In short. I did a duathlon.

It was the Dorney Lake Standard Duathlon. April 5th.
Early in the season, I like doing a half marathon and a duathlon.
To see how I feel. To see where I’m at before the triathlon season kicks off.
This one was last minute. I signed up.

And broke the number one rule of triathlon: Don’t try anything new on race day.

I broke it twice.

First.
I rode my new TT bike. For 50 minutes. The day before.

Second.
I used my brand new Ekoi tri shoes. Never worn. Ever.

At least I looked fast. I had the coolest trisuit from RaceSkin.
In Natalie Lawrence’s coaching colours. With my sponsors. Minus Veloforte.
They didn’t renew this year.
So I tested a new nutrition. STYRKR.
I’d used it in training. Training isn’t racing.

Nutrition plan:

Overnight oats 3 hours before start. Double espresso.
A gel 20 minutes before. Then one every 40 minutes.
Plus 500ml of electrolytes. Before and during.

Targets:

• 10k in 42 minutes

• 40k bike in 1 hour

• Last 5k under 22 minutes
  Easy, right?
  Bref.

I went to the loo right before the start. Again. That habit’s starting to backfire.
I crossed the start line… At the back of the pack.

Then I realised something else. I hadn’t read the race instructions.
Or listened. At all.

I saw a sign: “Duathlon – 2.5k loop.” Panic.
Was I supposed to do 4×2.5k? Or was there a 5k loop?
I guessed. Went the wrong way. Stopped. Asked a marshal. Turned around.
Got back on the right loop. Lost maybe 30 seconds. Maybe more.

T1 went fine. Onto the bike. Tried to settle.
But I couldn’t tuck my head between my shoulders.
Position felt off. Speed wasn’t there. I wanted 40km/h average. I got less.

The gels were in my back pocket. Not ideal.
The hydration tube magnet was under my left hand. Painful.

Back into transition after one hour. But it wasn’t 40k. It was 38k.

The last 5k was okay. Harder to hold 4:00/km pace.
I finished. Time was decent. But I was a bit disappointed.

Then I checked the results. I won my age group. So… not bad after all.

Saw a few familiar faces. From Bracknell Forest Runners. And Instagram.

The event was well-organised. By ATW Events.
Closed roads. Olympic venue.

In short. I did a duathlon.