Doing the Du

I did my first ever duathlon this morning. Basically, it's a run-bike-run event. Like a triathlon without water.

Years ago they were called biathlons. But that was confusing. There was already a sport called biathlon, which consists of skiing and shooting. So they went with "du" not "bi".

It's a South Side event, which means it was a pleasantly relaxed sort of race. I don't mean people weren't going fast - they were. But they weren't acting like their lives depended on placing in this race. For some reason you see that attitude more on the West and North sides of town.

Duathlons are easier to stage than triathlons - you don't need a body of water. Duathlons are easier to do than triathlons - you don't need to know how to swim. But for some reason they have never been as popular as tri's.

One of the big tricks to multisport racing
Is pacing.

If you go too fast on your bike
It's sure that your legs will feel like
They're over-done
On the final run.