DU RAC E DAY
The run/bike/run format is loaded with its own unique challenges and requires a different approach to its multisport companion. You’ll need to adapt to the colder weather, pace yourself differently and go steady in the final run. Here’s the breakdown for each discipline, plus kit advice:
LAYER UP
The majority of duathlons are in autumn and spring, so wearing your summer tri kit probably won’t be enough. This is where a good-quality wicking base layer and a windproof gilet will come in handy. Wearing lightweight waterproof gloves for the whole race is sensible, too.
THE FIRST RUN
If you’re new to duathlon, then the first run is littered with opportunities to get things wrong. Most people start far too fast and then pay for that later in the race. All of a sudden everyone has the chance to be at the front of the race and triathletes may not be used to the feeling of running when feeling fresh, so start steady and pace it out.
Try to think of your running on the day as a fuel tank. Every time you accelerate hard you’re eating into it. If you’ve started the run sensibly then there’s no reason to ease up ahead of the bike leg.
THE BIKE
Make sure you leave your bike in a small gear to be able to spin the pedals faster than usual for the first minute of the bike leg. This will help your muscles adapt to the action before then shifting up a few gears and relying on strength.
The vast majority of road duathlons still aren’t ‘draft legal’, which means you can’t stay riding within seven bike lengths of the rider in front of or alongside you. By all means try to maintain that gap, but use others as a target to draw you on.
In the last minutes of the bike leg, repeat the lower gear spinning to prepare you for a high cadence running action. Make sure you’ve practised a ‘rolling dismount’ – don’t just try it on race day.
THE FINAL RUN
Transitioning from bike to run may feel like a tri again, but you’re soon going to feel like you’re running with a bear on your back. This is what makes duathlon so challenging – and such bloody good fun! The fact that you’ve already run hard will mean your muscles will protest at this point, so it’s crucial to start more steadily than your ego would like, as you’re more likely to cramp in those first few steps.
Try to break the final run down into chunks by telling yourself to get to that next tree or sign. Remember that feeling on the final run and, if you want to reach your best as a duathlete, recreate it in your training in order to keep getting faster on those final runs.