Josh Merrick ran and rode to an excellent 3rd place finish at the Desert Classic Duathlon, one of the most competitive duathlons on the 2009 calendar.
Merrick ran strongly on the first run leg, covering the 5k in 16:49 to start the bike in 2nd place, within 20 seconds of race leader Chris Foster. After losing a bit of ground and coming off the bike in 5th place, Merrick had his work cut out for him to get back on the podium.
Under pressure, Merrick ran remarkably to the fastest final run split in the field and 1:17 faster than 2008 to finish in 3rd place behind race winner Chris Foster and 2nd place finisher Jozeph Major. He beat out such notables as David Thompson (6th) and 2 time Ironman Triathlon World Champion Tim Deboom (10th).
Merrick will next compete at the Powerman Alabama triathlon on April 19th. The Miami International Triathlon on March 15th is next on the schedule for Team Riptide with Amy Dannwolf, Jordan Jones, and Dan Mackenzie competing.
