CHILL OF THE PEOPLE
A bracing morning in Kent didn’t deter 33 duathletes from taking on the fast and flat course around Gravesend Cyclopark. Here’s the lowdown…
The sixth annual Gravesend Winter Duathlon took place on 5 February and there was some quality racing at the sharp end. The Cyclopark in Gravesend offers a speedy multi-lap and traffic-free course, yet competitors had to battle chilly conditions come race morning.
From the gun, a battle was forming in the men’s race, with Peter Stainer assuming the lead and Steven Kendall on his shoulder. It was Stainer who entered T1 first, covering the 6km in 22:15mins with Kendall coming in 11secs behind.
The third runner in was Patrick Brown who pulled back a 23sec deficit over the 20km bike course. Entering T2 almost neck-and-neck, it was expected that Stainer would reclaim the lead over the final 3.5km run, but it wasn’t to be, with Brown holding his slim lead and eventually coming in 18secs clear in 1:11:59.
The women’s race was more straightforward, with Jessica Chamberlain taking an early lead and holding pole position for the duration. Despite pulling back 3mins on the bike and closing the gap, Gillian Morgan was unable to live with Chamberlain’s lightening quick second run, which gave her a finish time of 1:32:44 and almost a 4min cushion over Morgan, who crossed the line in 1:36:26. Jenni Tomblin was the third female finisher in 1:37:37.
There was also some impressive performances from the veterans, with Bryan Donnelly taking the win and a special mention going to Doug Bentall who came 10th overall at the age of 52, the highlight being his first 6km run split of 23:34mins.