Harrison hits gold
Perthshire athlete Robert Harrison has broken new ground.
The east Perthshire fitness fanatic, from Rattray, finished top of the pile in the 45-49 category at the British Age Group Duathlon Championships.
ThewinattheBedfordAutodromewas thefirsttimeRoberthaswonagoldmedal at British level, and follows on from several successes on the Scottish scene.
The competition at the English motor racing circuit comprised a 10-kilometre run, followed by a 40k cycle and a fivekilometre run.
And, in addition to winning his age group, Robert finished fifth overall in a competitive field.
Hesaid:“Itgavemealotofsatisfaction towinmyfirstgoldmedalatBritishlevel, and also to finish fifth overall.
“On reflection, I had managed to execute the best possible race for me in terms of pacing, transitions and tactics.
“Theresultautomaticallyqualifiesme for the World Age Group Duathlon Championships in 2019.”
Robert admitted that “an error of judgement”inapracticeeventmadehim wary when lining up to start a competition held in cool, tricky, conditions.
He continued: “The weather on the morning of the race was about 6C, with damp conditions making some of the corners on the bike course potentially slippy, and the white lines on the track treacherous.
“ImadesurethatIlinedupatthefront ofthegroupofabout200forthefirstrun to ensure that I would not get boxed in on the first tight corner.
“InthebackofmymindIhadtheerror of judgement I had made in a practice race during the winter where I had gone off too quickly, building lactic acid, and never fully recovering.
“Afterafaststart,Isettledintoasteady rhythmwiththesecondgroupatthetime avoidingthetemptationtolengthenmy stride and catch on to the front seven or eight runners.
“This worked well and I managed to run at a fairly even pace which allowed me to set a personal best time for the distance in just under 35 minutes.”
Robertcompletedthefirststageofthe arduous test of endurance in tenth place overallandimprovedhispositionfurther in the process of slipping out of his running shoes and getting into the saddle.
He added:“I caught and passed a few riders on the course but was overtaken myself by two other riders.
“They were taking the damp corners a bit faster than me but looked younger thanmyagecategory,meaningthatIwas not in direct competition with them.
“Memoriesofacrashlastyearinsimilar conditions, and knowing I had the potentialtogetonthepodiuminmyage group, tempered my desire to push too hard through the corners.
“IensuredthatIpedalledhardintothe windiersectionsandacceleratedquickly out of the tighter corners which helped me to still record one of the fastest bike splits at an average of just over 24mph.”
Robert confessed the nerves were jangling as the duathlon moved into its final stage.
He revealed:“Shortly after the start of the final 5k run a dead turn gave me the opportunity to see if there was anybody close behind. Unfortunately, two other competitors were within about 30 seconds meaning that I would have to run the last 5k well to retain my position.
“I opted to start fast in the hope that they would lose confidence.
“Iwasabletokeepmymilesplitsunder six minutes and, although tempted, made sure I did not look behind in case my competition thought I was tiring – which I was.
“Despite a stitch coming on towards the end I held on.”