Allan Egbert, of Sidney, pedals on his bike inside his home on Thursday, Feb. 1. Egbert practices on the same bike he uses for races. He removes the rear tire and attaches a machine that monitors his pace and distance. The machine is linked to his computer via blue tooth. An app on the computer allows Egbert to take part in races with other real people around the world. The computer is linked to a larger monitor for easier viewing.
Luke Gronneberg | Sidney Daily News
Allan Egbert crosses the finish line at the Clash Endurance Race in Florida, which is where he qualified for the US Team for the 2024 World Duathlon Championship.
Photo courtesy of Clash Endurance Race, Florida
Allan Egbert, of Sidney, runs along Riverside Drive on Thursday, Feb. 1. Egbert is wearing the official training outfit from last year that he was able to purchase recently.
Luke Gronneberg | Sidney Daily News
Allan Egbert, of Sidney, demonstrates where he attaches a heart monitor to his chest when he trains. The heart monitor goes underneath his training suit.
Luke Gronneberg | Sidney Daily News
Allan Egbert, of Sidney, competes in a simulated race on his bike inside his home on Thursday, Feb. 1.
Luke Gronneberg | Sidney Daily News
A small water container mounted between the bike’s handle bars allows Allan Egbert, of Sidney, to drink without using his hands. Egbert does need to periodically refill the container with other water bottles on his bike.
Luke Gronneberg | Sidney Daily News
Allan Egbert attaches a small Garmin GPS unit to his bike when he is outside training. The Garmin keeps track of his speed, distance and location. Egbert has the Garmin paired with his watch which stores all the information.
Luke Gronneberg | Sidney Daily News
A a machine attached to the rear Allan Egbert’s bike monitors his pace and distance.
Luke Gronneberg | Sidney Daily News
Various marathon awards Allan Egbert has won over the years.
Luke Gronneberg | Sidney Daily News
By Kimberly Pistone
For the Sidney Daily News
SIDNEY – Not many people can run a 5K, bike 56 miles and then run a half marathon in under six hours, but that is what Allan Egbert did this past December. His time earned him a spot on the U.S. Team at the 2024 World Duathlon Championship, which will be held in Zofingen, Switzerland, on Sept. 8.
Egbert loves to compete and is a lifelong athlete. Years ago, he was a triathlete, which involved swimming, biking and running, as well as a toughman fighter.
“My injuries caught up with me, and I had to quit fighting. I asked what I can do, and my doctor said nothing. So I asked if I could run.”
In 2015 his doctor cleared him for running, biking and swimming, but he was not cleared for anything more aggressive. In 2018 Egbert joined the Infinit Nutrition Team, which is a group for endurance athletes and he began training for triathlons again.
After a while, Egbert felt he wasn’t getting any faster. He decided that trying to focus on all three sports – swimming, biking and running – was not the way he wanted to train. He was doing a lot of running races, and he picked the bike up again. He believed that this really helped him become more efficient at his training and he began participating in duathlons. A duathlon is a three part race consisting of run, bike, run.
In 2023 Egbert participated in three duathlons: a sprint (5K run, 13 mile bike, 5K run), an intermediate distance (5K run, 40 miles bike, 10K run) and long distance (5K run, 56 mile bike, half marathon). He ran and biked personal records during the first two competitions; but at the third one he wasn’t happy with his race so he skipped the award banquet thinking he didn’t do well. About a week after the race, he received an email saying he qualified to represent the U.S. as part of the U.S. Team at the World Duathlon Championship.
The World Championship is going to be the longest race for him. It begins with a 10K run, followed by a 96 mile bike course that goes over two mountains with an elevation of 6,500 feet, and it ends with an 18 mile run.
For the next seven months, Egbert is training every day. He will be participating in a race at least once a month to help prepare. He will spend some time training on a hill in Bellefontaine that was used for elevation practice, but he will likely have to go out of state to do any practice at elevations close to what he will experience in Switzerland.
Egbert is fundraising to help with this trip. He has to pay for all his travel expenses – including getting his bike to Switzerland. His sister, Miriam Owens, set up a donation page.
Owens said, “We could not be more tickled for him. It is exciting to watch him pursue athletics. I want to let everyone know that someone local, someone who has really touched the local youth, has done something really big.”
When Egbert is not training, he is a track coach at Sidney, he helps with track at Botkins, and he teaches cardio and kickboxing at the Sidney-Shelby County YMCA.
Egbert’s fundraising page can be found at https://givebutter.com/allanegbertworlds. His goal is $7,900, and any net proceeds after his expenses will be donated to high school athletics.
