The Stirling Duathlon (doubling as the Scottish Standard Distance Championships), takes in some of Scotland’s most picturesque scenery, with the run starting under the shadow of the Wallace Monument, within the grounds of Stirling University. Whilst Emma Lamont froze in the inclement conditions, she did finish a strong second and only missed the top spot by seconds…

In one word this race was COLD!

With this being my race season opener, it certainly was a shock to the system in many ways. The first being the race conditions – it was a miserable Winter’s day in Scotland, with wind, rain and low temperatures and with the Standard Race Distance format, which included 6 times up the killer hill on the run, which made for a long day out.

The race was a big mental test as well as a physical one. However, I received a huge sense of satisfaction upon crossing the finish line, for not giving up during the tough times: unable to drink on the bike (due to the cold causing me to loose feeling in my hands), the inability to take my bike shoes and helmet off in T2 and running on what felt like stumps for the second run.

Overall, although I did not necessarily enjoy the race, I felt absolutely thrilled to finish it and even happier to get on the podium when my aim during the race was simply to get to the finish line. Thankfully I managed a couple of smiles for the cameramen during the race – which is also an important thing! It was also fantastic to have some great support from family and friends throughout the race!

A huge Thanks also to all the team sponsors for getting me looking the part for this Season’s opener. At least I looked good when I didn’t feel good.

It is onwards to Majorca now for some warm weather training in the lead up to my Triathlon Race Season beginning in May.