The ITU Duathlon World Championships, starting at the windswept Holyrood Park in Edinburgh, is the highest-level competition in the sport's annual calendar and the most prestigious duathlon competition ever staged in the UK.
A week before the 2010 Budapest ITU Triathlon World Championships up to 1,000 of the World's best Elite and Age Group duathletes will descend on Edinburgh to compete for six World Championship titles, twenty seven age group gold medals and a total prize fund of 75,000 Euros (for the Elite competition).
The Elite, U23 and Age Group athletes will all compete over a standard duathlon course consisting of a 10km run followed by a 40km cycle and a 5km run, all completed as a continuous activity.
The Edinburgh course will consist of multiple laps around Holyrood Park and Arthur's Seat making it one of the most challenging ever used for an ITU Duathlon World Championships.
Local heroes
British duathletes have an impressive record in major competitions, boasting many medalists at both World and European Championships in recent years. In the last four years Scotland's Catriona Morrison, from Broxburn near Edinburgh, has garnered five major titles to her name, including ETU Duathlon European Champion (2007 - Edinburgh - & 2009 - Budapest) and ITU Long Distance Duathlon World Champion (2007 & 2008).
In 2007, in Gyor, Hungary, Paul Amey was crowned ITU Duathlon World Champion with Silver medals in the women's and junior men's competitions going to Michelle Dillon and current World Triathlon Champion, Alistair Brownlee.
In 2009, Sophie Coleman and Vicky Graves won gold and silver respectively at the Junior Women's ITU Duathlon World Championships held in Concord, North Carolina. The win in Concord, delivered a triple victory for Coleman, successfully defending her World Junior Duathlon titles in 2007 and 2008.
For the ITU Duathlon World Championships in Edinburgh, British Triathlon are expecting to field at least 400 Age Group athletes, one of the largest teams ever to represent Great Britain at a Duathlon World Championships.
The GB Age Group Team will be announced in the summer following a number of qualification races throughout the UK.