A Wet and Windy Day at The Butchers Block Naas Duathlon

Round 2 of the Butcher’s Block Naas Duathlon Series in Punchestown hosted by Naas Triathlon Club was always going to be a wet and breezy affair with persistent wind and rain making this a very tough challenge. Despite this there was a large turnout made up of elite athletes chasing National Duathlon Series points alongside many new competitors for whom this was their first venture into the world of Triathlon.

At the head of the field the mens’ race was a hard fought affair with three athletes going toe-to-toe for the whole race. Desi Foley led into the first transition after a run of 3.5k closely followed by Kevin Donagher and Stephen Donnelly. Stephen was the quickest through transition and took the lead during the 20k bike leg while Kevin also overtook Desi coming into the second transition. In the end it came down to consistency as Kevin put in the fastest second run leg of the three to take the win with Desi retaking second spot from Stephen. In the end there was only 17 seconds separating them making this one of the tightest races ever on this course.

In the women’s race it was Geraldine Gill who led from start to finish with Lizanne Barnwall and Katherine Kelly finding it hard to match her pace on the bike where Geraldine gained a minute and a half. This left too much for Lizanne to do on the final run leg where despite a very quick run she couldn’t catch Geraldine.

One of the most remarkable aspects to this race is how many smiling faces there were at the finish line. For some it was sheer relief to be finished and for others it was the thrill of having completed their first event. Many thanks also to all the brave marshals who stood out in the pouring rain to ensure this race ran smoothly once again.

The final leg of the Butchers Block Naas Duathlon Series takes place on March 22nd and it looks like it will be a sell-out so get your entries in fast.