The first European Championships titles will be decided in less than a fortnight as the ETU Powerman European Duathlon Championships in Horst get the 2014 season off to a flier.

Now in its third year, over 800 athletes are already registered and will descend to Horst an de Maas for the ETU Powerman European Long Distance Duathlon Championships and European Sprint Distance Duathlon Championships.

In this Festival of Duathlon competition all the action takes place on 13th April. Elite, Age Group, Paratriathlon and Open race athletes will compete in the European Long Distance Duathlon Championships, a 15km run/ 60km bike/ 7.5km course.

Later on in the day, Elite, U23, Age Group, Paratriathletes and Open race athletes will also contest the European Sprint Distance Championships in a 5km run/20km bike/2.5km run course.

The attraction of racing in a Powerman competition is clear but the opportunity to appear on President John Raadschelders Powerman ‘Hall of Fame’ is a great incentive for all competitors.

Two women who will be featuring on the ‘Hall of Fame’ who know all about Powerman Duathlon competitions are GB pair Michelle Parsons and Annie Emmerson.

Michelle Parsons, an Age Group European Duathlon Champion in Rimini in 2006, and 9th place in Zofingen in 2011 as an Elite athlete, says it was always her goal to compete for the GB Elite Long Distance Team. “After having raced the domestic scene in the UK and done a few European and World Championship Duathlons over a few years I was ranked for my age in the UK number one,” she said.

“So I raised my game and went longer with the intention of being selected for the Elite Long Distance Team.

“I decided to race Powerman a little more cautiously as an older athlete. It always hurts to do a Powerman, but also knowing that all the training and hard work that you have done has paid off. It’s even nicer when you win!”

Annie Emmerson, 4th in the 2003 European Duathlon Championship in Varallo-Sesia, said: “I just like idea of racing Powerman as it was different, exciting and a great challenge! It’s also a series that was seen as being pretty cool and sexy in the duathlon world!”

With places still available to race, at the discretion of Powerman and the National Federations, this is not a competition to be missed.

For more information about the race, visit www.powerman.nl/en

Further course details and venue information can be found on the ETU website here.

A full race preview covering Elite, Age Group and Paratriathletes will be issued nearer the time.