Triathlon: Duathlon to Improve your Triathlon

John Phillips, CTS Coach

Are you a triathlete looking to improve your cycle & run for your next big triathlon? Do a duathlon!

There are three main distances for duathlons: Sprint [5km run, 30km cycle, 5km run], Short [10km, 40km, 5km], and Long [10km, 60km, 10km]. Each distance has unique demands and can help improve your performance during a Sprint, Olympic or Long distance triathlon.

Long Course

The Long Course [a.k.a. Powerman Distance] duathlons can really help to boost your half iron or full iron triathlon performances. Contrary to what you might think, the first run starts out surprisingly fast, during this leg of the race you should keep your effort around your Lactate Threshold to save your legs for the cycle & final run. As you transition to the bike, you should be close to or slightly faster than your normal half iron effort. This is also a crucial time to prepare for your final run, make sure to hydrate well to set up a successful final run. The Powerman final run is just plain tough; your effort and level of fatigue will be very comparable to the final 10km of the half iron run.

While you can choose the standard 10K, 20K, 10K distance, there are also several big duathlons that are longer than the standard Long Course. Long Course World Championships for 2004 to be held in Denmark is 20km, 120km, 10km! And don’t forget the most prestigious duathlon in the world: Powerman Zofingen [10km, 150km, 30km]!

Short Course

Olympic distance triathletes will find the most benefit from this distance. As with the long course, the first run starts out surprisingly fast. Expect a cycle comparable to your cycling leg during an Olympic distance triathlon; although, it will seem tougher because your legs have just completed a 10km run rather than a 1.5km swim. The final 5km run will separate the weak from the strong, and should be about the same pace as your run in an Olympic triathlon. After a few of these your next Olympic triathlon will feel easy!

Sprint

Sprint distance races will help both with both Sprint and Olympic triathlons. The first run is fast, very fast, it will start out as if it were a run only competition! Don’t get too caught up in the excitement, and aim for your current 10km only pace during this run. Once onto the cycle, the high speed continues. Even though its short, the final run will be demanding, you will be doing well if you can keep your second run time within one minute of the first run.

Other variations of the Sprint distance include 2mi, 10mi, 2mi, and also the very exciting F1 format [4km, 16km, 4km, 16km, 4km].

So don’t be afraid. Take the plunge and try a duathlon! Indeed they are tough, but the high speed makes them very exciting. You might just find that you like them even more than triathlons!

For more information on these events, please check out some of the duathlon race resources:

Mile High Duathlon Series: www.racingunderground.com

Dannon Duathlon Series: www.dannonduathlon.com

Powerman Alabama: www.team-magic.com

2004 Short Course Duathlon Worlds: www.wkduathlon2004.be

2004 Long Course Duathlon Worlds: www.duathlon.dk

Duathlon.com news & results: www.duathlon.com

Visit Carmichael Training Systems at: TrainRight.com.