I had a lot of fun in this duathlon, even if it was on the road. There are two really top triathletes in town (they actually made a living off of racing for awhile). One is one of our departmental secretaries. They are quite nice and fun to watch, but I was only able to watch there backs as they took off on the first run leg and then again when they were coming back on the bike leg. I ran the first 5K in about 24 minutes -- I was pleased because I haven't run that much and figured I was really only good for about 27 minutes. I felt strong for the 25K bike ride portion but this is where I ended up frustrated. The course was relatively flat, but we were actually either going up or down slight grades the whole time. The course was an out-and-back into the prairie east of town. The prairie is rarely if ever flat, so you really have to work to keep your average speed up. If my speedometer was reading below 20mph, I found I would gain on those in front of me, but when the speeds got higher (flat and/or downhill), those in front would ride away. I even passed one guy and he proceeded to blow by me on the last 4 miles -- a slight downhill run. I think I have it figured out -- aerobars! I haven't ridden a road timetrial in years and back then no one thought "aero". Anyway, I figure I was stronger than they were but I really feel as if the aero bars they had allowed them the extra speed on the flats and downhills that more than compensated for my slightly greater horsepower. I am perfectly willing to admit that a lot of people could beat me riding a Huffy, but the folks I am talking about were more likely runners than cyclists -- I think I have more sympathy for Fignon now! I felt that I did well in the second 5K as well, about 25 minutes -- once again faster than I would have anticipated. I'm not sure of my finishing position, it was not in the top 3 for those aged 30-39, but I wasn't too far behind either. Aerobars wouldn't have moved me into their group -- far more time would be gained by improving my running technique or overall fitness level.