Cotswold Sprint Duathlon, 11 Oct 2020
My final multi-sport race of the (short but fun) 2020 season was the Tough Runner Cotswolds Sprint Duathlon, taking place at Sudeley Castle where we were fortunate enough to have fantastic weather – bonus! I never actually got to see the castle, but from Google Images it looked lovely! This duathlon had slightly strange distances: 5k run, 18k bike, 5k run (compared to the usual sprint distances of 5k run, 20k bike, 2.5k run) – so on paper it didn’t really play to my strengths with more running, but it was another chance to race and lots of fellow Spa Striders were also taking part, so I couldn’t really resist missing out!
As with all the recent races, there were lots of Covid measures in place to keep everyone safe including a rolling start with an automated (and extremely loud) beep going off every 30 seconds. Plus, transition was a ‘no time zone’ to allow people to properly social distance without any time pressures, meaning it wouldn’t be added to your overall time, so you could spend as much time as you wanted in there!
Leading up to the race, there were so many discussions amongst fellow racers about footwear choice – with the route being a mix of trail and road, and the recent wet weather adding a risk of mud - should we wear trail or road shoes!? I eventually decided to go with road shoes with the justification being that I need the additional support on the road and I can manage slip sliding through the small muddy patch, but I would take the trail shoes just in case. Well… whilst listening to the commentator pre-race, she kept drawing attention to the fact that we were all going to get muddy… cue a last minute shoe change minutes before my start time!
The route itself was a really tough double lapper - undulating and yes there was mud and lots of squidgy grass sections which really sapped your energy. It was also definitely longer than 5k! However, the constant variety meant I was never ‘bored’ and it kept me going when it got tough - I had forgotten how hard duathlons were… and why I had recently moved to triathlons to remove one of the runs! I really tried my hardest to keep my form and not let my cadence drop too much, and I came back fairly pleased with my average pace considering the lumps and bumps.
The bike course, apart from a steep climb out from the castle access road, was a fast and furious out and back route which I loved. As we started in waves based on alphabetical ordered surnames, I was one of the last to start which meant I had lots of people to chase down (if only I was this competitive when I was running…). I just focused on gradually picking people off one by one and keeping my power up. I later found out I had the third fastest female bike split, so pretty pleased with that!
The final run was tough, my legs felt like lead and my pace frustratingly dropped – but the main thing going through my mind was my foot. Having sprained it during the triathlon last Sunday, I had taken the whole week off to let it recover in the hope it would be OK for today. So I was relieved that I managed to get through most of the race with it only starting to become sore in the last ~2km.
Overall, I finished 8th female and 2nd in my age group – if only my running was as strong as my cycling! To be fair, it was only a few years ago that I was targeting a sub 25min 5k and more recently my first park run following my elbow fracture I did in 30mins… so improvements have been made – I just need to make even more!!
Helene Wright - see more blogs from Hels
