Off-Road Duathlon Tips

Only one run? That makes all the difference. Your transition will actually be easier in this du than in a tri, because you won't have the residual upper-body fatigue from the swim, and no first-run fatigue.

So approach the transition as you would in a tri.

But I'd suggest doing some off-road training. Though if you haven't done it yet, it's a little late.

I just completed my first 2 off-road Du's and they were a blast.  My big concern was how passing on a mtn bike through single-track would be given that it is easy on the road (right right, pass on left).  I learned really quickly that if you have patience and communicate, like saying, racer back and will pass on left, etc, or when being passed - saying give me 5 seconds then go left, that makes a huge difference.  It was actually a lot easier and not as agressive as I expected. 

Then again, I did run first, then bike so the run spread out the field quite a bit.

Another thing I found was that my mtn biking skills were not as good as my fear of crashing or engine.  So my limiter ended up being the handling aspect as dudes were just flying by me on the bike during the technical sections.  Don't worry about that, you can always chase them down on the run!

Another tip on the run, if you hit steep hills during the trail, sometimes it makes sense to hike/power walk up instead of trying to run up them, your HR and descent speed on the other side usually more than makes up for the short time lost.

Good luck and have a good time.

May I assume you're racing the Dirthead? I'll be there too. I'm also doing the sprint as training and life did not agree enough for the long distance.

Biking at Croom requires very little technical skill. It's almost exclusively singletrack, so consider that when getting started (although there should be plenty of opportunities to pass). Running out there is great, although plenty of sandy hills. Watch out for hidden roots underneath pine needles.

More good info!  Thanks!

Yes, it is Dirthead.  I have never been to Croom, but I'm looking forward to it and hoping to hang around after the race and try some of the other trails that are not part of the race course.  

Good tips on passing and communicating.  Thanks to all.  

I haven't done one... yet.

But I've always wondered if going with toe cages for a duathlon would be the way to go. Just ride in your running shoes and save some T1 time. Especially on a short offroad race.

I would use whatever I'm most familiar with. There is more technical riding in off-road and familiarity with the equipment will be more important.

And no one has mentioned to take extra care in keeping the rubber side down!

Well, I did learn not to lean too far forward in case you hit some something with your front end while standing (got launched over the handle bars), and to keep my center of gravity low with knees slightly bent to absorb the shock of hitting rocks, roots and such. The lighter you go over those things, the better chance of not getting knocked off balance and off the bike.

Good luck, and have fun!