Race Report- 2014 Chilly Willy Duathlon

Chilly Willy!!  5K run, 10 mile bike, 5K run.

This is a great race, yet a bit awkward to have a 5K up front.  Definitely have to approach the run up front a bit differently than your typical first run of 1 mile.  My history with this race is interesting- I’ve shot the race 2 or 3 times and have raced it 2 or 3 times.  This time around it was more significant than any other- it marks the first multi-sport race that Samantha and I competed in together.  And the cherry on top was Samantha’s dad and our friend Michelle also competed in it.

The weather was perfect!  Cool, crisp and perfectly overcast.  The wind however was a killer on the bike!  Fort DeSoto is a great triathlon location, but the wind never fails to be present and in full force.  As usual the run course is partially on the beach and thankfully its over packed sand.  Everyone got a long sleeve tech shirt and an awkwardly shaped beenie.  They had some decent Greek food after the race and Muscle Milk was there to hand out full bottles.  Unfortunately, this race like all other Florida Race Place triathlons held at Ft. DeSoto doesn’t hand out finisher medals!  Boo!!

The race started out great.  Lately I’ve been feeling this sharp pain in my upper hip on my right side, which I have identified as my IT Band, so this makes races not fun in the beginning.  After being fully warmed up this goes away thankfully!  My first 5K was completed in 30:23.  I felt I could have gone much faster, but as mentioned this is an awkward distance to have up front on a duathlon, so pacing myself was crucial.  The bike was decent; I completed the 10 miles in 32:48 averaging around 18.3 mph.  Which isn’t too shabby considering my last race on a bike was last Nov (which I consider a C race for me).  And lastly, I completed the second run in 30:55.

Overall, it was a great race and one I recommend to anyone as a great first race to enter the world of multi-sport or for anyone looking for a challenging race that’s fun.