Devon Duathlon Autumn

Why do duathlons start with a run?

Why do duathlons start with a run? They start with a run because if they started with a bike, the drafting effect would mean a large & dangerous peleton on the road. Running first spreads everyone out. For more information about duathlons see our articles Top 10 Duathlon Tips Top 10 Tips for Junior Duathletes 10 Tips for Junior Duathlons & What to wear for a duathlon.

Can I get a refund or defer my registration to next year?

Sorry, we are not able to offer refunds as we start to incur costs as soon as we announce an event. However we now offer free name changes up to 7 days before an event with our booking software Eventrac. Just scroll to the bottom of your email receipt and click the link which says 'online receipt'. You will then see options to transfer your entry. We are also happy to transfer your entry to a different event for a charge of £8 (£5 for under 16s) provided you contact us a minimum of 7 days before the date of the event.

How do age categories work and what is the minimum age to compete?

For triathlons & duathlons your age group or your child's age group is calculated from your age on 31st December in the year of the competition. If, for example, you are 39 but turn 40 on 30th December you will compete as a Vet 40 for the whole of that year. Similarly if your child is 7 but turns 8 in December they are eligible to enter any Tristar Start event. For events on open roads the minimum age is 15 or 17 for the longer Standard/Olympic distance events. However for our Pool-based triathlons the minimum age is 8 by 31st Dec in the year of competition or 5 for the Torbay Triathlons. And at our Donut Duathlon we have a mini duathlon with a bike or scoot followed by a run for children aged 3-7. Just to confuse matters England Athletics (under whose rules we run most of our running events) use age on the day of the race instead of age at the end of the year. Here is a summary of all the age groups (all ages are on 31st Dec of year of competition). Distances increase as children progress through TriStar. On our registration form just choose Tristar or Novice & you'll be automatically allocated to the correct category. The Novice events are aimed at children who are less confident swimmers or trying triathlon for the first time. Mini Duathlon ages 3-7 (only at our Donut Duathlon) Mini Tri age 5, 6 & 7 (only at our Tavistock & Torbay Triathlons) Tristar Start aged 8 (includes 8 year old novices) Tristar 1 - aged 9-10 Tristar 2 - aged 11-12 Tristar 3 - aged 13-14 Youth - aged 15-16 Junior - aged 17-19 Novice 1 - aged 9-10 (same distances as Tristar Start) Novice 2 - aged 11-14 (same distances as Tristar 2) Senior - aged 20-39 Vet 40 - aged 40-49 Vet 50 - aged 50-59 Vet 60 - aged 60-69 Vet 70 - aged 70+