Triathlon gives BUCS Duathlon a ‘tri’

Sunrise came. The sun was finally shining, giving relief to a week of grim weather.

It was BUCS duathlon.

The biggest race in the duathlon calendar.

A season finale.

The challenge? A 2 mile run, followed by a 10 mile bike, and then another 2 mile run.

Nice.

With an air of excitement, the team travelled down to Castle Coombe racing circuit in Bath.

After hours of Ed2 chat from the two Eds, the team was relieved to finally arrive at the course.

The squad spent the remaining time sorting out pre-race plaits, matching wheel to bike and admiring the TT bikes that were almost certainly going to lap them.

Before long the gun went and they were off - the ‘elite’ men.

Within, our very own Romain, Ethan, and Ed Clark set the bar high.

With the front of the pack completing the 2 mile - 1 lap - run in under 9:30, they were already in full aero gear pacing it round on the bike in a blink of an eye.

This was where our own strengths shone through - with Romain coming in the top 30 for the bike leg.

Then as soon as they had begun they were striding through the final run chasing down the rest of the field.

Swiftly following the men, the ‘elite’ women set off, featuring much-loved alumna member Millie.

The wind was picking up meaning for half the bike lap one would feel lightning quick and for the the other half one would “look like you were just pedalling static.”

In spite of this, the team emerged strongly with everyone coming in within an hour and improving on last year’s times!

The final mixed race of the day provided excellent performances all-round to finish off an already amazing day, with seasoned Imperial triathletes like Ema and new club freshers showing how it’s done.

Shoutout to Ed for not only driving us there and back despite being injured but also for capturing some beautiful and photogenic action shots of these moments along with David Ho - Instagram anyone?

The day topped off by the eating of countless cakes and treats brought along by the team.

Turns out Triathlon will cycle for cake - who knew.