Posted: September 17, 2005

Multisport: Inaugural London Duathlon Off To A Flying Start With Nearly 2000 Celebrities And Fun Runners Taking Part Making It The UK'sS Largest Duathlon

Saturday September 17, Richmond Park, London - Thousands of spectators turned up at Richmond Park today to cheer on nearly 2,000 celebrities and fun runners in the glorious sunshine at the first ever London Duathlon.

The first celebrity on the course was big screen star Johnny Lee Miller who, preparing for the gruelling Marathon des Sable completed the full distance of 10km run, 20km cycle and 5km run in a very impressive 1hr 53 minutes.

Also taking part to raise money for event charity Maggie¹s Centres was a team of fourteen from Sky TV¹s Soccer AM. Led by presenter Tim Lovejoy with co-presenter Helen Chamberlain cheering from the sidelines the boys raced straight after a live broadcast in the studio straight to the start line dressed in running kit and football shirts.

The Soccer AM team put in an impressive performance with Producer Neil Smythe (1:02:38) winning the internal Soccer AM challenge and placing third out off all Œfun¹ distance (5km run, 10km cycle, 5km run) competitors at the event. Tim Lovejoy (1:12:52) placed an impressive second in the Soccer AM team and 50th overall.

The London Duathlon took place entirely within Richmond Park with both individual athletes and teams participating. Roads were closed to cars for the event, allowing competitors to achieve record times while taking in the stunning surroundings of the Royal Park.

The London Triathlon Ltd., owners of The Michelob ULTRA London Triathlon ­the world¹s largest ­ and the stunning Blenheim Triathlon, created The London Duathlon to keep up with the massive growth of the sport while maintaining the objective of creating top class events that are achievable by everyone.

Event Director Nick Rusling commented: "The London Duathlon has been a huge success and Richmond Park was the ideal venue. We are confident that the event has raised over £100,000 for charity and nearly 2,000 people have had a great day, many taking the plunge into the UK¹s fastest growing sport for the first time. We¹re looking forward to a bigger and better London Duathlon in 2006!"

Laura Lee, Chief Executive of Maggie¹s Cancer Caring Centres commented: