Northumberland Standard Duathlon European Qualifier, 2 Apr 2023
My reasons for entering this race was to be a barometer for the world championships in Ibiza in 4 weeks time. The fact that it was a European qualifier was an added bonus. The last time I raced was in early August so I was feeling rather nervous and hoped I’d not forgotten how to do it!
The advertised first run was long at 11.5km, but my plan was to run this at under 4min/km and to not go off too hard. Pleasingly I paced the first run well, clocking a 39.40 for 10k and then getting through the rest. The run route, whilst largely flat, had some technical turns and lots of mud so wasn’t the fastest of courses.
Transitions were a little rusty, with the Velcro of my bike shoes pulling off my timing chip and wasting seconds having to reattach it! But I was out safe into the bike knowing I had a pretty healthy lead over the 2nd female competitor.
The bike course was flattish but with some long inclines and a bit of a headwind. Lesson from the bike…ALWAYS calibrate power meter as my reading was very low and didn’t reflect my effort or improvements I’ve made recently. The lady behind me was a super strong cyclist, having put minutes on me in previous races. So it was really pleasing to record a 3 minute fastest time and extend my lead going into the 2nd run.
Again, a pretty shambolic transition with rather cold hands meant I couldn’t put my trainers on and ended up running with the tongue of the shoe completely out of position!
The plan for the 2nd run was to run the first lap hard and ease off for the final lap. Unfortunately I had a bit of a turn after 2k and decided to slow down a bit rather than push the final few k.
Finishing the race as first lady, with a winning time of 6 minutes was highly satisfying, especially as I had my super cheerleader daughter there to support me. Lots to take away from this race before the worlds, but there’s a great foundation there to push. And I wonder where the Europeans are next year too now that qualification is confirmed!
Sarah Harding
