As the crowd of finishers grew, Richmond's Gimbles Hill Park took on a celebratory atmosphere yesterday morning at the National Duathlon Festival's on-road national championship races.
With age-group waves leaving in staggered starts from 7:30 a.m. until after 10, the finish area became progressively fuller, younger and louder with racers mingling to cheer each other on and discuss the 5k run, 38k bike, and 5k run in which they competed.
Some duathletes sprinted across the line; others fell down exhausted; one did a somersault; all were quickly enveloped by the growing throng.
Racers with high enough age-group finishes qualified for the National Duathlon Championships in Scotland later this year. One of those was David Burkhart, who flew in from Michigan and won the men's 55-59-year-old group with a strong push toward the end of the final 5k.
With rain overnight, he said, "You just had to worry about the turns because it was wet and there was a lot of gravel."
That was a constant refrain from finishers: wetness and humidity meant caution was the better part of valor, especially on hilly, winding Riverside Drive.
Pat Fossum, a Montgomery, Ala. resident and, at 75, the oldest woman in the field, agreed. She raced here two years ago when the event doubled as the World Championships.
"I thought it was good then but this is much better," she said. "They tweaked the course. The way it's organized . . . everything is much better."
Fossum and Burkhart were two of the nearly 1,800 racers who toed the line in either Saturday's off-road events (11k trail run-21k mountain bike-3.5k trail run) or yesterday's races on the pavement. They were also part of the 60 percent of registrants who came from out of state.
For the Monument Avenue 10K, that number is about six percent; for the Richmond Marathon, it's near 40 percent, said Jon Lugbill, Executive Director of the Sports Backers, which, along with USA Triathlon, organized the National Duathlon Festival. He put the economic-impact number at "half a million, easy."
It's the chance to race in a national championship -- and qualify for the world event -- that draws people from all over, he said. "That's the only reason someone flies in from Colorado."
Tom Gillespie and Patti Rittling, both in the 45-49 age groups, didn't have to fly or even drive to the race yesterday. The two South Richmonders, found discussing race strategy near the finish line while the band muscled through Rod Stewart's "Stay With Me," live walking distance from the bike section's turn through Woodland Heights.
Both were grateful that the weather wasn't a repeat of last year's blazing heat. With the water on the roads, Gillespie said, "I was expecting to see more carnage." Rittling said she saw two crashes but managed to avoid both.
Ryan Patterson, 16, defended his title in the junior category on the 5k-13k-2.5k short course. The Hanover High sophomore had about a 45-second lead after the bike, his stronger discipline, and wasn't sure if he had enough to outlast his fellow juniors.
"I was nervous because there were some good kids here that I didn't know," he said. "But I just gave it my all and apparently it was enough."
Four years ago, the on-road duathlon age-group national championships in Ohio drew under 400 people. Now, with more categories, an off-road component, and a much larger profile in the world of multi-discipline racing, the event heads to Tucson, Ariz., for a two-year stay.
She'll be 76 by then, but Fossum, for one, plans to be there. "Oh yeah," she said, looking on at the finishers just then crossing the line. "I wouldn't miss this."
Contact Andy Thompson at (804) 649-6579 or outdoors@timesdispatch.com.
RESULTS
AGE GROUP NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPMen's top finishers
1. Kalev Vanort, Mishawaka, Ind. 1:30:29
2. Dave Slavinski, Point Pleasant, N.J. 1:31:05
3. Eneas Freyre, Norwalk, Conn., 1:31:06
4. Samuel Dannenbring, Yankton, S.D., 1:32:51
5. Cory Scott, Kill Devil Hills, N.C., 1:33:06
Women's top finishers
1. Amy Farrell, Saranac Lake, N.Y., 1:44:36
2. Ashley Morgan, West Point, N.Y., 1:45:31
3. Annie Usher, Portland, Ore., 1:45:33
4. Ann Davidson, Portland, Ore., 1:45:35
5. Alicia Parr, Durham, N.C., 1:46:54
OFF ROAD CHAMPIONSHIP
Men's top finishers
1. Brandon Jessop, Lakewood, Col., 2:00:36
2. Chris Ganter, Philadelphia, 2:00:43
3. Frank Febbraro, Falls Church, 2:02:37
4. Eric Sorenson, Annandale, 2:03:07
5. Trevor MacLean, Westport, Conn., 2:03:26
Women's top finishers
1. Kathleen Coutinho, Fairfax, 2:20:44
2. Laura Hamm, Blacksburg, 2:23:10
3. Emily Bashton, Richmond, 2:43:56
4. Irene Bierie, Hampton 2:48:13
5. Francine Rapp, Mechanicsville, 2:49:52
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