Hibernia Off Road Duathlon

Hibernia County Park, PA
April 19, 2009
By Ray Adams

Mike Hebe, Nancy, and I decided to enter a local favorite this year: the Hibernia Off-Road Duathlon. Nancy and I had done it several times before as a co-ed team, but wanted more challenge and something new this year so we each entered the solo division. Neither of us was very confident in our multi-sport abilities, having never entered anything like this in the past. Hebe, on the other hand, was primed and ready to go since he had been training hard for Duathlon Nationals which would fall on the weekend following Hibernia.

The race consisted of a 2.3 mile trail run, a 10 mile mountain bike course, and the same 2.3 mile run again. The course was a mix of grassy fields and singletrack, and was mostly dry and fast. Weather was pretty nice, a little on the warm side for mid-April.

The first run began with a mass start. Hebe and I stayed up amongst the top five runners. I soon began to feel the effects of having done very little running training. The guys in front of me looked so smooth and efficient while I was plodding along, trying to hang in there. By the end of the run, Hebe was in 2nd place, I was in 4th, and Nancy was amongst the top women.

The mountain biking was at least a little more familiar form of discomfort for me. I could breath and I was able to make up some time on those in front of me. One of the guys up in front had a mechanical and dropped out of the race. I caught another one of the leaders about halfway through the bike section. Then, Hebe broke his chain and was forced to drop out as he had no tools. So here I was sitting in first place with about four miles of biking remaining and a couple more running miles to go. The biking was not a concern, but the running was. I knew that the second place guy was a far superior runner to myself. Meanwhile, Nancy had passed both of the women who were in front of her and established a lead of several minutes by the end of the bike leg.

The final run was one of the toughest things I’ve done. The last half-mile was pure pain as I was able to see my pursuer on the straight-aways trying to catch me. I didn’t have much left in the gas tank, but was able to hold on for the win. Nancy did the same in her category, staying clear of competitors for a victory.

It was a great day for us. My only wish was that Hebe had better luck with his bike. Maybe it was better to get his mechanical issues out of the way this weekend since next weekend would be his more important contest.

Thanks for reading!