LOGAN PEDDLES, RUNS TO FIFTH PLACE IN WORLD DUALTHON

No, it wasn't the old wild west, but Bill Logan did quite nicely anyway in a recent `duel.'

Actually, this duel had an `a' substituted for the `e' -- as in dualthon, which combines the sports of bicycling and running and is an offshoot of the popular triathlon. Logan, a 55-year-old Cape Girardeau resident, finished fifth in the 55-59 age division at last month's World Dualthon Championships in Gernika, Spain.

Logan, the wellness coordinator at Saint Francis Medical Center, completed the grueling event -- which consisted of a six-mile run, a 25-mile bike ride and then a three-mile run -- in a time of 2 hours 24 minutes.

"It wasn't my best time, but I was really happy with it," he said. "Everything depends on the course. That course was really challenging, so you knew there would be no giveaways in the race.

"This is only my second year of getting into this kind of competition and I had no idea how I would do. I went over there thinking I'd be happy finishing in the top 10, so I was thrilled to get fifth."

Logan actually reached one of his major goals simply by reaching the world competition. Three qualifiers are held in the United States each year and Logan made the grade by finishing in the top three in his age group during the Midwest Qualifier in March in Birmingham, Ala.

"Just qualifying was a major goal of mine," he said.

A fitness buff virtually his entire life, Logan's primary sport has been competitive bicycle racing and he is accomplished in that area.

"I've (bike) raced since I was 18. It's always been my main love," he said. "I didn't start running until 1990."

Logan got interested in combining biking and running through his involvement with a local club called Cape Fear. The club includes athletes who run only, who bike only, who run and bike and also those who compete in triathlons, which encompasses running, biking and swimming.

"I was mostly into bike racing, then I got a little bit into running and some of the people in the club told me about the combination of the two," he said. "I found out I really like it.

"Three years ago I did a couple of triathlons, but it was a time factor thing. It takes an awful lot of time to become a halfway decent swimmer and I didn't have the time to devote to that kind of training."

So Logan concentrated on dualthons, which are still not all that prevalent locally, meaning he has to travel quite a bit to find competitions.

"I'll do about half a dozen a year," he said. "Most of them are around major cities in the midwest, like St. Louis, Chicago and Indianapolis."

Logan plans to continue competing in dualthons and hopes he'll be able to qualify for next year's world championships.

"A lot will depend on where it is," he said. "They're going to announce it in November. It's either going to be in New Zealand or Canada. I'm hoping it's in Canada; then I'd definitely like to go. I don't think I'd go to all the way to New Zealand."