The BSA Hercules Duathlon 2009

First ever Duathlon in the country is being organized by Runners For Life and Ride A Cycle foundation in Bangalore on 14th June. While I had heard about Triathlon, this was something new. I am speculating that the lack of clean water bodies in Bangalore or the poor swimming skills of Bangaloreans (including myself) would have made Triathlon a not so interesting thing for the Bangalorean. Hopefully someday Bangalore would have a triathlon and by that time I could get my swimming skills to do outdoor long distance swims!

In any case, this is new for Bangalorean and others in a country that is just taking baby steps in fitness events like this. Being a regular commuter since February, I am used to cycling unlike many other folks who would have left it since school days. But my commute being a short one, I wasn't sure of the distances I could cover in a cycle. I haven't yet tried my limits on the cycle yet. Then I read about a rule of thumb somewhere that if you can run 10K, you should be able to cycle 50K or walk 30K or swim 2.5K, which made me comfortable for the 5-10K run-cycle event. A trial run last week ensured that I really don't have to stretch - I could do a 2.5K run, 10K cycle and a 2.5K run in around 75 minutes. So depending on the gradient of the route, I should be on either side of 75 minutes. I used all the higher gears on the cycle and it literally flew, but the uphills were still an uphill task.

One of the major factor is the cycling machine that needs some tuneup before a race, though I don't think it matters for me. I need to shed some weight on the cycle and also it appears that the seat post is a bit low causing a knee pain while pushing a bit. I need to get rid of the rack which is darn heavy and also the fenders which are an absolute must for commute, for the race. May be I need to give people an impression that I am serious about this! You also need to carry the bike along though there is an option for droping it off for a pickup to the event site.

So I have signed up for the event and looking forward to it.