Kicking off the race season …… the right way!

Desert Classic Duathlon – The Offroad Version – Bryce Phinney

Feb 20th would mark the start of my race season, with the newly minted Offroad version of the Desert Classic Duathlon. The race was held at McDowell Mt. Park in Fountain Hills, AZ, an oasis of saguaro studded trails set in the AZ desert against the McDowell Mountains. The running portions of the race were trail runs and were shared with the on-road participants, while the bike portion was around the long-course competitive loop … except backwards.

I went up to Fountain Hills for the pre-ride/run of the course the weekend prior to the race. The weather was good, with cool temps. and a little breeze to start. The first run was good, followed by two loops of the bike course. I had planned on running the second run course, but by the end of the second bike loop the wind had decided to join us and the dust was immense. I decided to save the second run for race weekend.

On race weekend I decided to head out to the course the day before the race for a quick ride/run just to get the legs moving. Bad weather had started to move in so I opted to ride the second run course first, just to make sure I knew what it looked like. By the time I finished the short 3.5 mile ride I was wet and cold from the rain. I bailed on the runs and headed to town for packet pick-up and some warm coffee.

Race morning came early but I was wide awake when my alarm went off. This is my first year training under the direction of a coach and I was anxious to get the first race of the season under my belt and see where my fitness stood (previously I was “self-coached”). The weather on race morning looked ominous, with cloudy skies and very wet roads. It had rained throughout the night, and I was hoping the trails wouldn’t be too muddy. I arrived at the race venue to find it was extremely wet, but the race organizers from the Phoenix Triathlon Club were doing everything possible to create a good race experience. Most of the roadies were carrying their bikes...Read More

Desert Classic Duathlon – The Road Version – Kim Beisner

Rounding the corner I see the finish line and my watch says 1:58, can I make it under two hours? Somehow I summon the strength and beat my time from the previous year by less than a minute. I was hoping for more but soon learn that most people have similar experiences or even slower times compared to the previous years due to the change in running courses. Honestly I was most relieved by not getting a flat on the bike. As I unloaded my bike in the morning the back tire was flat...Read More