Camp Zama duathlon features shared men's, rookie women's champs

By Dustin Perry, U.S. Army Garrison Japan Public AffairsJune 5, 2012

Camp Zama duathlon features shared men's, rookie women's champs
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Camp Zama duathlon features shared men's, rookie women's champs
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CAMP ZAMA, Japan (June 6, 2012) -- Cementing the notion that the duathlon is unique in the world of sports, Camp Zama's second annual running of the event featured shared men's champions and a woman who won in her division without training.

Faron Cordrey, the winner of the inaugural duathlon last year, shared first-place accolades with friend Masa Nakagoshi as the two crossed the finish line together June 2 at Yano Fitness Center here with a time of 50 minutes, 55 seconds.

Cordrey, a civilian who works at nearby Naval Air Facility Atsugi, said he was neck-and-neck with Nakagoshi, a member of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, for most of the event's 10-mile bicycle ride and the five-kilometer run that immediately followed.

"I was feeling a little tired because I ran a duathlon at Atsugi yesterday, but Masa kind of pushed me on," Cordrey said after the race.

The biking and running routes varied slightly because of their different distances, but incorporated into both was a steep uphill climb at the north end of the installation that led participants past a housing area known as the Eagle's Nest.

"It was a little tough at first on the bike portion; I think I was a little tight from yesterday," said Cordrey. "It was the same on the run; in the first five minutes after the transition, I was a little sluggish, but then Masa and I kind of got a rhythm down. Once we hit the downhill [portion of the route], we were good to go."

When the two competitors were within a few hundred meters of the finish line, neither attempted a final sprint to outrun the other. Instead, they clasped hands and raised their arms in the shared moment of victory.

"In other races, we have finished very close," Cordrey said of Nakagoshi. "He is in the Japanese navy and I'm retired from the U.S. Navy, so today we wanted to finish as a joint Japanese-U.S. Navy 'tomodachi' (Japanese for 'friend') team."

"This is my first time to participate in the duathlon here, and it was a nice race," added Nakagoshi. "It felt good to cross the finish line with my buddy."

Kim Chu, a civilian assigned to the Japan Engineer District here, did not hear about the duathlon until two days before it was happening. She had no time to train for what would be her first time participating in the event.

"I had previously been training a year ago, but I had not done any training since then," said Chu, who finished with a time of 1:02:15. "I'm not a biker, so it was pretty hard going up that hill by the Eagle's Nest, and then the transition is always hard. I figured if I just kept running, the pain would go away."

Chu said her win in the event was a great boost to her confidence. The duathlon at Camp Zama is the lead-up event to next month's second annual triathlon, which incorporates a swim portion and is scheduled to be held here July 28.

"I never came in first place before, so it felt great," said Chu. "I'll think about joining the triathlon, but we'll see how it goes."

The second-place winners in the men's and women's divisions were husband and wife Dean and Sonomi Carlson, with times of 55:16 and 1:02:57, respectively.