Rotarian heading to duathlon world championships

At the age of 65, Stratford-citizen Gerry Thuss is heading to Spain for the 2023 world duathlon championships. 

In conversation with StratfordToday, Thuss seemed optimistic about the competition. He started duathlons, a race comprised of running and cycling, later in life. Despite the late start, it was a perfect fit for him. 

“The body doesn't recover as well,” Thuss laughed. “But this is probably a nice little segue into racing until I'm in my 70s.”

Hosted in Ibiza, an island off the coast of the Iberian peninsula, the duathlon event on April 20 is part of the World Triathlon Multisport Championships.

Thuss qualified for the championships via the Bluewater duathlon July 23. There were three qualifying spots for his age category at the world championships, with one spot for an event in Gravenhurst and two spots in Bluewater. 

He placed second in the 60-69 age group and 17th overall with a time of 2:17:26.9, racing Olympic distances: 10K on foot, 40K on bike, ending with a 5K run. 

To prepare, Thuss will undergo a 16-week program that combines running and biking. He’ll also be competing at various competitions from now until April. 

The weather and terrain are different in Canada, and are obstacles in their own right, however, Thuss said he will supplement his training with winter activities.

“You put the bike on the trainer and spend a couple hours on it in the basement. That will have to suffice.”

While he doesn’t think he will win, Thuss hopes that he will be middle of the pack for the Canadian competitors. In his training, he is focusing on getting more power out of the bike. As he put it, he is a much faster runner than he is a cyclist.

As president of the Rotary Club of Stratford, his goal for this year, aside from transitioning out of lockdown, is being active and setting an example. 

“Even if it's a five minute walk outside or 10 minutes,” he said. “I think one of the things that I wanted to highlight is that you can be outdoors, you can be active. It's really beneficial to your health.” 

When asked how long he will participate in duathlons, Thuss said he will continue running until he is unable to. He recalled when he was passed by the legendary Ed Whitlock at a marathon in Toronto.

“At that time, and he has since passed, he held the world record for marathoning well into his 80s. He passed me (at the 38k mark) and I couldn't hold his pace.”