European Duathlon Qualifier at Clumber Park, 23 Apr 2022

This was my second race of the season and I was determined to put in a better performance than my race at Mallory Park a few weeks ago. I arrived in plenty of time and set up my bike in transition. There was a strong field of athletes and I was aware that the run and bike course were both quite hilly which might actually play to my strengths!

After completing my usual warm up I made my way to the start line to find there were already over 70 athletes in front of me! This was not ideal - one learning point I had taken from Mallory Park was to ensure I was near the front so I could get a better start. The gun went off and I put a strong first km down to get past as many athletes as possible. I completed the first run in just over 20 minutes which was a vast improvement on Mallory Park.

Into T1 and although it was on grass, the ground was uneven and one of my shoes became loose, I managed to safely mount my bike which according to my supporters was a lot better than many others managed. As soon as I got on my bike, I put the power on and got my head down. I started to pick off other athletes one by one and found myself moving through the field. There was a strong crosswind at points and I only had use of half my gears due to a mechanical issue but I worked as hard as possible and put down my fastest bike time to date.

T2 was a bit of blur but no issues and I was into the final run. I had finished the bike leg with another competitor so I put a hard effort into the first km to put a bit of distance between us. Then it was a case of holding on and attempting a sprint finish. In the end I came 11th out of 115 women which I have put in the “positive” results category. Now time to focus and regroup before my next race in May.

Alli Coleman