Congratulations to all who participated in the Sri Chinmoy Off-Road Duathlons held in the Australian National Botanic Gardens and Black Mountain Reserve on Sunday 3 July 2011.

This year saw the largest field yet assembled for this event, with 80 finishers (up 25% on last year) across the two races. A relatively mild Winter's morning, with little breeze and a firm track yielded ideal conditions for racing, followed by a bumper pancake breakfast.

Unfortunately a missing marshal on the first run leg of the Short Course race meant that the entire field ran a longer course than advertised, though not a single athlete complained about the extra 'value for money.' The good conditions on the trails through Black Mountain saw no fewer than 4 new course records fall for this leg – Christelle Van Niekerk setting a new fastest time for Women Under 50, John Smytheman for the Men 50 and Over, Liz Widdicombe for Women 50 and Over; and Raeleigh Tennant for fastest woman in a team. Raeleigh's team of "Amy, Raeleigh & Greta" also broke the overall course record for an All-Female Team, despite the longer 1st run leg.

Cameron Colebatch took line honours in the race, winning in 45:31, with John Smytheman 1st Male 50+ in 54:19. Christelle Van Niekerk won the Women's race in 49:34, with Liz Widdicombe taking out the Women 50+ prize in 1:05:14.

Meanwhile in the Long Course race, Peter Young quickly overcame a deficit from the 1st run to work his way to the lead and eventually finish first in 1:50:28 - though line honours went to the "Cookaranda Team Bros" team of Callum McClusky and Reuben Caley in 1:50:07, a new record for their category (with Callum setting new records for males in a team in both run legs as well). Geoff Hawke set a new fastest time for the Males 50+ with his 2:06:22, and also set new best times for both run legs en route.

Elizabeth Humphries – who teamed up with Dave Osmond to establish the Mixed Teams record in 2010 – raced solo this year, taking the Women Under 50 category in 2:05:26. In the Mixed Teams this year, "The Cramps" (Courtney Weller and Ken Hoffman) ran out winners in 1:59:58.

Full results are published, along with a few photos from the compound – unfortunately our main camera malfunctioned on the morning, so we only have a few shots from a mobile phone.

The Sri Chinmoy Off-Road Duathlons will return on the first Sunday in July 2012.