BSA Hercules Bangalore Duathlon, 2009

Finally we have a duathlon event of our own. BSA Hercules Bangalore Duathlon 2009 was officially the first of its kind in India. Some of my overseas friend might find it amusing but then we are largely cricket crazy nation. Such things don't make much of news. Duathlon is typically a Cycling and Running event. Though on the surface one might feel that there isn't much of a culture for such sports, but scratch a little deeper, and you will see a completely different tribe of people leading a parallel life to make such events possible in this country. Bangalore happens to be light years ahead of other cities, with various running and cycling groups in action. Runners for life (RFL) group being one of them, responsible for conducting this event. Though this event was sponsored by BSA Hercules, it showcased some of the higher end, premium bikes from Bianchi, Trek, Merida etc. These bikes can range from INR 30,000 to INR 1 Lac and above. These bikes happen to be equipped with state of the art technology - disc brakes, adjustable shockers, smooth gear changing system, flip and dismantle concept. Some road bikes can weigh no more than 8 kilos.

This event was conducted on 14th of June, 30km away from Bangalore on the Sarjapur Highway. There were a total 300 odd participants, out of which 200 took part in 5km/10km event, and 100 of them did 10km/20km. Participants had to run a 5km distance, cycle for 20 km and then run 5 km distance again.

5 km, 26 mts 54 sec: Beautiful weather greeted us in the early hours of morning. The location being far away from city was green as far as eyes to look. The race started at 7:17 am. It was a completely difference feeling. While running 5k was not a challenge but running 15% faster than normal speed, on a road which is anything but flat course is a breath taking experience. There was adequate arrangement of water and fruits across the course. At 7:30 in the morning, even the highway was relatively empty. As we completed the 5 km run, the bikes were neatly stacked in 'transition' area.

20km, 55 mts 25 sec: As we picked up the bike, participants had to walk a bit in order to ensure bikers don't hit the runners coming to pick up the bike. Moving from running to cycling was an easy transition. Body takes this opportunity to 'recover' during this phase. All kinds of bikes zipped on the course. It was great feeling to hit the road. At some parts where there was too much of climb, it did become tough, but a great experience. Thankfully there was no unfortunate incident with traffic being manage by traffic police very effectively. Though I am used to covering 70k to 90k on my bike, but racing along with others means you are always pushing your body.

5 km, 32 mts 30 sec: As we approached the last leg, I knew this will be toughest one. We parked the bikes on the same spot, neatly and started our last 5 k run. This transition is the toughest and trust me, a lot of server space on the internet has been utilised to make the participants aware on how to tackle such transitions, so much so there are forums on handling transitions. Professional Athletes train specially to handle these transition phases. In simple words, body takes huge efforts to switch from usage of one set of muscles to another. Entire body goes thru a drag effect. It took me some 10-12 minutes to get used to running. Ones in the groove, it was mere momentum that kept going. As we reached the finishing point, organisers were standing congratulating each and every participant.

This was a very different experience than just running for hours and hours. But than, its a challenge conducting such events where there is not much of know-how. Seeing the first time response, I am sure it will encourage Organisers to do a bigger show next time. In a place like Mumbai, cycling is typically associated with the peons, milk man, delivery boys. Hopefully we have more of these events picking up all across the country, creating awareness on what fun it can be riding these state of the art eco friendly machines.

Sorry! No photos this time !!