As the winter temperatures continue to plummet, the goggles are packed away and we prepare for the season of duathlons. There were many athletes who made their way upto the Mount Annan Botanic Gardens to brave the chill for the third and final round of the Mount Annan Duathlon Series. Despite the goose bumps, the conditions on the day were ideal, and we were provided with a scenic course, free of traffic (and speed humps).

As the gun went off and we all sprinted away, I had to remind myself that I was competing in a duathlon and not a 4.2km run. In the flurry of excitement it can be challenging to settle into a rhythm. Next was the 18km cycle leg. It was 4 laps of a tough course with a steep 300m rise to really make the legs burn. The final 2.8km runwas predominantly off road with a long and unremitting climb before the last descend to the finish line, which I crossed in 3rd place.

Alex and Mark were the first Illawarra athletes’ home, coming in at 3rd and 5th.Hot on their heels were Nathan and Luke who continued their dual, Nathan coming up trumps thanks to an impressive cycle time. Erin produced the fastest female run times of the day, finishing the race in 2nd place with Ash coming through in 5th. Ilyas clocked a good time for his first effort and Bob worked hard to shed over 2 minutesoff his round 2 time! Hugh and Cathie once again battled it out, Hugh finishing less than 20 seconds ahead. Overall, it was a great morning and a successful series withour athletes producing excellent results.