Steve Abbott has been crowned English Duathlon Champion 2022 for his age group
A sporty University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) staff member has been crowned English Duathlon Champion 2022 for his age group.
Steve Abbott, who works in the Sir Tom Finney Sports Centre, took the top title in the 45 to 49 age group and placed 13th overall at the recent national event.
The 45-year-old, from New Longton, completed a 10km run, a 40km bike and finished with another 5km run in 1 hour 57 minutes 08 seconds.
The dad-of-one said: “I am delighted to have performed so well and got the gold medal but more importantly I’ve now claimed the English Championship title. It’s a race I was meant to compete in back in 2020 but I’m really pleased I’ve topped my age category despite it being rolled over due to Covid-19.”
"I am delighted to have performed so well and got the gold medal but more importantly I’ve now claimed the English Championship title"
— Steve Abbott
The event, which doubles up as a qualification race to the 2023 European Triathlon Union Championships despite not having a swimming element, took place in and around Darlington.
Most of the race took place on Croft motor racing circuit. It included a mix of laps of the racetrack for both the run and bike sections plus included a picturesque undulating 14-mile bike circuit on the local County Durham roads.
The British Cycling Road and time trial qualified coach, who also competed in the British Duathlon Championships two weeks prior, said: “My bike handling skills aided me greatly on the technical open road bike route. Being in a time trial position for an extended period can be quite uncomfortable especially after a 10km run at race pace. The uneven roads and strong winds made it an even tougher day for pure runners, so having those specific knowledge and skills made it a little easier to endure.”
Steve’s next physical challenge will be representing the Great Britain Age Group team at the 2022 European Championships in Bilbao in September.