Today, Canada. Tomorrow, the world.
That's the figurative timeline for local duathlete Derek Richmond, whose strong showing at the 2014 Canadian National Duathlon Championships earned him a place on the Canadian team for the 2015 World Duathlon Championships in Adelaide, Australia.
The Canadian championships took place Sunday, July 13 in Toronto as part of the Toronto Triathlon Festival. The event included close to 2,600 athletes in the various events, and was staged in preparation for the 2015 Pan American Games.
The duathlon is a unique event that consists of two running legs, with a biking leg in the middle. The national championships started with a run of 10km, followed by a bike of 40km, and finished with a run of 5km.
The unique course centred around Ontario Place at the lakeshore, and circled around many of the main roads of downtown Toronto which were closed specially for the festival.
The race was delayed by torrential downpours, but racers were undeterred once the race started. Richmond placed second in his category with a time of 2 hours and 26 minutes. As impressive as this performance is, it is all the more so because Richmond has just come back from 18 months of injury recovery.
Richmond says, “It’s a sweet comeback. This is definitely an event in which to consider participating!”
– Comox Valley Road Runners