Year: 2022
Award: Duathlon, Masters
Location/Affiliation: Arvada, CO
- Won Gold in the World Cross Duathlon Championships
- In the 65-69 age group, won 8 of 9 races she competed in
- Bronze in the road sprint duathlon
In 2022, an Arvada resident took her bikes and running shoes throughout the US and the World and cleaned up in the sport of Duathlon. Carol Whipple, in the 65-69 age group, raced in 9 duathlons and took home the top spot in her age group in 8 of those races. In two of the races, she was the oldest female competitor. Her races ranged from the sprint distances to long distance, and she used both her road and mountain bikes.
While Carol has 25 years of duathlon experience, she had never ridden or raced on a mountain bike until 2022 when she was invited to compete in an invite-only World Cross Duathlon Championship in Romania. In this particular event, she ran 4 miles through the Black Forest and biked 15 miles of very technical terrain, followed by more running. In over 4 hours, Carol beat her closest age group competitor by 20 minutes and by doing so, won the first gold medal ever awarded in Cross Duathlon. A few days later, she won bronze in a road sprint duathlon. She’s also stellar off the racecourse, Carol actively donates bikes and holds clinics at rural Boys & Girls Clubs in Colorado to get them excited about cycling. Our winner in Duathlon, Masters, Carol Whipple