Australian Duathlon Championships Race Report 2024
Every race I enter, I want to win. However, it’s not just about winning; it’s more about not losing. I dislike being beaten, even by those from completely different age groups. This mindset is why I entered the Canberra duathlon: I wanted a challenging training session to push myself harder than I can during regular training. I don’t want to lose.
The Canberra duathlon also served as the Australian Championships, adding an extra incentive. The course, set at Stromlo, was by far the hardest duathlon course I’ve tackled. I was initially worried about the cold, as the temperature was 5°C (feels like 2°C). The day before, it had been 9°C (feels like 5°C), which felt quite chilly. However, on race day, the sun was shining, and there was no wind.
Run Leg 1
The first run was quick, and I quickly realized I was overdressed for the conditions. The run was just 5 km, as the organizers had scheduled the 10 km for after the bike segment to ensure road closures ended sooner. I led for about 50 meters, eager to escape the chaos of a mass start. I soon settled into a somewhat conservative rhythm, but with the intent to push myself.
My pace ended up at 3:35/km, keeping my breathing in check. This felt appropriate as we were running on an undulating cross-country track, completing two 2.5 km laps. I was quickly gapped by some speedy runners, while others remained just out of reach, about 20-30 meters ahead. However, towards the end of the second lap, I started to catch up and eventually passed a couple of runners just before the transition. Run 18:28.
Transition 1
Transition was quick but tight. The bike rack was incredibly short, forcing me to squish my bike underneath it. I wasted a few seconds getting it off the rack, but otherwise, the transition was uneventful. I mounted the bike after a few seconds. Transitioning time: 36sec
Bike Leg
The bike course was hilly, featuring rough country roads. I appreciated this, as the hills would neutralize any drafting advantages. I quickly removed my gloves and began passing a rider, only to be overtaken myself shortly after exiting transition. I was already pushing over 300 watts, so I let them go ahead. The gap widened, but I noticed during the first downhill section that I was closing in. I eventually caught and passed that rider just before the turnaround of the first lap of a two-lap course (20 km per lap, totaling 40 km). At the top of the first climb after the turnaround, I looked back to see I had opened a significant gap. I could see a few riders ahead, but they kept disappearing as the course wound through the countryside.
I had specific power targets I wanted to hit, but I grew frustrated as my output kept dropping. My average power was looking worse than it should have been. I shifted my focus to how my legs were feeling and monitoring my heart rate. I didn’t want my heart rate to drop; I wanted to feel the lactate building and clearing in my legs. It takes a lot of focus for me to keep my heart rate elevated on the bike, as I usually settle into a more comfortable, sweet-spot effort instead of pushing at my threshold.
During the second lap, more athletes were on course, making it harder to gauge whether I was catching anyone, as I couldn’t tell who was ahead of me. I kept my head down, focusing on chipping away at each kilometer. It was a pleasant surprise to make the final turn back to transition with my legs still feeling reasonably fresh. I’m accustomed to hitting 65-70 km on a bike ride and still having over 30 minutes to go, when my legs tell me they want no more of this punishment. But this time, I had less than 20 minutes left, and I felt okay. While the hills were still tough, I wasn’t struggling to generate power.
As we neared transition, I got a front-row seat to a rider about 30-40 meters ahead being swooped by a magpie. I chuckled as I passed them just after the magpie gave up its chase. After accumulating a significant elevation gain (+600m) over the 40 km, I finished the bike leg in 1:08:48.
Transition 2
How to secure my bike without it falling off the rack? I opted for a brake lever dangle on its side, thankfully utilizing ample space. I took a moment to place my helmet, which rolled away after I set it on the ground. Shoes on, and I was off for the run. T2 time was 43sec.
Run Leg
Immediately, I stripped off my arm warmers—I was hot! The sun had quite a bit of heat, and running was only making me warmer. I spotted a competitor about 50 meters ahead. They seemed close, yet so far away. Each lap around the cross-country course included a challenging short hill. I climbed it and used the downhill to gain momentum. The gap began to close: 40 meters, 30 meters, 25 meters, 20 meters, but then it held steady for about a kilometer. As I approached the start of the second lap, the gap began to grow. Was I slowing? I felt like it, but I was still maintaining my pace. I attempted to increase my speed but struggled. I was wheezing like a steam engine, nearly asthmatic—I had only recently recovered from a cold, and I suspect the cold air and lingering effects were taking their toll.
I watched as the gap widened. The competitor even caught and passed another athlete ahead of them. All I could do was maintain my pace of around 3:40/km, even though I was trying to push harder. I finished the run in the same position I started, with a time of 37:46.
Total time: 2:06:21. 1st in AG and 6th OA. A littler slower than I’d hoped, but I was content with my effort given the difficulty of the course.
Learnings
I was impressed by how fast some of the athletes ran during the duathlon. It gave me a front-row seat to the level of performance at the top tier. Racing has highlighted the gap between where I am and where I want to be if I aim to compete at the front. This gap doesn’t seem insurmountable; it’s not just about being faster—I can run at that speed. The goal is to sustain a higher threshold for longer.
Understanding what different effort levels feel like is crucial. I can’t always rely on data, so I need to recognize the sensations of varying intensities to judge my pace and make smart decisions. For races that are much shorter than my usual focus, it’s about embracing discomfort—reminding myself that I’m not going to blow up and challenging myself. I need to frame it positively: “Can I do this? Is this a new challenge?” instead of fixating on when it will end.
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Copyright © Luke Jones
