My name is Lucy O’Gorman, a member of Triathlon England and I invite you to join me through my six-week challenge to train for the British Elite Duathlon Championships at Prestwold Hall.
I have been a middle distance runner for 15 years and competed in fell running, cross-country and track. However, unfortunately I have had a stint of injury over three years and after a year of consistent running I am yet to get back to where I used to be. On the plus side, my injuries introduced me to the world of cycling and triathlon. My running ability has allowed me to be eligible and I also believe I am competent on the bike.
My interest in duathlon started when I was working at the 2010 GE Edinburgh ITU Duathlon World Championships, which was held in the beautiful, albeit cold, City of Edinburgh. The undulating terrain around the Holyrood Park created a challenging course for the duathletes. I will be the first to admit the walk to and from the accommodation was challenging enough never mind lapping around Holyrood Park running and cycling.
Needless to say I was inspired by all the athletes, from age-group all the way to the elite. My good friend, and now world champion,
Katie Hewison was racing, and is someone I have known since I was 15 years old. It was great to see Katie using her talent further and adapting so well to a new and exciting sport. That is when I decided, I would love to do a duathlon one day.
Since then Katie has progressed from strength to strength, with Katie winning World Championships in 2011. Over the next six weeks, I will be lucky enough to gain professional advice from Katie who is also a member of British Triathlon’s Elite Multisport squad. With Katies expert advice, I plan on making it round The British Elite Duathlon Championships at Prestwold Hall in one piece.
So here I am today, I have 6 weeks to train for the British Elite Duathlon Championships. Mad? Probably. Excited? Most definitely.
Remember:
"You owe it to yourself to be the best you can possibly be..” Pete Rose, Baseball Player. Therefore, train hard and enjoy it and results will follow.
