Participants in U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden MWR's 'Dirty 30' duathlon take off from the starting line at Clay Kaserne, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016. (Dan Stoutamire/Stars and Stripes)
Participants in U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden MWR's 'Dirty 30' duathlon take off from the starting line at Clay Kaserne, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016. (Dan Stoutamire/Stars and Stripes)
Jusfel Klassko, wearing bib number 25, begins the first five-mile run of U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden's 'Dirty 30' duathlon at Clay Kaserne, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016. (Dan Stoutamire/Stars and Stripes)
Andrew Cahan, wearing bib number 7, was the first competitor to complete his initial five-mile run in the U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden 'Dirty 30' duathlon, held Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016, at Clay Kaserne. (Dan Stoutamire/Stars and Stripes)
Richard Gifaldi ensures he is heading the right way after transitioning from running to biking in the U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden 'Dirty 30' duathlon, where more than 50 competitors tried their hand at running two five-mile courses before and after a 20-mile bike ride at Clay Kaserne, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016. Gifaldi was the first overall finisher with a time of 2 hours, 4 minutes and 2 seconds. (Dan Stoutamire/Stars and Stripes)
Amy Bugala, a public affairs specialist with U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden, begins the bike portion of USAG Wiesbaden's 'Dirty 30' duathlon, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016, at Clay Kaserne. Bugala was the first female finisher with a time of 2 hours, 27 minutes and 43 seconds. (Dan Stoutamire/Stars and Stripes)
Husband-and-wife team Daniel, right, and Jesse Hewitt prepare to transition from a run to a bike ride in the U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden 'Dirty 30' duathlon, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016, at Clay Kaserne. The Hewitts were among the top 20 of more than 50 competitors, finishing the course, consisting of two five-mile runs bracketing a 20-mile bike ride, in about 2 hours and 45 minutes. (Dan Stoutamire/Stars and Stripes)
WIESBADEN, Germany — Taking advantage of a beautiful late-summer morning, more than 50 fitness enthusiasts gathered on Saturday near Clay Kaserne’s gym for a demanding 30-mile course that would test their resolve as runners and as bikers.
The competitors, made up of active-duty servicemembers, civilian workers and family members, took on a pair of five-mile runs which bracketed a 20-mile bike course around the installation near Wiesbaden.
This was the garrison’s second annual duathlon, said Maria Diaz, the installation’s fitness coordinator. Logistics dictated it skip the swimming portion found in traditional triathlons.
“We created it last year because we hadn’t had a combination sport in a long time, so we wanted to bring something new to the community,” Diaz said. “We decided, because we don’t have a swimming pool handy, to go ahead and do a bike and run race.”
Richard Gifaldi, with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, was the overall and men’s winner with a time of just over two hours and four minutes. Amy Bugala, a public affairs specialist with USAG Wiesbaden, came in tenth overall and took the women’s title with a time of 2 hours, 27 minutes and 43 seconds.
The perfect weather — not too hot and with a little cloud cover — came as a relief for Diaz after poor weather affected the inaugural race last year.
“More people signed up this year, we had a total of 51,” she said. “It’s about ten more than we had last year. We had people drop out last year because of the bad weather on the day of the race.”
