My brother hates to swim but does very well with duathlons and would like to do an Ironman distance race. So how come IMNA has not started a duathlon distance at IM events? Some people that either don’t like to swim, can’t swim or would just rather not would probably love the idea of adding the duathlon to IM events so they can have the same experience as the folks doing the triathlon. I’m not sure what the distances would be. Would you start with a 12.2km/180/30, or 7-10km/180/42.2? Would doing the full marthon at the end be too much? I think it is something that IMNA should look at very seriously. It may even lower the number of people in the water for the mass start, keeping it a little safer.
Any thoughts from other ST’ers?
They had an impromptu Ironman Du this past year. Western Australia, if I remember correctly. It was not well recieved.
(weather cancelled the swim)
The closest thing to that right now is American Zofingen.
5m/84m/15m, all VERY hilly. It’s kinda like a 3/4 IM distance, only it’s a Du.
Based on the legendary Powerman Zofingen, which is like the “Kona” of duathlon.
I’m not a swimfan either (bad pun), but muddled thru an IM in spite of it. Tell your brother to sack up and get wet 
The main reason they will never do what you propose is, there’s almost no demand for it (duathlons have a tiny fraction of the participation vs. tris already at the shorter distances - mostly cuz Du’s are harder), and no historical basis like IM has.
I think there is a difference between going to a race expecting to be in a tri and have them cancel the swim and going to a du and having a du. My bet is that it would be greeted with open arms. Potentially, I think they could get a lot more people that are dedicated runners to sign up that wouldn’t sign up otherwise, because of the swim.
I agree with you. That fact that it is harder may even make it more appealing to some. Some people are looking to challenge their bodies to the limit.
in response to someone else’s post…just because there isn’t a huge number of people doing them doesn’t mean you can’t start having them. who cares if there are only a 100 people that go in it. The historical factor has to start somewhere at some point.
check out www.somersault.ca They are offering an iron distance du at there next race in Ottawa. Sure it may not be an actual Ironman sanctioned event, but the distance is equivalent and the cost is less.
basic economics. if there were enough demand for it to make it profitable, they would do it.
thanks for the link cdnbiker.
i’m sure my brother may be interested in it for next year.
I’ll probably be signing up for IMW '07 and it would be nice to be able to have my bro race with me even if he is chicken of the water. Although all the none IMNA sanctioned races are probably fantastic there is something to be said the the IM experience, even if you have to pay for it.
if you have it along with the tri like all other smaller races do, I’m sure they would make more money, and is that what IMNA is about?? 100 people x $500= $50,000. I don’t think that any race would turn that down. It would cost them anything to add it to existing races. Just a few more bike racks in transition. so it’s all money in their pockets.
Warning - the Ottawa Ironman race does offer a du option, but it is a rather boring one. I did the half du there in '04. While I did enjoy the pan flat closed course, it was mind numbing. They put on a great race, but I don’t think I could handle the full IM distance (12 bike loops, 4 run loops if I’m correct).
I made the switch from du to tri so I could do the upcoming IMWisc so I have to somewhat agree (although more politely) with the previous posts that your best option is to try to get in some swim shape and power your way through the 2.4 miles.
You also speak of the IM experience which is definitely key. Can’t beat it.
I don’t think any concessions will be made to woo duathletes when these things sell out in less than a day.
Going back to Ottawa, if your bro refuses to switch from du, Ottawa is probably a fine option, just have to be ready for sensory deprivation. Nice venue though.
Good luck,
Sam
Most of the non-“Ironman” ironman races have a relay category. Find yourself a swimmer and do the bike and run.
I did that at the '04 World’s Toughest Half. I got a singlet as a prize for being the third-place male relay team. 
Umm, I’m scheduled to be DUing the Canadian IronDU in Ottawa, in 12 days … 4K run / 180K bikd / 42.2K run …
And, yep, it is a 12 loop (24 hairpin turns) on the bike, but it’s also on a false flat course, meaning that you will have to be constantly pedalling for the entire 180K … and, just praying that there will be no wind off the Canal, as the crosswinds would be coming at you on both ways … yikes …
On the good note is that, you can access your special needs every 15K on the bike, as well as water exchange also every 15K on the bike … and, if you have lots of friends and family coming down to support you, they will see you approximately every 20-30 minutes on the bike coming and goin …
And, yep, for $300.00CDN ($400.00 on race kit pickup day) relataively affordable, compared to the IM sanctioned events …
Prior to the Full IronDU distance event, the original 1/2 IronDU was actually 8K run / 90K bike / 21.1K run … and, now it is only 2K run / 90K bike / 21.1K run …
Like others have said, for non-swimmers or not so good swimmers, this is a good opportunity to see if one likes to run 42.2K off a 180K bike ride … and, if so, then learning to swim over the winter months would be a goal, in order to do an actual IM Triathlon event in the next year or two …
andy
You can always do two of the three legs of a relay. Find a swimmer and then you do the bike and run.
Silverman has a relay.
Jason
They had an impromptu Ironman Du this past year. Western Australia, if I remember correctly. It was not well recieved.
(weather cancelled the swim)
It was IM-New Zealand that had the swim cancelled, and they also i think they shortened the bike and run to Half-IM distances.
By the way, IM-Western Australia is an excellent event, with a high number of internationals, it also has a relay/teams category. Only 7 teams competed last year.
Being aquatically challenged myself, I have pondered and observed the question of “Why is duathlon not a popular alternative to tri?” In the end, it comes down to image. If you say you are a duathlete then people go “Huh?” If you say you are triathlete people say, “Have you done that race in Hawaii?” or the alternative, “Isn’t that like a two-mile swim, 100-mile ride and then a marathon?” The public has a basic understanding of triathlon.
Thus, if you are a recognition-starved athlete, and most of us are, then you don’t receive your proper dues for du. Or even for short-course triathlon.
IM NA has more demand than supply, so they don’t care. If your brother really wants to stick with duathlon then he needs to plan out his season around the really important du events (PM Alabama, N.C., Ohio, plus Du Nationals) and then finish the year at American Zofingen. In some parts of the country there is even a pretty decent duathlon race schedule that will keep you busy. (Not in Southern California—that is for sure.)
Chad