Jenny Kincaid Boone

Jenny Kincaid Boone has been running since she was in eighth grade. She competed in cross country and track at Fort Defiance High School (Fort Defiance, Va.) and at Roanoke College, where she was all-ODAC in cross country for four years. When her knees and legs aren't aching from the wear of years of competition, she hits the 19 to low 20-minute range for a 5K.

Recent columns

• A five-miler at the Lake
• Virtual running
• Giving triathlons a try
• Packing energy for the long haul

FACTBOX

Duathlon: Combines cycling and running and typically is organized in run/bike/run combinations. Distances include 2 mile run/10-mile bike/2-mile run or 10K run/40K bike/5K run. The most famous long-distance duathlon race in the world is the Powerman Zofingen in Switzerland. It consists of an 8.5 K run/150K bike/30K run. Biathlon: Official term for the Olympic sport of skiing and shooting. Triathlon: Combines running, swimming and biking. Source: USA Triathlon

These trails are a mystery.

Add a new challenge, and this November race has a unique twist. The Explore Park Duathlon makes its fourth appearance in Roanoke next Saturday. It combines four miles of running with 10 miles of mountain biking on trails that mostly are closed to bikers all other times.

While Explore Park features trails that bikers can access for a fee, others are closed to the public. On Nov. 6, runners and bikers will get the chance to race on some of those restricted trails.

A new addition this year is a 10K trail race that will start an hour before the duathlon. Course director Mike Morris said he doesn’t expect people to double in both the 10K and the duathlon, which is for individuals or for a two-person team. He expects the events to draw separate crowds.

Last year 100 runners and bikers showed up for the duathlon, which was an increase from about 65 participants in its first year. But it’s not unusual for most of the racers to sign up on race day, Morris said.

Because Explore Park is on a hill, Morris said the 10K course “is challenging but it’s not a killer.”

It will take place on several of the bike trails used for the duathlon, including the River Walk Trail that runs alongside Roanoke River.

Morris described the River Walk Trail as a “gorgeous” fall spectacle, because “the colors are down, and the air is crisp.”

For those who want to mix biking and running, the duathlon consists of a two-mile run, a 10-mile bike ride and a two-mile run. Runners start at the bridge entrance to Explore Park, atop the Blue Ridge Parkway. After running a short distance that allows them time to spread out, they hit the trails.

After the two miles, the runners jump onto their bikes at a new transition area just below the Arthur Taubman Welcome Center. They head for an intermediate loop, then around the River Walk Trail and end up at the Taubman Center.

For the final two miles, they take a loop that leads through a beginners’ bike trail and ends at the Taubman Center.

Ed Dickenson won the duathlon last year, finishing in 1 hour 17 minutes. He’s a three-time Virginia mountain biking champion.

But Dickenson of Roanoke won’t be running the duathlon this year because it conflicts with one of his competitions in the Virginia, North Carolina Cyclocross Series.

Dickenson said the competition at the duathlon is top notch. The second place finisher, Steve Hetherington, was near him for much of the race last year.

The fourth annual Explore Park Duathlon features 10 miles of mountain biking (above) and a combined four miles of running (below).

“It’s always a fun event because the runs are fairly short, and you always are kind of in touch with your competition,” he said.

Dickenson participated in the duathlon the first year that it was held, but he crashed when he flew over his bike’s handlebars. He couldn’t finish the race.

Despite the crash, Dickenson described the course as “approachable.”

“It’s pretty doable for your weekend athlete,” he said. “You’re not really running that far, and you’re not biking that far. This is not an extremely severe mountain bike course.”

Morris, an avid triathlete, agreed.

“If you can do the mountain bike, most anyone can run 2 miles,” he said. “You run through the woods, so it’s not a hectic pace.”

Duathlon racing caught an all-time high in the 1980s, according to the USA Triathlon’s Duathlon Commission. During that time, big-name sponsors such as Coors Lite created duathlon series races. The sport has experienced a resurgence in recent years. The Dannon Duathlon series was started and other duathlons have begun across the country.

Morris called the Roanoke duathlon a “specialized race” because participants don’t have to worry about traffic. It all takes place inside Explore Park.

He said he wants to make it accessible to runners of all abilities.

“You don’t have to know technical rock jumping or log jumping,” he said. “I’m going to make you work, and I’m going to make you sweat.”

This duathlon is the only one in Roanoke, Morris said. He used to help organize a biathlon in Catawba, which only involved a run and a bike but that event ended years ago. Morris also is race director for the Goblin Gallop, a Halloween 5K race held in Salem.

Proceeds from the Explore Park Duathlon benefit Virginia Amateur Sports, which sponsors the Commonwealth Games in Roanoke each summer.

Race Information:
Explore Park Duathlon and 10K trail run
Saturday, Nov. 6
8 a.m. 10K trail run; 9 a.m. duathlon
Trail run: $15-posmarked by Oct. 29; $20 race day
Duathlon: $25 individuals postmarked by Oct. 29; $30 individuals on race day
$43 Relay teams postmarked by Oct. 29; $50 relay teams on race day
Race Day registration and packet pick-up: 7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.
For more information, contact Virginia Amateur Sports at 343-0987 or visit the Web site.

Directions to Explore Park: Take Walnut Avenue from downtown Roanoke up Mill Mountain toward the Mill Mountain Star. Follow the road past the star overlook, and turn left at the first intersection with the Blue Ridge Parkway. Explore Park is several miles down the parkway, on the right.

Other upcoming races:
Oct. 30: 1st Annual Carilion Shawsville 5K, Camp Alta Mons at Crockett Springs, 268-2622, 268-1812

Oct. 30: Goblin Gallop 5K, Salem, 989-4237, 776-1099

Nov. 6: Apple Valley 5K Cross Country race, Bedford, 297-2709

Nov. 6: Louie Fields 5K/1 Mile, Danville YMCA, 792-0621

Nov. 13: 116th Infantry Regiment 5K, Staunton, Web site

Nov. 13: Richmond Marathon and 8K, Web site