Catriona Morrison has proved her class yet again by becoming European Duathlon Champion for the second time in three years at the weekend in Budapest, Hungary.

Morrison had just returned from a training camp in the Caribbean, where she has been racing in 70.3 triathlons. 

She feared these longer miles would diminish her sprinting ability, but in the end they worked out to her advantage, and she posted impressive cycling and second run times to cross the line first.

Catriona stayed within the leading pack coming into the T1 transition, and after several miles of ‘faffing’, she took the lead with four laps to go.

“I put myself on the front, rode at half ironman wattage and towed the group for 4 laps,” she said of the cycle leg.

By the time the second run came around, Catriona still had enough in the engine to pip her rivals and take her second championship.

Obviously delighted with her race, Catriona said: “I learnt two important things this weekend: 1) I was fitter than I thought and 2) It can be very easy to talk yourself out of a race, but if you stay strong and believe in yourself, you can get the desired results.”

Morrison last won the European event on home soil in 2007, when she annihilated the competition on a rainy weekend in Edinburgh.

Since then she has gone on to become the world duathlon champion twice, and has also overcome a significant knee injury.

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Image courtesy of Imre Foldi