquarun). I think triathlons may benefit from the “Ironman Hawaii” effect. Most people think of Kona when they think of triathlon. Duathlon doesn’t have a similar event.

Please! http://www.powerman.ch/en/29-years-powerman-zofingen

13

I agree that duathletes are much more competitive and hard-core but I don’t think that’s a reason why people don’t participate. I suspect most just don’t know the sport exist (and fewer know about aquabike/aquarun). I think triathlons may benefit from the “Ironman Hawaii” effect. Most people think of Kona when they think of triathlon. Duathlon doesn’t have a similar event.

Please! http://www.powerman.ch/...rs-powerman-zofingen

I was going to mention that but, to my point, how many non-duathletes (or even duathletes) know about Zofingen? How many non-triathletes know about Kona?

Edit: I just checked with a friend who prefers duathlons to triathlons and she has never heard of Zofingen.

14

Like LundyLund, I’m also in the DFW area and so don’t see much in the way of duathlons (maybe a few in the Austin area.) As someone that is horrible at swimming I used to seek duathlons when I lived in the ATL area. Now I’m making a real effort to improve my swimming so it’s not as big of a deal but I’ll certainly jump on any I find.

If I had to speak for others, I think that maybe it’s because the recognition and attendance is not there. When you talk to people about duathlons you get a blank stare. Hey, remember that ‘Obscure Sports Quarterly’ magazine from the Dodgeball movie? :slight_smile:

15

There are very few around me and the one I know of used to be a “state championship” race that usually just doesn’t work with my race schedule. I just looked it up and it was a couple of weekends ago and the field looks pretty slow… I would have won it or come in 2nd for sure. I raced it years ago and the field was much more competitive then… had a handful of 15 minute 5K’ers that could hold their own on the bike, no one in that caliber this year.

For me its the lack of them for the most part… I enjoy doing them.

16

Very few dus are offered in my area. If more dus were offered, I do more of them.

17

I do them as much as I can but other events often conflict in the summer.
There are plenty near me from January to April and just a handful I’m aware of in the summer.
Most are sprint distance, typically 3km/20km/3km or thereabouts.

Here, (in Ireland) most duathlons are smallish events organised by triathlon clubs to help fund their club for the year. They typically attract 100-200 participants and usually a reasonable proportion are beginners. I think a lot of people getting into triathlon or adventure racing use these as a stepping stone. I suspect the most competitive duathletes are also triathletes. My own path to triathlon started with running, I switched to cycling, then I combined the two and did a lot of sportives, 5km or 10km runs, duathlons and adventure races for a few years and then I decided to try triathlon so I added swimming to the mix. I wasn’t aspiring to triathlon from the start nor is it a destination. All the other formats are equally valid. I don’t think mine is an unusual history.

18

Thats fair, but I think part of this question is around the people who truly hate swimming (I, on the other hand, am a really happy open water swimmer, after swimming college).

I’ve been a part of several swims cancelled lately.

At IM maryland, we witnessed cheering, hooting and hollaring like you wouldnt believe over the swim being cancelled. It really felt like there were more people excited than upset.

I was at alcatraz, and the guy next to me on the boat cheered and did high fives when they cancelled the swim. I looked at him and was like, “why would you even sign up for this race if you don’t want to do the swim”

And at a local tri that turned into a du because of run-off, I was at the front of my wave and the guy next to me looked behind us, then looked at me and said “Aren’t you glad we dont have to catch any of those swimmers”

Its those people, I think… the ones that sign up for a tri, but are “praying” it can somehow turn into a du… that I wonder about… and wonder, why not just sign up fro a du?

19

I agree that duathletes are much more competitive and hard-core but I don’t think that’s a reason why people don’t participate. I suspect most just don’t know the sport exist (and fewer know about aquabike/aquarun). I think triathlons may benefit from the “Ironman Hawaii” effect. Most people think of Kona when they think of triathlon. Duathlon doesn’t have a similar event.

Please! http://www.powerman.ch/...rs-powerman-zofingen

I was going to mention that but, to my point, how many non-duathletes (or even duathletes) know about Zofingen? How many non-triathletes know about Kona?

Edit: I just checked with a friend who prefers duathlons to triathlons and she has never heard of Zofingen.

Sad isn’t it? Certainly, Powerman is inept at marketing and cannot compete with the annual Kona broadcast. But I don’t see how you can call yourself a duathlete and be unaware of Powerman Zofingen and its tribute spinoff AmZof. Back in the day, just about every Kona great did Powerman…including Mark Allen and Paula Newby-Fraser. Finishing Powerman Zofingen was equal to or greater than any of the 12 IMs I’ve done. Show her this video from 2014 (2015 promo banner) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjYXEeQ5vdg. Women get 1 hour longer than men to finish.

20

Thats fair, but I think part of this question is around the people who truly hate swimming (I, on the other hand, am a really happy open water swimmer, after swimming college).

I’ve been a part of several swims cancelled lately.

At IM maryland, we witnessed cheering, hooting and hollaring like you wouldnt believe over the swim being cancelled. It really felt like there were more people excited than upset.

I was at alcatraz, and the guy next to me on the boat cheered and did high fives when they cancelled the swim. I looked at him and was like, “why would you even sign up for this race if you don’t want to do the swim”

And at a local tri that turned into a du because of run-off, I was at the front of my wave and the guy next to me looked behind us, then looked at me and said “Aren’t you glad we dont have to catch any of those swimmers”

Its those people, I think… the ones that sign up for a tri, but are “praying” it can somehow turn into a du… that I wonder about… and wonder, why not just sign up fro a du?

I don’t get it either. I, too, was puzzled at IMMD when everyone was cheering at the lack of the swim. I was counting on it to help me get a bit out front of the field. Not that I am the strongest of swimmers by any means, my IM PR is 1:02, but I am strong enough that I can gap some of the field and hold on.

On that note, I really love the simplicity of duathlon. I have done a few and tend to place really well. I wouldn’t opt for a duathlon that happened at the same time as a tri, as I like swimming, but if I can fit a stand-alone du into my schedule I would absolutely sign up. They are a lot of fun.