MANSFIELD optician Hannah Mulcaster got the 2009 multisport season off to a winning start with an age group victory in the Clumber Classic Duathlon.

The duathlon consisted of a 10k run followed by a 40km cycle race, finishing with a 5k run. Mulcaster posted a personal best time for the 10k run of 40:44 and clocked times of 1:12:41 for the bike leg and 21:11 for the final 5k run. Her total time of 2:14:38 gave her outright victory in the female 25-29 age category, beating Gemma Sargent into second place by a massive margin of 12:29.

In the men's race, Mansfield Triathlon Club members Gareth Castledine and Peter Orme were both aiming to achieve qualifying times for the World Duathlon Championships that are to be held in Concord, USA, on September 26.

Provisional results – Castledine notching up 2:04:40, Orme 2:05:22 – suggest both will have championship places.

The next local event for the club will be Mansfield Sprint Triathlon at Market Warsop on Sunday April 5.