The 2015 season saw the emergence of Bracebridge’s Brian Moore. Moore pulled off the impressive Ontario Provincial “Double Du” at Bracebridge by winning the Ontario Sprint Duathlon Championship on August 8th, and then on the following day, winning the Ontario International Distance Duathlon Championship. That feat led to him being named Triathlon Ontario’s Age Group Duathlete of the Year. Find out more about this talented athlete who is sure to continue making his mark in duathlon and maybe triathlon too.

TMC: How were you able to pull off the impressive double victory at Bracebridge? Did you specifically target these races and how did you prepare for them?

Brian Moore: My main goal last season was to win a Junior Men U19 Road Cycling National or Provincial title as part of the National Cycling Centre Hamilton team. The Provincial Duathlons were my secondary goal since they were in my hometown and it is especially fun being able to compete on roads that I train on. I prepared for these races primarily by doing my normal bike training and, in the Spring, I competed in a couple of high school track meets and 5km road running races but, on average, I did one run a week along with my road cycling training.

TMC: Even though it might have appeared as an easy pair of victories for you, you did experience a good amount of suffering out there. What happened and how were you able to overcome it and come out on top of a quality field of athletes?

BM: Since I am used to racing a lot, I was able to handle the fatigue of the double Duathlon. However, during both days of racing, I encountered bad stomach cramps. I found the first 5km of the Sprint Duathlon was a faster pace than what I was used to. In the last 400m of the opening run of the Sprint Duathlon, I had to walk for a bit to overcome a cramp but, once I got on the bike, I made up ground and was in the lead 7km into the bike. Then, in the International Duathlon, I felt better on the first run but suffered from cramping on the last 5km. In both races, I depended heavily on the bike portion to get me a lead. To prevent future problems, I will pay more attention to what I eat prior to races as well as do more brick workouts. It certainly was an exciting achievement winning my first Provincial sports title in these events, especially since this was also the first time I had ever done an International Duathlon.

TMC: You’ve clearly got a lot of talent in this sport. But what brought you to duathlon in the first place? Did you simply need a break from all that cycling?

BM: In grades 9 and 10, my primary focus was running High School XC and Track. I also tried a few triathlons but swimming is not my strength and, once I turned 16, I was able to compete in my first Sprint Duathlon in Gravenhurst where I came 2nd overall with a time of 1:03. I enjoy both running and biking but, overall, I just like competing and racing. I did the double Duathlon this summer because it was being held in Muskoka and, since I knew the bike course was hilly, I really believed heading into the races that I could win both since hilly courses are my strength.

TMC: Tell us about your cycling racing too since that’s played a huge part in your success.

BM: For cycling, my longest training week last season was 18 hours where I did 500km on my road bike. Also, I competed in the U19 Tour of the Battenkill in Saratoga Springs, New York, and came in 14th, I came in 6th at the Junior Men Time Trial Provincials in Huntsville, I won the U19 KW Classic Road O­Cup category and then came in 6th for the Junior Men Road Ontario Cup points.

TMC: As a recent high school graduate, what are your next steps? Will we see you doing more duathlons, sticking with cycling?

BM: Over the next year, my plan is to focus on training and racing as well as decide which pathway has the most potential and which one I enjoy doing since I find what really motivates me is when I have fun competing. I also have a few business ventures that I am presently working on and my goal is to make enough money from these businesses to cover my racing expenses. I have started a media business that covers sports event photos and video. Occasionally, I work at LivOutside in Bracebridge as a bike mechanic. My brother and I are also in the process of creating an athlete blog about our racing.

TMC. In previous conversations, you’ve mentioned the possibility of racing elite duathlon. Is that still in the cards and what will you need to do to realize your potential of racing elite duathlon?

BM: My bike time is fast enough to qualify for Elite Duathlon races such as the Powerman, but I still need to improve my run time. My goal is to get my 5km Duathlon time down to 16:00. I am hoping to qualify for the 2017 Penticton Duathlon World Championships in the U23 Elite Category. This year I competed at the 2015 Sprint Duathlon Nationals at the Esprit Triathlon Montreal and came 5th overall and 2nd for U19 men.

TMC: For duathletes, looking to make an improvement in their racing. What are some tips that you can provide from your bag of tricks?

BM: My favourite bike workouts are ones working on explosive power. Also, I enjoy doing Time Trials and I compete in a weekly 15km Time Trial series to get used to my race gear. Another favourite workout is hill repeats as well as going for Strava KOM’s.

TMC: Any desire to get into triathlon? A fellow Canadian, Lionel Sanders, also explored the world of duathlon and look where he is now.

BM: At the moment, I am working on improving my swimming technique and using lap swimming for cross training. I might try a Sprint Triathlon next season.