Powerman Kasterlee
Kasterlee, Belgium
Sunday, December 29, 2004
15k run, 105k mountain bike, 30k run
www.winterduathlonkasterlee.be

With a weather forecast that was looking bad for Sunday, the first Powerman Kasterlee was lucky to have a cold sunny day. Powerman Kasterlee attracted participants from over 11 countries: Belgium, The Netherlands, Sweden, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Denmark, South Africa, New Zealand and Kenya.

Right from the start the Kenyan Hugaru Kariuki flew light as feather away from the pack. Michel Plasqui (BEL) was the first Belgium athlete to take the lead after 7 km and came in transition first with a time of 52.34. He also had the best second run (30km=1:59:32), but lost over an hour on the 100km bike.

Germany's top athletes Marc Pschebizin and Hugara Kariuki came in second and third in 54:02. Many athletes took a less aggressive pace because the day was meant to be very long and hard. The run and bike course were filled with mud, rolling hills, and deep puddles of water.

On the bike Belgians Benny Coopmans and former cycle pro Bert van Ende rode strong, closing the gap after the first run very fast. Werner Geerink (BEL) also rode well and they finished 1-2-3 after the bike section. Marc Pschebizin (GER) started the final run 11 minutes back of Bert van Ende. At the last 5 km Marc started to close the gap very fast but he missed by 51 seconds. Benny Coopmans came in 3^rd.

After 11 Hours only one woman had finished Anne Marie Dupont (BEL) in 9:36:57

Women