The evenings are just starting to get lighter and all across the country people are starting to feel the racing itch having suffered a winter disrupted with snow and cold weather. Before you know it spring duathlons will be blossoming all over the country and the ever growing mix of newcomers, old timers and triathletes looking to taste the greener grass of Duathlon’s pastures will be donning their lycra and pinning on numbers.

This spring promises to blossom early than ever in Duathlon’s history with the national Duathlon Championships being held at the Clumber Park Duathlon on the 6th of March. Knowing the large number of athletes that want the chance to test themselves against the best nationally this will mean that many will be revved up and ready to go from March onwards so I have chosen six must-do races this spring and some of my inside tips on how to get the most from them.

With this year’s European Championships being in Nancy, France on 1st May, and then the Worlds at the other end of the season in Edinburgh many Duathletes will be thinking of trying to qualify for age-group teams for one of or both and the qualification races are:

ETU European Duathlon Champs. Nancy, France:

• Clumber Classic Duathlon - 6th March
• Stirling University Duathlon - 28th March
• Steyning Duathlon - 5th April

ITU World Duathlon Champs. Edinburgh, Scotland:

• Clumber Classic Duathlon - 6th March
• Stirling University Duathlon - 28th March
• Big-Cow Emberton Duathlon - 11th April
• Cambridge Duathlon - 2nd May

For more information on applying for the age group teams and the qualification process click here:

I’ll start by previewing three big Classic races:

Clumber Classic Duathlon BTA National Championships - 6th March

This is not one of the oldest Duathlons on the UK scene but has rightly gained itself a reputation amongst the best UK races. With a rolling run on closed roads within the park it provides an ideal competitive testing ground for running form before heading out onto the bike. Classic distance athletes find themselves doing two out and back runs on the first run and this is an ideal platform for seeing where you are in the race and where your rivals are too. Just make sure you practice the “I’m gonna catch you even though you’re three minutes ahead of me” look for the second lap when the leader comes past. Either that or be the leader...Your choice!

The bike leg is a strong bikers dream. I went from seventh after a bad run up to first with a minute lead by the end of the bike leg in the 2007 race, and this was proof that if you have a bad run (and I was crawling by the end!) you can still make good in-roads on this course. It’s the sort of bike course that suits strong efficient bikers that can hold a good rhythm. And if that’s not you then my top tip might just help:

Top Tip: The bike course takes in a long main road before you head back into Clumber Park and on this there is a painted white or yellow line which appears intermittently along the edge of it. When it does, try to ride on it and stay on it. You’ll find it’s much smoother and faster that the standard tarmac. Just make sure you keep focussed on the road conditions around you and take care if it’s wet because the lines can become slippery.

Big Cow Emberton Duathlon (Emberton) 11th April

The Emberton race is a classic which has become a mainstay of the national series and has hosted a number of National championships. It’s a course which has rarely changed and as a result many of the competitors this year will have raced there before so, if you haven’t, a drive around the bike course in advance would be advantageous so that you can see where the hills are and get a feel for the course overall.

The run course is utterly pan-flat as it uses multiple-laps of a series of lakes on a service road. This could be seen as a blessing, but that would depend what kind of runner you are. Being pan-flat means that it becomes what I call a ‘rhythm run’; meaning that your rhythm should hardly ever change save for the occasional speed bump on the way round. This can be some people’s downfall though. Where Clumber has an early hill to force athletes to back off a bit and pace it Emberton Park has none of that and so it can be easy to run too fast over the first 5k, and then suffer badly over the second half as a result. Careful Pacing is the key on the first run. The bike course is open and exposed and has two climbs of note on it. They are longer rolling climbs and again, when paced out correctly shouldn’t leave you struggling to recover too much after them.

Top Tip: After your second transition, going out onto the final run, aim to have a lighting quick transition but then run just within yourself and holding back for the first 30 seconds. That will allow you to get beyond transition and onto the road having crossed a narrow section of off-road trail. Running within yourself for those 30 seconds will just allow for your body to adapt without risking cramping before you unleash the beast on the final run. Oh; and never EVER look back. It serves no purpose...

Steyning Duathlon (Sussex) 5th April

Steyning has long been held on Easter Bank holiday Monday and this has always been a mixed blessing in the past. The fact that it is on a bank holiday means that the town centre run course and transition area become packed with people out to watch a good race and as such the atmosphere is excellent. The fact that the bike course for many years has snaked close to one of the main trunk roads down to the coast has been the source of problems in terms of traffic bunching up. The organisers have stuck with the date and now seem to have found the perfect all-round bike course which has a mix of fast stretches and some testing hills. This is a race to do for the atmosphere on the run course, the slightly shorter first run (which suites the strong bikers!) and the fact that it’s the ideal opportunity to take family and friends so that once the race action is over you can go and sample the coast (at spring time) which is just a short drive away.

Top Tip: I’d say the majority of people overcook the first 3k of the opening run by going too fast. It starts downhill and has a great crowd spread along the main street which your ego will want to dash along but trust me, once on the quieter back road you’ll be paying for it before you turn back onto the high street again. Even pacing and tunnel vision might just help you stay on track on the first run.

Now I’ve chosen some smaller races which really deserve a big reputation. These are my Hidden Jewels:

Maidstone Duathlon (Kent) 7th March

A rolling country lane first run followed by a rolling (mostly) A-road bike course which is fast and exciting. The out and back nature makes it ideal for measuring your effort. A straight up and down two sides of a hill makes the short final run. Lovely people, nice atmosphere and easy to get to just off the A2 in Kent.

Top Tip: For your warm-up, run right out of the car park and up what will be the hill for the final run so that you can run the length of it and know how to pace it at the end of the race.

1485 No Frills Duathlon (Market Bosworth) 21st March

A pan-flat run around a picturesque water park followed by a rolling country lane bike course. The bike course is a great blend of testing rises and fast windy lane sections. The final run is another flat fast run out to a turn and back.

Top Tip: Wear trail shoes for the run sections if you have them. You could even wear cross country ‘spikes’ just whack some elastic laces in them to save time.

Knockburn Duathlon (Scotland) 4th April

Duathlon is set to be a big part of Scotland’s sporting landscape in 2010 with the World Championships being held there in September. The Knockburn Duathlon is the final round of the Aberdeenshire winter series and comes not long after the Stirling world championships qualifier so it’s an ideal time for Scottish Duathletes to polish their form on a beautiful course.

A loch-side first run gives way to a hilly and exposed cycle section before doing exactly the same run again.

Top Tip: The bike course has some tight and fast turns on it. Always remember: try to take these bends by going wide, tight, wide by clipping across the apex of the bend and staying low on the bike to maintain a low centre of gravity. Obviously make sure that you ride safely within the lane though.

Gower Duathlon (Welsh Championships) 15th May

This young but ambitious event has gained the status of a Welsh Championship this year which should be the start of it growing into being one of the all time great British Duathlons. It deserves it with a course like that!

A slightly rolling cliff top run overlooking Rhossili beach will take your breath away before you head out onto a hard but exhilarating bike loop which takes in most of the Gower peninsula and really shows off the landscape before heading out and back to another stunning view which you could easily have missed on the final cliff top run. The views are so good you’ll feel guilty for not stopping!

Top Tip: Make sure your tyres are well inflated. If it’s wet you would be better leaving them at your standard pressure that letting any air out for better traction as it’s a rural loop with often gritty roads and you don’t want a puncture to ruin a great day out. Soft tyres deform more easily around a piece of grit or a thorn and welcome it into it’s rubbery clutch. A hard tyre says “Oi! Thorn! No!” and leaves it sitting upright for the next person behind you.