Virginia Duathlon (“VaDu”) determines the Best DUathletes in the MidAtlantic Region

Doug Landau after finishing the Virginia DUathlon & copping 2nd place in the age group at the the Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships
Doug Landau after the Virginia DUathlon & copping 2nd place AG at the the Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships

The Virginia Duathlon (or “VaDu” for short) was selected as the championship of a series of duathlons in the USAT Mid-Atlantic Region with races in NC, VA, MD, DC, PA and NJ. Top athletes compete for series championship as well as qualifying for the USAT Duathlon National Championship. Doug Landau intends to return to the Duathlon Sprint National Championships in Bend, Oregon at the end of June. Last year at Nationals, he finished 3rd in his age group, and then went on to finish 12th at the 2015 World Championships. In 2016 the multi-state multi-sport lawyer intends to compete in the Mid-Atlantic AND National Duathlon SERIES competitions. Complete information for the regional series is available at the USAT Mid-Atlantic Region homepage.

In the "race after the race" lawyer Landau barely made the ferry to Williamsburg !
In the “race after the race” lawyer Landau barely made the ferry to Williamsburg !

The VaDU is an excellent event put on by Mettle events at the lovely Chippokes Plantation, conveniently located off of Highway 10 between Smithfield and Petersburg Virginia. The park is also a short ferry ride from Williamsburg on the Jamestown-Scotland Ferry. The first and second 5K runs wind inside the park along the James River, under the tall pines and soaring osprey. In between, participants had a difficult 23-mile bike ride through the rolling rural countryside of Surry County, with stiff, 19-mile-per-hour winds and cold. Some bikers were blown off their bikes by side winds. While he has averaged nearly 24 mph for this distance at the Dewey Beach Duathlon, at the VaDu Regional Championship, Landau could not even average 20 mph !

As the USAT Short Course Duathlon Mid Atlantic Regional Championship Race, participants are eligible for bragging rights and awards in the Championship. This race also provides the perfect warmup for the USAT Long Course Duathlon National Championship Race in Cary, NC on May 14th.

By taking the FREE Ferry from Surrey to Jamestown, lawyer Landau was able to change out of his soaked racing kit while not losing time en route to lunch with his daughter and other hungry William & Mary undergraduates
By taking the FREE Ferry from Surrey to Jamestown, lawyer Landau was able to change out of his sweat-soaked racing kit while not losing time en route to lunch with his daughter and a half dozen hungry William & Mary undergraduates

Doug Landau managed to improve upon his past 3rd place award from 5 years ago (also in cold, windy conditions), by finishing 2nd in his age group. His prize last time was a small, hand carved decoy duck. The hand made prizes at this event are wonderful. This year lawyer Landau got a tern.

His good friend, fellow All American Triathlete, VTS/MTS Superseries prizewinner and sometime training partner, Gail Waldman, won her age group and was the 2nd female overall, despite a stacked field of competitors. Her prize ?  A hand-carved owl ! What is even more remarkable is the fact that she also was a prize winner at the VTS Smithfield Triathlon the day before ! She is truly a remarkable, consistent, hard-working and disciplined multi-sport athlete who will be a force to be reckoned with at future Regional and National Championship races. After racing for nearly two hours, Landau did not stick around for awards, as he had promised to feed some William & Mary students, and had to catch the ferry across the river !  VaDu results can be found here.