European Sprint Duathlon Championships - Rumia, Poland, 26 Apr 2025
I felt like training had gone well so far this year so was looking forward to seeing what I could do at the European Championships. We arrived two days before the race so it gave me enough time to build my bike and check out the course, making me feel much more prepared than last year! A small group of us went on a recce of the bike course the day before, a very flat course with two 180 degree turns! We also cycled up the road that was to be used for the run, another flat route. I predicted this would be a fast race!
I checked out the competition - two Polish women who had competed in elite categories in previous years and five British women who would all be looking for that third place on the podium!
All of the female age groups were put together, meaning that the start line was crowded and unfortunately, I wasn’t near the front, making it a slow start after which I had to try and get round everyone. I got into a good pace and finished the run in 19:35, third in my age category. However, it was a bit crowded at the mount line and I didn’t get away quickly enough to get into the group ahead of me. I tried to catch up with them but was struggling due to the wind and ended up cycling on my own for the first few miles. I then got caught up by a group of three women, including a Polish woman from my age group. It was hard keeping up with the group, especially after the corners!
We then caught up with a large mixed group and all cycled together, this became quite dangerous when there was a large group coming the other way and I ended up knocking hands with one of the fast men cycling past.
Our group got to the furthest away point, where the final 180 degree turn was. People in front of me were slowing down so much that they were unclipping to go around the corner, making it dangerous for others. I kept clipped in and slowly went round the corner, managing to stay upright. Unfortunately, the Polish lady and her group were long gone. I rapidly got caught up by another British athlete from my age group and another lady from another category, we then rode in a group all the way home.
I came into transition at the same time as my competitor but she left transition before me and I knew I wouldn’t be able to run any faster to catch her up. I continued at a steady pace, coming to the finish in 4th place. However, if I’d known that the Polish lady who I’d thought was miles away was only 26 seconds ahead, I might have been able to find a bit extra at the end!
The race was fun and has given me some things to work on for the world championships at the end of June!
Sarah Hunter