Dannon Duathlon Naperville
Naperville, Illinois
Sunday, September 22, 2002
5k run, 30k bike, 5k run - draft legal for pros

The largest duathlon in the United States was greeted by cool temperatures and rain Sunday morning in Naperville, a suberb of Chicago. The rain stopped at 7am, 30 minutes before the start of the race, but the course remained wet with temperatures around 50 degrees.

The pro men started first, and Travis Kuhl quickly established a lead. Sam Wilbur joined him after 600 meters, and the pair slowly opened up a large lead. They went through one mile in 4:43 and finished the first 5k in 15:00, the fastest time ever recorded in the five year history of this race. The second group included Greg Watson, Eric Schwartz, and Chris Tolonen, who came through 5k in 15:28. Justin Henkel, Jay Cech, and Craig Reese made up the third pace in 15:58.

Wilbur and Kuhl worked well together on the draft legal bike, and they were able to incrase their lead over the second group. After 10k Watson broke away and rode solo to catch the leaders, but he couldn't bring the gap beloew 20 seconds. Watson went in to Sunday's race a little tired. “I've been working hard on my run and my legs were a little flat today, and my cycling isn't as strong as it has been,” said Watson.

Wilbur and Kuhl finished the bike together, and ran neck and neck for almost 3 miles before Wilbur kicked it in for a six second victory. “I pretty confident in my kick, and I thought I could take it in the end,” said Wilbur. Wilbur ran the final 5k in 15:37 and Kuhl was 15:45.

Watson ran alone for the final 5k and finished comfortably in third. Tolonen and Schwartz finished the bike together before Schwartz beat him for fourth place by 11 seconds. Henkel and Reese also rode together on the bike, with Henkel grabbing sixth place in front of Reese. Three more slots were available for the US elite team at short course worlds, and those sots went to Tolonen, Reese, and Jay Cech.

The women's race would decide the 2002 Dannon Duathlon Series Champion. Desiree Ficker, who just returned from a six wek visit to Europe, had to win the race to win the series. If she didn't win Andrea Ratkovic was in position to take the title. The first run was led by Lucy Smith and Ficker in 17:10, with Ratkovic 28 seconds behind them. Smith and Ficker worked together on the bike, but individual tactics prevent them from increasing their lead. This allowed Ratkovic to join them 10k into the ride. They rode together for another 5k before Ficker suffered a costly flat which forced her to drop out of the race.

After that Ratkovic wasn't able to drop Smith, and as they entered into transition Smith, the better runner, was poised to win her second Dannon Duathlon of 2002. She won by 41 seconds over Ratkovic. Lauren Jense was third, Anne Preisig was fourth, and Jamima Iley, a Swedish citizen living in California, was fifth.

This was Sam Wilbur's first race as a pro duathlete. Until this summer Wilbur was a member of the Army's running team, specializing in the steeplechase. He took up duathlons this year, and won the Mile High Duathlon series, a three race series in Colorado. Those were the only duathlons Wilbur had done, and none were USAT sanctioned, so he did not meet the requirements to get his pro license from USA Triathlon. He needed that license to race at the US Pro Championships in Carlsbad in July, and he petitioned the five member Athletes Advisory Council, made up of five US pro triathletes, and the USAT Board of Directors, to get his pro license. Both groups denied his request for a pro license, and he wasn't able to race in the pro championships. He later earned his pro card when he easily won the Boulder Peak Duathlon in August. Wilbur will compete on the US elite team at the Duathlon World Championships in August.

Look for a race story later, and complete results at www.dannonduathlon.com.