Race Review: ITU Duathlon
May 6, 2006, Mason, Ohio
I had the opportunity to watch an ITU Duathlon comprised of elite professional athletes, including several international stars. I timed my arrival at packet pick-up for the age group National Championships, which I was competing in the following day, so that I could watch the pros do their thing.
Man, these guys and gals blew me away. About 18 men started things off.
They ran 4 loops of 2.5km before getting on their bikes. The pace was nuts from the get go and the lead handful of guys averaged around 4:50 per mile for the first 10K.
I noticed one guy holding back and looking very comfortable: American Tom Jeffrey.
In ITU duathlon, drafting is legal and very much a part of successful racing. Soon on the bike, the overall contenders made their move. Two Belgians and a Frenchman moved to the front and worked together seamlessly throughout the 8 laps of 5km. They averaged almost 27mph!! THEN, when it was time to determine who would win the thing, they sprinted another 5K at around a 5:00 per mile pace. Unbelievable. In the end, my Belgian boys made me proud, dropping the Frenchman to third, while American Jeffrey overcame cramps in T2 to win the US crown and get 4th overall.
From the USAT website: "Three Europeans battled it out for the top spot, with 22-year-old Belgian Bart Aernouts taking the overall title in 1:41:55. Countryman Joerie Vansteelant, 24, a two-time U23 world champion, finished in 1:41:14, with last year’s ITU world champion Anthony LeDuey, 33, of France taking third in 1:41:22. The three were part of a group of seven who ran the opening 10k in blistering 4:50 pace. They surged away from the chase pack in the bike, finishing the 40k course close to a minute ahead of the next closest competitor (Jeffrey)."
Here's the "whoof-shrugging" Belgian winner Aernouts doing a post-race interview. Duathlon champions can't be doing it for the money. He earned $2,000 for the win.
Later, at the hotel, I introduced myself (in Flemish) to the Belgians and although they were very friendly (and probably tired), I don't think they knew what to make of the American trying to speak Flemish (sort of puzzled, I suppose).
The women racers were just as impressive, albeit in smaller numbers. Basically, the winner sprinted to the early lead, literally, and never looked back. Here is Helen Lawrence putting in an early surge to create a gap.
"In the women's elite race, this year’s third-place finisher at the European Duathlon Championships, Helen Lawrence (England), 30, outpaced the field from the start, jumping out to a quick lead and finishing in 1:58:43. Boehmer (Ixonia, Wis.), 28, a former Division I runner at University of Colorado and Wisconsin, teamed with Canadian Shari Boyle on the bike to try to catch Lawrence, but the tandem were actually overtaken by Anne Preisig (Falmouth, Mass.), 38, and Kathryn Kasischke (San Diego, Calif.), 30, before T-2. Boehmer and Boyle regained their advantage after the first lap of the 5k and Boehmer was able to edge Boyle by six seconds, finishing in 2:01:42. Kasischke turned in a time of 2:02:44 to finish as the second American and fourth overall."
I had the opportunity to watch an ITU Duathlon comprised of elite professional athletes, including several international stars. I timed my arrival at packet pick-up for the age group National Championships, which I was competing in the following day, so that I could watch the pros do their thing.
Man, these guys and gals blew me away. About 18 men started things off.
They ran 4 loops of 2.5km before getting on their bikes. The pace was nuts from the get go and the lead handful of guys averaged around 4:50 per mile for the first 10K.
I noticed one guy holding back and looking very comfortable: American Tom Jeffrey.
In ITU duathlon, drafting is legal and very much a part of successful racing. Soon on the bike, the overall contenders made their move. Two Belgians and a Frenchman moved to the front and worked together seamlessly throughout the 8 laps of 5km. They averaged almost 27mph!! THEN, when it was time to determine who would win the thing, they sprinted another 5K at around a 5:00 per mile pace. Unbelievable. In the end, my Belgian boys made me proud, dropping the Frenchman to third, while American Jeffrey overcame cramps in T2 to win the US crown and get 4th overall.
From the USAT website: "Three Europeans battled it out for the top spot, with 22-year-old Belgian Bart Aernouts taking the overall title in 1:41:55. Countryman Joerie Vansteelant, 24, a two-time U23 world champion, finished in 1:41:14, with last year’s ITU world champion Anthony LeDuey, 33, of France taking third in 1:41:22. The three were part of a group of seven who ran the opening 10k in blistering 4:50 pace. They surged away from the chase pack in the bike, finishing the 40k course close to a minute ahead of the next closest competitor (Jeffrey)."
Here's the "whoof-shrugging" Belgian winner Aernouts doing a post-race interview. Duathlon champions can't be doing it for the money. He earned $2,000 for the win.
Later, at the hotel, I introduced myself (in Flemish) to the Belgians and although they were very friendly (and probably tired), I don't think they knew what to make of the American trying to speak Flemish (sort of puzzled, I suppose).
The women racers were just as impressive, albeit in smaller numbers. Basically, the winner sprinted to the early lead, literally, and never looked back. Here is Helen Lawrence putting in an early surge to create a gap.
"In the women's elite race, this year’s third-place finisher at the European Duathlon Championships, Helen Lawrence (England), 30, outpaced the field from the start, jumping out to a quick lead and finishing in 1:58:43. Boehmer (Ixonia, Wis.), 28, a former Division I runner at University of Colorado and Wisconsin, teamed with Canadian Shari Boyle on the bike to try to catch Lawrence, but the tandem were actually overtaken by Anne Preisig (Falmouth, Mass.), 38, and Kathryn Kasischke (San Diego, Calif.), 30, before T-2. Boehmer and Boyle regained their advantage after the first lap of the 5k and Boehmer was able to edge Boyle by six seconds, finishing in 2:01:42. Kasischke turned in a time of 2:02:44 to finish as the second American and fourth overall."
posted by JPD at Tuesday, May 16, 2006
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