MWR hosts duathlon: Athletes find new trials

Photo By Sgt. Spencer Rhodes | Spc. Andrea Nein, a Soldier with the 420th MP Company, approaches the halfway point of the 10k run in Saturday’s duathlon. In order to beat the heat, the race began at 6:45 a.m. at Cooper Field.  

GUANTANAMO BAY, CUBA

08.14.2014

Story by Sgt. Spencer Rhodes 

Joint Task Force Guantanamo Public Affairs

GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba - Every month, MWR provides events for all residents living on Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, and for each participant in these competitions the experience is unique. Saturday’s duathlon had a little bit different variation on the multi-event competition, with the first and last portions of the race consisting of a run while the middle portion was a bike ride.

Participants could compete in the race as a individual, or as a two-person team, with a team member performing different legs of the race. The winners of the weekend’s race, Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Mose Dantzler, a NAVSTA Sailor, and Elena Granina, a NAVSTA civilian contractor, completed the duathlon in 1 hour and 47 minutes. While the duo had a smooth race, others had circumstances that created some difficult uphill battles.

Paul Mohnkern, a JTF team member that does GTMOfit with Spc. Andrea Nein, had to borrow a co-worker’s bike from their garage the morning of the race so she could compete when it was found the innertube on her own bike had ruptured. Using a derelict mountain bike not normally suited for a competitive race, she says it was double the effort she would have normally expended on the bicycle portion of the race.

“I was so frustrated on the road - since I’m used to my own bike, and it didn’t really want to shift gears very well when going up the hill. Having people pass you when you’re using so much energy made the race a serious challenge,” said Nein.

The duathlon, which started with a 10k run that took competitors to from Cooper field to Cable Beach and ended at the Downtown Lyceum, transitioned into a 20k bike ride and ended with a 5k run.

Army Staff Sgt. Nathan Anderson-Carroll, an NCO with the 339th MP Company, chose to participate as an individual, doing all segments without a teammate.

“The last leg was definitely the hardest part,” said Anderson-Carroll. “Transitioning from the bike back to a run, you feel like a newborn giraffe trying to get your footing after having been on the bike for so long, it makes your legs wobbly. Then it’s hot, no wind … it just makes it the hardest part.”

• Date Taken: 08.14.2014
• Date Posted: 08.14.2014 16:25
• Story ID: 139360
• Location: GUANTANAMO BAY, CU