Two of duathlon's most successful Age Group athletes claimed the top spots at the Big Cow Emberton Duathlon in Buckinghamshire yesterday, 11 April. The event, which doubled as a qualification event for the 2010 Edinburgh ITU Duathlon World Championships in September, attracted a large field including the winners, Matt Morehouse and Emma Dews.

Moorehouse carved out victory over Andrew Mercer during the first 10km run. The two athletes matched each other almost identically on the 40km bike and second 5km run, but the experienced Moorehouse had already set up his win with his opening 32min 49run split.

The fastest run split of the day was recorded by Darren Deed. His 30.02 10km split was a new course record.

Age Group World Champion, Emma Dews, scored an impressive 4 minute win over Coventry's Danielle Stewart. She said:

“I've done this race a couple of times before and I really enjoyed the event. It's a nice run course, nice and flat which is good for me! It's an undulating bike course, which is where I make up my time.”

Having won the world title for Great Britain in 2008 and 2009, Dews is looking forward to racing in Edinburgh in September. She said:

“I'm prequalified for Edinburgh and I've put my name forward to be part of the team. I think it will be amazing to have the World Championships in Britain and it seems people have been coming out of the woodwork this year because of it. There are some amazing runners around! I think the World Championships will boost the profile of duathlon, which is what it needs.”

Qualifiers from the Big Cow Emberton Duathlon will be confirmed by the British Triathlon Federation in due course. There is just one opportunity remaining for athletes aiming to qualify for 2010 Edinburgh ITU Duathlon World Championships on 2 May at the Cambridge Duathlon.

To find out more about the 2010 Edinburgh ITU Duathlon World Championships see http://www.edinburghduathlon2010.com and visit the facebook site for regular updates http://bit.ly/cQoNvN.