It was a quiet Sunday morning on East beach as the sixth edition of the Santa Barbara Duathlon was held.
Benefitting from excellent weather conditions, over 150 athletes competed in the race’s new format, run-bike-run. Although the new layout seems fun, it was certainly a challenge for athletes who usually specialize in only biking or running.
“When I saw my follower was so close to me in the second run, I was worried that he would pass me,” said Matt Benko, who won the 5K run-30K bike-5K run in less than 90 minutes. Like many other duathletes, Benko is more competitive in one of the two disciplines. His specialty is biking.
Similarly, top women’s finisher Annie Toth (1:36:58) has a preference.
“I’m a runner. I just do biking for fun,” revealed the 28-year-old.
Contrary to Benko and Toth, short-course winner Matthew Trost is well-rounded in both running and biking.
“I did the Santa Barbara and Carpinteria triathlons this season, and my next event will be the Santa Barbara half marathon in November,” said Trost, who finished the 2K-17K-2K course in under 50 minutes.
Athletes from each side of the age spectrum also had excellent performances on the sprint course. Bill Arnerich, 64, was 13th overall while 12-year-old Brennan Benko (son of Matt Benko) arrived in 15th.
For complete results, see: http://results.active.com/pages/page.jsp?eventID=1619340&pubID=3
