Targu Mures, Romania.
Report by Neil Taylor.
For those who haven’t already seen it, here is my report from the World Duathlon Championships in Targu Mures, Romania in which I finished 6th in a highly competitive 65-69 age group. The course was set on a challenging, twisty, undulating motor racing circuit, situated on a hilltop, with fabulous views over the rolling green hills around. Thankfully, we had a warm, calm morning with no repeat of the ferocious thunderstorm that swept across the circuit as we racked up the night before. We began with a 4-lap 10k run, with a significant climb near the start of each lap, rather like the uphill drag on the Parkrun. I was pleased to complete the 10k inside my target time of 47 minutes. The bike course of 5×7.5k was twisty and undulating, with a short, sharp climb and some exciting descents. I made up 3 places with a respectable 1:10 but I know with the right training, I could attack the hills more and go several minutes quicker. A tidy T2 took me onto the 5k run, where I suffered alongside everyone else to finish a clear 6th in the age group and 3rd Brit. I’m told this qualifies me automatically for next year’s World Champs in Ibiza, though I’ve already qualified for the Sprint and Standard races there anyway! My wonderful supporter Ruth Taylor has been officially confirmed as an age group WAG, giving great race encouragement and support, along with all the rest of the team. She’s already sharing inside information on her Instagram account 
The next stops in my 65th year race-fest are the Cardiff Sprint Tri and then the European Sprint Tri Championships in Munich in August.
