“I was ecstatic to clinch 7th in my first duathlon!” — Darrion Mohan

As I embarked on the final run, I knew that I was just outside the top 10 and resolved to change that during the run. I took short and fast strides to lengthen my muscles and shake off the ‘rubbery’ feeling in my legs before settling into an even pace.

However, I was going to pay for all the effort I had put into fighting the wind on the bike. Although each step I took sent more pain shooting up my lactic-filled quads and sore hamstrings, I told myself to focus on catching one competitor at a time. I began to lengthen my strides and overtook several runners. I later found out that my split for the second leg of the run (6:37) was the fastest amongst all the competitors in my category.

As the finish arch beckoned over the last few hundred metres, I managed to summon up a defiant sprint and promptly collapsed to the ground after the finish line from sheer exhaustion.

Conscious but light-headed and faint, I was ushered to the medical tent but recovered within a few minutes after regaining my breath. I was ecstatic when I found out that I had managed to clinch a 7th place finish in my first duathlon! It was a novel experience and I look forward to participating in the MetaSprint Series Triathlon on May 6th.

Congratulations to all the other participants and many thanks to the organisers and volunteers for making it such a great race.

Darrion’s Race Splits
Run 1 (1.5km) – 5:20
T1 – 0:49
Bike (12km) – 25:19
T2 – 0:59
Run 2 – 6:37
Total: 39:07