Having just graduated from Basic Officer Leaders Course at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma, I am now starting my Air Defense School at Ft. Bliss, Texas. I'll be there, near El Paso, until February.  El Paso is an elevation increase from anywhere I have lived, and the surrounding area provides a good training environment for additional fitness for my upcoming races in Dallas, Austin, and Florida.

But this blog is not about those races, it's all about September 26th -- the 2009 USAT Duathlon World Championships at the Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina.  We got to ride on the track -- in the rain.

This made it challenging, but not different from any other world championship I have been to -- in terms of an extra twist to make things interesting.

Even with the rain, I managed to represent Team USA well, finishing 8th Overall for Amateurs and 2nd in the 20-24 Age Group.  I clipped off my fastest 10K yet for a duathlon (32:07), as well as my fastest bike split since June's Philadelphia Insurance Companies Triathlon (57:00).

A special thanks to Ironman Gregory Close, who was kind enough to lend me his Zipp disc and 808s.  Like a lot of athletes, I'm not a rich guy, so this was the first time I have raced on a great set of wheels.  I know that nothing replaces focused training, but the wheels sure felt great.

There are always people I want to thank after every race.  First, thanks to Kay and Paul who let me stay at their house in Greensboro, North Carolina a couple of days before I made my way to Concord.  An athlete is only as good as his coach, so thanks to Louis Tharp and Tony DeBoom, who continue to give wise advice and knowledge -- helping me to efficiently increase speed.  It was also a pleasure to meet up with my parents, who I have not seen recently.  I took them out to party after the race at Panera Bread (man, it gets crazy there).

As always, a special thank you to all my sponsors, who continue to support me and my competitive pursuits:  Sable WaterOptics, sbill swimming, Serotta, TGI Healthworks, and Total Immersion Swimming.

-  STERG

Have questions or advice to share?  Please send me an e-mail.

Interested in sponsoring me for tri- and duathlon races?  Please contact my representative, Louis Tharp.