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DUATHLON
Duathlon is an athletic event (not to be confused with biathlon) that usually consists of a running leg, followed by a cycling leg and then another running leg in a format bearing some resemblance to triathlons.
The world's largest duathlon to date is the inaugural London Duathlon, which took place on 17 September 2005 in Richmond Park, Surrey. Approximately 2,500 people took part. The main race consisted of a 10k run, 20k cycle ride and 5k run.
The World's premier duathlon is Powerman Zofingen, in Switzerland. It's a hilly 10K run, mostly on trails, followed by a very hilly 150K road bike consisting of 3 50K loops each of which feature the feared Bodenburg ascent (scene of Kenny Souza's famed DNF in a snow storm when he raced in a neon speedo and man bra), and finally a very hilly 30K 2 loop trail run the descents of which pound the quads into quivering jelly. Mark Allen, 6 times Ironman Hawaii champion, has been quoted as saying Powerman Zofingen is the hardest race he ever participated in.
The longest continually running duathlon series is still organized by the NY Triathlon Club (www.nytc.org) in and around NY City, USA.
In the United States, Duathlon is governed by USA Triathlon; the International Triathlon Union governs the sport internationally.
Another use of the dualathlon is in cross country skiing where skiers have a mass start using the classical technique and ski a specific distance (Men - 15km, Women - 7.5km), then change their skis, poles, and boots in a pit stop manner similarly seen in Formula 1 or NASCAR auto racing, then ski at the same specific distance (Men - 15km, Women - 7.5km) in the freestyle (skating) technique. The winner of the event is who crosses the finish line first. It was first introduced at the 2006 Winter Olympics and is called a Double Pursuit.
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