6th Annual Buzzard Duathlon/Biathlon - Biathlon (run/bike)

I was really pleased with the run. Sue and I once again used our "start at the back of the pack" strategy. We never got passed by anyone and started picking off people on that first hill. Sue started to pull ahead of me between mile 1 and 2. She said she could hear me laughing though. I had been talking to a girl running next to me. This park is known for its buzzard (aka turkey vulture) roosting area. Just before mile 2, there were probably a dozen vultures circling high over head. The girl next to me commented that they were just waiting for one of us to fall. Anyways, it provided a good chuckle.

My clothing worked perfectly in the 30 degree air. I wore a sports bra, short sleeve t-shirt, long sleeve t-shirt and my husband's old cycling jacket on top. Wore my new tri-shorts and heavy weight running tights on the bottom. Lightweight polypropylene gloves and a ball cap. Just perfect!

Not a gosh darn thing. I am so amazed at my time on a hilly course.

Walked through the water station and drank a cup of water. Crammed a fig bar in my mouth and drank some gatorade. Slipped off my polypropylene gloves and put on my fingerless bike gloves. I have toe clips on my bike so I just wore my running shoes. Helmet on, check!

Duh! I should have just wore my cycling gloves over my polypropylene gloves during the run. My hands were really warm at the end of the run, but removing the fingered gloves turned out to be a mistake. By lap 4 of the bike, my fingers were getting really cold.

I thought this was a very nice rolling course. The toughest part was between miles 1 and 2. There were three short hills that I could only manage 7-8 mph. However, there was a nice downhill that I had a max speed of 33.9 mph. I have a heavy touring bike and was kind of surprised by the number of people I passed. I started to feel just a little tired on the 4th lap. The hills on the 5th lap were tough, but when I reached 1 mile left to go I felt a surge of energy.

By lap 4, I started getting this big silly grin on my face. I was so happy to be out there participating in this event. Total happiness!

I really need to work on drinking more. The course made it tough though because there were no real flat spots to take a drink. I tried a couple times after cresting a hill, but it was hard because I was breathing heavier. I got better and better at it by the 5th lap, but I need to work on this.

Oh, and wear full gloves. My fingers were dang cold by lap 4.

Walked around, drank gatorade, ate fig bars, cheered Sue at her finish, walked around some more.


Heavy bike, not being an athlete, just being a beginner.


The race only provided a finishing time so all the run, transition, and bike times are off my watch.

This was a REALLY fun race. It was cold, but quite tolerable. Very pretty course through a nice park.

I was very happy with my effort. 38th out of 55 overall. 6th out of 16 female racers. Oh and first place in my age group!!!!! Ok, out of 1. Still, I got a nice little trophy.

It was fun to see all the fancy expensive bikes. The first bikers passed me before I even finished my run. I started passing the duathlon runners at lap 4 on the bike.