![](../../images/thumbnail.jpg)
A Journey of a 1000 miles starts with a single step
Chilly Duathlon Castle Coombe - Mar 2007
Chilly Duathlon March 2007
Saturday had been a fantastic clear, sunny day with views of the lunar eclipse in the
cloudless sky at night. Sunday was a bit different, raining and windy.
These were the worst conditions I'd done a duathlon in over the last 3 years, the wind was
certainly going to be a problem.
Initially I had thought I'd do the race in Ron Hills and a t-shirt and maybe putting my
waterproof jacket on for the cycle leg, but on arriving I quickly revised my plan to wearing
my waterproof jacket for the whole thing, it was windy and cool.
The first run started well and I think that I did it in under 13:30 minutes which is the fastest I have done a lap running.
I started to cycle out of the transition, and straight into the wind up the rise which was
certainly more of a 'hill' than I remembered! I battled into the wind for about 3/4 of the
course and only had the wind behind for 1/4. This cannot be the case but this is how it
felt.
There was at least one person who passed me twice on the 5 laps of the circuit, I knew it was the same person because he
was the only person braving the elements in a tri-suit! Maybe that was why he was so fast,
so that he could get in the hot tub to warm up.
![](../../images/chillyduathlon03-07-002bike.jpg)
On the straight, downhill into the wind
The second run was ok, I passed a few people. Some of them more than once, because I had to
stop to retie my shoe lace at one point. This was the slowest I had done a lap, so I the wind on the bike leg must have affected my running of the second run.
The effect of the wind was evident from my finishing time of over 1:02, which is slower than
my first go at a duathlon on my mountain bike.
![](../../images/chillyduathlon03-07-004run.jpg)
Finishing the last run
![](../../images/chillyduathlon03-07-002bike.jpg)
On the straight, downhill into the wind
![](../../images/chillyduathlon03-07-004run.jpg)
Finishing the last run