Durango has plenty of local races, whether it’s on a bike or on foot, and there will be a new unique race this spring with the inaugural Sky Rim Duathlon on April 18 at 8 a.m.
The duathlon will be set up in and around Fort Lewis College, with a 3-mile run followed by a 12-mile bike ride and a 3-mile run.
Michelle Blakenship, the President of the Durango Tri Club, and longtime triathlete and Lake Nighthorse Triathlon race director, Dave Rakita, brought back the Tri the Rim triathlon in 2018, a local triathlon that was around from 1988-2014, and ran it for two years until COVID-19 hit. Then, FLC put cement over its pool, ending any hopes of bringing the Tri the Rim race back after COVID-19.
Last year, Blakenship and Rakita thought about how popular the Tri the Rim race was, and how they can bring something similar back to Durango.
“The neat thing about being able to put on a duathlon is we can target a larger audience,” Blakenship said. “There are a lot of people who would like to do a triathlon, but they're anxious about the swim. A duathlon is the perfect kind of introduction to multi-sport racing.”
Blakenship remembers there being a stage duathlon years ago in Durango, but it wasn’t all in one day like the Sky Rim Duathlon will be. The only other race she knows in town that is a multi-sport race is the Valkyrie Multisport Relay, which Blakenship feels is more of an adventure race.
The course layout will be similar to the Tri the Rim layout, according to Blakenship. The 3-mile running route will be on Rim Drive, Fort Lewis Drive and Eighth Avenue, along with some fun parts on Talon Drive, behind the dormitories near the tennis courts. The 12-mile biking route will include those same roads, with the addition of riding along the Hillcrest Golf Course and back on Rim Road.
Blakenship said course marshals, signage and communicating with the athletes who have the right of way will be key. The roads won’t be closed down since Blakenship doesn’t expect a lot of traffic on those roads on a Saturday morning.
One of the unique things about the Sky Rim Duathlon is how FLC is involved. Dr. Mark Beattie, the Chair and Associate Professor of Health & Human Performance at FLC, will have some of his students get some real-life experience putting on a race.
FLC students are also encouraged to participate since they’ll get a $10 discount off their registration fee. The normal registration fee will be $45.
“It's probably as cheap a race as you'll find in this town,” Blakenship said. “We wanted to keep the price really low this inaugural year ... So we're keeping the cost down as much as possible. We also want to provide an inexpensive race that we feel anyone can do.”
Blakenship hopes to find some local businesses that will offer some gift certificates for raffling. She said there will be age-group recognitions along with the winners.
Anyone interested can sign up here, and people can even sign up on the day of.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
