Elite Sponsorship Fund
Matt's story
I was very grateful to receive an Elite Athletes grant for my participation in the World Sprint Duathlon Age Group Championships in June, which featured a 3.6-mile run, an 11-mile bike leg, and finally a 1.6-mile run.
The championships were held in Targu Mures, Romania, somewhere I had actually been before when I competed in the European Championships in 2019. That time did not have particularly happy memories as a problem with a foot injury came to a head during the race and I struggled to even finish.
The weather this year dawned hot on race day, creating challenging racing conditions for all. The first run leg went out fast and, despite taking on fluid before the race, I soon felt very thirsty, with the heat making it hard going. My pace felt unsustainable and I backed off allowing some other competitors to catch me up, although I rallied sufficiently to make sure they didn't get away from me.
After a quick transition, it was out on the bikes for a leg which, in this format, allowed competitors to 'draft' off each other although, with the twisting nature of the course, in practice, there was little opportunity for this. I felt good on the bike, and the technical nature of the course suited me, enabling me to make good progress in the field.
Then, after another good transition, it was back out onto the run course for the final leg. I didn't feel fast, but relatively strong still, and maintained a decent pace throughout, finally hitting the finish at a good speed. Both run and bike courses were laps in the city centre, so there was good support throughout.
The run course had been changed at the last minute and some competitors seemed to find themselves unable to accurately count their laps, there were multiple incidents of insufficient laps being run, leading to disqualification.
When the dust settled though, I found I had exceeded all my expectations by finishing 5th in my age group out of 17, and I was the 2nd GB athlete to finish (the 1st place GB athlete won the race). This has resulted in me pre-qualifying for the 2023 World Championships, so watch this space!
Matt
