In winter multisport, cross-country sking often replaces the running legs of triathlons and duathlons.

Spring is in the air with record setting global warming temperatures, so multi-sport athletes are moving outside more than usual. Not that they hibernate, but safety is an issue in winter darkness with short days and icy surfaces.

Many triathletes closed out their season in November at the 70.3 Championships in Florida. Duathletes did the same after a day at the beach with Dave Scott doing the Cape Henry Duathlon. Yes, that Dave Scott, "the Man," six-time Ironman Champion doing his very first duathlon. Yes, he won his age group. It is a testimonial to the depth of duathlon's appeal to our multi- sport community. Dave also conducted a clinic at the beach in addition to his tremendous work with Team in Training athletes.

Running typically has become the paramount training activity for multisport athlete after those last pre-winter races. Tri bikes are racked, swim gear is dried, strength training is replaced with holiday parties, and the run moves back to number one. Well, those are the old days. New multisport opportunities are now available and they are all runner-centric. That is right, we are talking winter triathlon. No, you do not have to swim with an axe or warm up with a "Polar Plunge" as many do to celebrate their support for Special Olympians.

Winter triathlon adheres to the three-sport format like its warmer counterpart. The lead out event is usually a run of about 5K, followed by a mountain bike for 8 to 10 kilometers, and then a cross country ski for 6 to 10 kilometers with the customary transitions in between. Transitions are just as important in this race as the more traditional events except we do it with gloves on.

It is a very doable event by any multisport athlete. And, we also have winter duathlon that links up a run, ski, run; or bike, ski, bike; or throws in a snowshoe segment just to mix it up. Sure these winter events are weather and terrain dependent and you really do need snow to add to their pleasure. But, adaptability is a key characteristic of multisport and there is no end of possibilities. Nordic walking was a terrific way for me to work on diagonal striding and shoulder rotation in my dry land training for winter triathlon's cross country skiing, for example.

Winter triathlon is huge in Europe and has matured during the past decade as a serious athletic alternative to cross country skiing and biking. In the U.S., until this year, winter triathlon has been lodged in the Rocky Mountain States out west. We had to humor ourselves with long swims inside, long rides on wind trainers, and long runs wherever we could find light and traction. Not any more. We have got it and we are going for it! We do have to go to Europe before Disneyland though.

Charlie Roberts of Channel Multisport directed the first winter triathlon on the East Coast at Weston, MA on January 26 to qualify U.S. winter triathletes for Team USA. At his FastSplits, event spots went two deep for Team USA members headed to the World Championships in Germany's beautiful Black Forest.

I got into this sport by way of the Mason-Dixon cyclo cross championships while riding through the snow and mud of Rockburn Park in December. It was a great day to be outside, fun on the bike with more running to get over the barriers and switchbackers than I had expected, and much nicer than returning to the old days of going long to prep for next year's multisport season. So, what to do? Two words: winter triathlon.

We all know the rigors of commitment that go along with multisport, and that is no different here. This time, there was an unusual twist for me. Before I could do the Team USA qualifier, I had to buy a deep discount ticket to Germany. Believe me, that financial commitment really focuses your attention more than typical triathlete optimism. It will seriously shape your risk mitigation plan when finishing the race becomes a primary objective and race place secondary. Tell me, would you welcome explaining why you had a paid ticket for an event you were not going to race?

I will use my race at Weston to explain the sport and welcome your comments.

The race started in the parking lot at 13 degrees with everyone wearing their weatherproof Under Armour gear and embracing the morning "Boston chill." All were smiling and thankful for the warming trend.

