Gear West Duathlon

This was a race that I have never done. In fact I have only done one other duathlon... ever. I wasn't expecting much more than a good gauge on where I'm at in the running and biking department. What I got was a great race and tons of fun.

I was somewhat horrified to find out that most of the running would be done on extremely wet trails. At some spots the course resembled more of a mud pit/obstacle course. A number of people lost shoes in the mud while others simply did face plants. It was a blood bath.

I started that race easier than normal so I didn't wear myself out to much for the bike. I was probably at about 40th after the first 100 yards but worked my way up towards the front after the first half mile. I was following another runner when he lead me off course a little. Too be honest I would have done the same thing. It cost me 10-15 seconds but I shook it off and ended up with a very respectable 11th overall run split.

My transition was sloppy but that was expected as I hadn't had any time to practice my transitions yet this year. My friend Ross Weinzierl was also racing. We'd done some trainer rides this winter so I know why Ross has improved so much. He's put in the work. I was a little surprised to see him so early on the bike course. Ross's water bottle had gone rogue and he was going to have to go the course without it. About the same time Devon Palmer blew by me. I was wondering who it was as I typically hold my own with anyone on the bike.

The bike felt ok but I was not gaining on anyone. Typically I would have made up some time on the runners but today it was not to be. I came off the bike in 8th and had another sloppy transition. I heard Ross getting off his bike and I saw him heading out of T2 right behind me. I knew this was going to be exciting.

I knew Ross was in great shape and his run times were not in my favor so I started to strategize. I knew he wanted to beat me and would work as hard as he could to pass me. So I took the first quarter mile easy and baited him into pushing a little out his comfort zone. I then let him pass me just before we headed into the wind. I then took a seat in his back pocket and took a little break. I then felt pretty good and decided to test him by making a pass. He responded with another good push and even surprised me by putting 10-20 yards on me. Ross was breathing hard though and I knew he couldn't keep the pace. I just held my ground and didn't let him get to far ahead. We then went down into the lower parts where it was really muddy and nasty. We were coming up on the worst of the course when Ross got caught in the mud and took a digger into the mud. He recovered well though and I made sure to be careful where he biffed it.

As I came up to the spot I had two choices. Go left where it look like thick mud soup or stay right (where Ross went). The right side looked better with a drier spot then a puddle. I decided to be careful but stay right. I soon discovered what Ross hit. The puddle wasn't a puddle at all. While the puddle was only a foot or so wide it was 18-24" deep. I almost biffed it too but managed to catch myself and recover. It did slow me down though and I didn't gain much on Ross.

We then moved up to the gravel road when Ross made a similar mistake that I did on the first loop. Ross took an early right and went off course. As I came up to him I told him I didn't think that was the way. I followed my instincts for once and kept going. I expected Ross to only be a few steps behind but the wrong turn seemed to take a toll on him. I then put on a little pressure and picked up the pace a bit to make sure Ross didn't feel like he could close the gap.

After a short but steep hill you had to do one loop around a soft gravel track. I had a good 10-15 seconds on Ross and he wasn't gaining. On top of that I found a great stride and felt fantastic. I turned about 150 yrds from the finish to see Ross making on last push but it was a little too late and I picked up the pace just to make sure and beat my friend by 4 seconds.

Ross and I have talked since the race about what happened. Ross was saying how he needs to work on his mental toughness. He didn't think he could beat me. This in turn caused him to panic and loose focus. The fall really took it's toll and the wrong turn was the nail in the coffin. Ross was saying he had nothing left and made his move too late. In the end it just wasn't Ross's day. It's alright, it happens. I've had those days. Ross will learn more from this race than by winning 4 races. It's apart of getting to the next level, which I have no doubt he will get to. Saturday may have been my day but Ross will have his soon enough.