In April of this year Matt Russell won the US National Duathlon Championships in Richmond, Virginia. Jason Digman recently interviewed him.

Duathlon.com: Tell us a bit about your sporting background. How did you get involved in duathlon?

Matt Russell: I first started running my sophomore year in high school and ran through my senior year. My school was very small and the only sports offered were soccer, basketball and baseball. A few of my friends and I had to commute twenty miles each way to another high school to be able to run track and cross country. As soon as I started running, I fell in love with it. While in college, I continued to run cross country/track and also joined the cycling team at the University of New Hampshire.

I first heard about duathlon from my cross country coach during my senior year of high school when I bought his son's racing bike. My coach's son is Keith Casserly, and he was once a top professional duathlete a decade ago. After I graduated college in 2007, I competed in my first duathlon and loved it.

Duathlon.com: What do you like most about duathlon?

Matt Russell: I really like the fact that there are two disciplines. In training, if my legs get tired from running, I can hop on the bike and just go for a nice ride. It's nice mentally and physically to have the two disciplines in training. In racing, it adds a new challenge in putting them all together and running on fatigued legs. The harder and longer the race, the better I am because I am more of a strength runner/rider. I enjoy the challenge and most importantly, to me it's fun!

Duathlon.com: Any ideas you'd like to share about making duathlon more popular or improving the sport.

Matt Russell: It starts with the younger generation. There are a lot of high school and college athletes who run. After they finish school, some of them lose interest and they just stop running. I feel that most of the younger athletes get burned out mentally from just running all of the time. I think if they could somehow incorporate new fun with added cycling into their lifestyle, combining the two, there will be more duathletes.

It would also be great to start up a Duathlon series again. I have heard of the Dannon Duathlon series and those were really big a decade ago. Also, I think that there is a lack of funding to support duathlons. I have read that in the past that duathlons was just as big as triathlons in the US.

Duathlon.com: What is the highlight to your 2008 season?

Matt Russell: The highlight of the 2008 season for me would have to be Duathlon Nationals held in Richmond, Virginia this past April. This was my first race as a Pro. Not many people had heard my name in duathlon before this race. I was hoping for at least a 5th place finish to get a spot on the Worlds team. During the race in Richmond everything just came together and I ended up surprising myself and others when I came across in first place almost a full minute ahead of the others. I was ecstatic and it really took a while for it to sink in.

Duathlon.com: Tell us a bit about your sponsorships.

Matt Russell: At the present time, I am currently talking with a few different sponsors who have expressed some interest. I have not signed with any one in particular at this time. Always keeping my options open, if someone is interested in sponsoring me, they can contact me at xcsteeplechaser@yahoo.com.

Duathlon.com: What is the most important thing about training you've learned in your career as an athlete?

Matt Russell: One of the most important things that I have learned is that it is VERY important to listen to your body. It is also important to take easy or down days to allow your body to recover from previous hard workouts. I'm not afraid to take days off from training. It just means that mind and body are getting the maximum benefit for my next workout.

Duathlon.com: Do you have a coach, other than yourself? Why?

Matt Russell: I do not have a coach. I have been coached in cycling and running in the past, while I was in high school and college. I feel that I know what workouts I need to do in order to be successful. The main reason that I don't have a coach is because I really like the feeling of being 100% in control of my training. I do a wide variety of workouts to mix things up and keep it fun. I sometimes get feedback from my peers and training books, and that always keeps me in check with myself and my training.

Duathlon.com: What do you like to do when you're not running or riding?

Matt Russell: Most of my time is spent in my profession. I am an occupational therapist and work over 40 hours weekly, so I don't have a lot of time to spare. However, I love the outdoors. I enjoy hiking, cross country skiing and snowshoeing when I have the time.

Duathlon.com: Anything else you'd like to share with Duathlon.com readers?

Matt Russell: I always wear a red wrist band on my right wrist that says “NEVER GIVE UP”, in memory of my mother who battled Lou Gehrig's Disease (also known as ALS) from 1991-1996. My mother taught me many life experiences in how to live life to the fullest while giving your best and never giving up!

Jason Digman is the coach of Dig It Triathlon and Multisport. He works with athletes of all levels, from professionals to first timers.  He specializes in the training of duathletes and the application of power to multisport.  He can be reached at Jason@digittri.com