HOW TO PREP FOR DUATHLON
Adopt these proven tips to benefit your run/bike/run prowess and have you prepped for du success…
01 RUN-BIKE ESSENTIALS
“Brick sessions are a must,” says coach and multiple du winner Annie Emmerson. “This helps you to run well off the bike, and bike well after the first run, too. Spin for 10-15mins including a few short sprints to elevate your HR. The main set is three to five 7min solid tempo efforts on the bike then run for 1km or 3mins at your goal race pace. Spin 3mins recovery between each set.”
02 GET IN GEAR
Leave your bike in a low gear while it’s in transition otherwise you'll struggle on mounting. Remain in this low gear for a couple of minutes and pedal at a high cadence. This has the effect of adapting your muscles from the run to bike action.
03 FUEL YOUR ENGINE
“A standard duathlon takes over 2hrs so you must fuel sufficiently,” says Michellin-starred chef and top duathlete Alan Murchison. “Aim for 60-80g carbs per hour in the form of drink or gels, and practise this strategy during race efforts in training so you know your gut can absorb this load under stress. A formula would be: one gel 20-30mins into the 10km run, 500ml SIS Beta Fuel or Maurten 320 on the bike, and one gel coming off the bike if you feel you need it.”
04 BE READY TO GO
“Duathlons are tough from the off, so you must be ready to go hard from the gun. That’s why a proficient warm-up is important,” Emmerson adds. “The pace will settle, but ensure you’re prepped to run fast for the first 800m. Run for 10mins, starting slowly and building to a steady effort by the last few minutes before finishing off with three to four 20sec short sprints to push the heart rate up.”
07 DUATHLON WARDROBE
Duathlons take place yearround but are popular in the colder months. The first run heats you up but the breeze on the bike quickly cools
you down, before you heat up again on the final run. That’s why a popular strategy is to wear a tri-suit and add arm warmers and a cycle jersey on the bike. Also, store gloves in the back pocket. This combo of layers is easy to remove if needed.
08 NARROW YOUR PROFILE
“Myself and [aerodynamicist] Simon Smart have looked at many aero set-ups,” says bike-fitter Rich James. “What we’ve seen is that being low makes less difference than being narrow. In the past, all TT bikes had small front wheels and sloping top tubes for a low frontal profile. But air doesn’t work like that; it works in parallel lines with the floor. Matthew Brick won the Du Worlds [in 1991 and 1992]. He just used a single armpad, narrowed his profile and won.”
09 RECOVER LIKE A PRO
“Recovery’s a big part of du training and, when I was racing regularly, I used compression wear, whether it was standard socks or a Normatec device,” says former national du champ Tom Lowe. “I consumed a lot of protein, too.”
10 DOUBLE UP
Eighty-time du winner and coach Jez Cox says to use a separate pair of shoes for each run to carve time off transition. “Your second pair will be open and positioned to be slipped on rather than thrown where they were left after the first run. Elastic laces are a must to maximise this tactic.”