Duathlon
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Duathlon is an athletic event (not to be confused with biathlon) that consists of a running leg, followed by a cycling leg and then another running leg in a format bearing some resemblance to triathlons. In the United States, Duathlon is governed by USA Triathlon; the International Triathlon Union governs the sport internationally.
[edit] Notable duathlons
The world's largest duathlon to date is the inaugural London Duathlon, which took place on 17 September 2005 in Richmond Park, Surrey. Approximately 2,500 people took part. The main race consisted of a 10km run, 20k cycle ride and 5km run.
The World's premier duathlon is Powerman Zofingen, in Switzerland. It's a hilly 10K run, mostly on trails, followed by a very hilly 150km road bike consisting of 3 50K loops each of which feature the feared Bodenburg ascent (scene of Kenny Souza's famed DNF in a snow storm when he raced in a neon speedo and small tank top), and finally a very hilly 30km 2 loop trail run the descents of which pound the quads into quivering jelly. Mark Allen, 6 times Ironman Hawaii champion, has been quoted as saying Powerman Zofingen is the hardest race he ever participated in.
The longest continually running duathlon series is still organized by the NY Triathlon Club (www.nytc.org) in and around NY City, USA.
With the popularity of extreme sports, a new form of duathlon has become popular in the last few years. Referred to as an off-road duathlon, or "Dirty-Du", it consists of an off-road or trail run, followed by a mountain bike leg followed by a final off-road or trail run.
The Dirty Du off-road duathlon series, held in Texas, was made famous by Lance Armstrong, who won it in 2003.
[edit] Clubs
The first and only local club dedicated solely to the sport of duathlon, the Austin Duathletes, was started in Austin, TX in 2004 by Phil "Panther" Carmical.
[edit] Winter Duathlon
Another use of the duathlon is in cross country skiing where skiers have a mass start using the classical technique and ski a specific distance (Men - 15km, Women - 7.5km), then change their skis, poles, and boots in a pit stop manner similarly seen in Formula 1 or NASCAR auto racing, then ski at the same specific distance (Men - 15km, Women - 7.5km) in the freestyle (skating) technique. The winner of the event is who crosses the finish line first. It was first introduced at the 2006 Winter Olympics and is called a Double Pursuit.
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