Everyone zipped through the usual registration, "sherped" their gear to the transition area, and warmed up for the 5K. Two loops around the course with hard icy outbound and warm deeper artificial snow inbound. It is a beautiful cross-country course that we would see three more times on the mountain bike. There are big differences between the two segments. Running was no big deal; you just had to behave on the pace and conserve energy. Traction was a constant discussion issue and runners were wearing old trainers studded with sheet metal screws, heavy trail runners, cross-country spikes, and some used Yaktrak Pro's which proved to be a great choice in and outbound. While running with Yaktrak Pro's at the Winter Trails event on Liberty Mountain, I really liked their bite on the icy snow and their rapid removal when transitioning to the bike. I didn't see any barefoot runners.

Usual rules apply for the transition area with the addition of ski gear and doing everything while wearing gloves. Run the bike to the mount area and get out on three loops of the run course.

As I do not own a mountain bike, I modified my wife's Rockhopper by adding a 40mm seat post (that is much longer than a foot long hot dog) and knobby tires. Going out on thin ice I admired the "SM-collar-like" studded tires used by the faster bikers. On the hilly side, I admired the much wider tires of the smoother bikers. At first, I thought it was like riding through slick toothpaste, but when we hit the hills it was more like ice cream. Some areas were slippery firm and others were slippery mush. Balance does matter.

Then the tough part starts with the cross country ski. And, yes you can ski with your helmet on and some do. That is permitted only because some of the ITU races in Europe get so cold that helmet buckles freeze up. Most skiers will be using the skate or free style technique because it is faster. Guys such as me using the class Nordic technique are immediately recognizable because they are way off the back. The skaters can also ski uphill. Technique does matter.

I got it done. I am good to go to Germany. It is going to be a total hoot. There is more. Before I go I have got a snowshoe race qualifier in Drums, PA to get set for the National Snowshoe Racing Championships in UT in March. And, I am still yearning about that winter Xterra at Snow Basin. Xterra's race has four winter sport segments starting with backcountry skiing: straight up and then straight down. Avalanche detectors required. No end of fun there.

The bottom line is that winter triathletes are enjoying winter more than ever before. They will come out of winter stronger and even more eager to race than usual. Multisport is now available for the entire year right here in the MidAtlantic region. Get ready and come on out.

Soon we will be starting our spring multisport events. We will build on the long course duathlons in North Carolina, the fantastic duathlon festival in Richmond with the USAT National Championships and wade into cool waters for the early season triathlons at Lake Anna and in Columbia. In between, leverage the great road races at St. Patrick's Day, Credit Union Cherry Blossom, and do not neglect the Half Marathons-the fastest growing road race distance in the U.S.

Inside Triathlon magazine has honored many multisport athletes in our region by awarding All American status. Triathlete selection was based on performances at the USA Triathlon (USAT) Olympic distance national championship, the International Triathlon Union (ITU) Olympic-distance world championship, and the Ford Ironman world championship. Duathlete selection was based on the USAT short-course national championship and ITU short-course world championship. Travel does matter. We harvested 17 All American Triathletes and 24 Duathlete All Americans. Congratulations to all who qualified and all who tried with special compliments to our Canadian All Americans. Go to www.insidetri.com for the complete listing. There are some familiar names and some exciting newcomers. Just like they say at Home Depot, "You can do it. We can help."

Take a moment to wish Ashley Halsey success in Italy at Duathlon Worlds this September. Ashley demonstrates the triumph and tenacity of the human spirit as he recovers from a brutal collision with an inattentive motorist while training on his bike. He typically sees the bright side with his great sense of humor. We encourage him not to follow any bright lights that may appear in the hospital. Check out his gutsy commentary on "paying forward." I'm looking forwarding to sharing a crisp Italian red wine with Ashley at Rimini.

I'll see you out there.

In photo below John Elliott in the Transition area

Author John Elliott will be on Team USA's squads at multisport world championships in Germany, Canada, Belgium, and Italy this year. His most recent podium finish was at the World Duathlon Championships in Richmond last year. John is an adventure guide and coaches Nordic walking along with other multisport activities. He is the USA Triathlon MidAtlantic Duathlon Chair. Kindly contact him at jelliott@usat-ma.org with your comments, suggestions, and inquiries.