Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 58, May 2014 | Page 12

Feature

ing
Liv
the
IFE
L
Fresh from ‘doing the double’ by both winning the South
African XTERRA off-road triathlon titles in March, SA’s
Dan Hugo and his Bermudan girlfriend Flora Duffy say
they are just making the most of their idyllic lifestyle as
professional athletes. – BY SEAN FALCONER

I

n late February, a beaming Dan Hugo cruised over the finish line at the Grabouw
Country Club in the Cape after two hours and 29 minutes of racing, to win his fourth
title in the Totalsports XTERRA South African Championship presented by REHIDRAT®
SPORT. Just under 28 minutes later, an equally elated Flora Duffy claimed the women’s
title for the first time, to complete a great day’s racing for the couple that have been
dating since last July.
Flora had been staying with Dan in SA for three months, sharing a house in Stellenbosch
with several other long distance triathletes and runners, and Dan says the double win
was great reward for the hard work they had put in over the summer months. “It’s great
that it came off for us both. Sometimes you can try your darnedest and it just doesn’t
come together – that’s the sport we do, with so many variables – so I’m very grateful
that things worked out, even though Flora had to inflate twice on the bike course.”

She says her first Commonwealth Games in 2006 has been the highlight of her career thus far.
“I was just a little 18-year-old from Bermuda and wondered if I could compete at that level, but
I found myself riding in the lead pack, surrounded by multiple world champions, and had a great
race to finish eighth. That reinforced that I can compete at that level.”

ATHLETIC LIFESTYLE

In contrast, asking Dan for a career highlight elicits a more philosophical answer: “Living the
life of a professional athlete really has been a terrific way to live through my 20s, an incredibly
carefree lifestyle shared with great friends. Perhaps I see that as my highlight because I’ve not
won a world title or been to the Olympics… but if you were to really push me for a result, I
guess second at XTERRA World Champs in Maui would be the highlight.”
Looking ahead, Dan is currently competing on the Asia-Pacific and US XTERRA circuits, where
he will also meet up with Flora as she veers off-road now and again. “I find that it compliments
my road racing because it keeps me in a better mental space,” she says. “Preparing for the
Commonwealth and Olympic Games takes over your life, so mixing in a bunch of different types
of triathlon will leave me in a better position when the Olympic push starts in 2015.” Dan is
also firmly focused on triathlon for now, but does have other long-term goals: “One day, when
my competitive career ends, I would like to work internationally, in a big city, and wear a suit.
It may sound laughable, but I’ve never been able to do that. I live in a small town in SA, and
the same when I am in the US, because it is that much easier for the athlete lifestyle we are
pursuing. But that will come later…”

While Dan is an XTERRA veteran, Flora only recently moved into off-road triathlon, but
says she also enjoyed the day. “We’d been training so hard for it, so I wanted to execute
my race well and really make the three months here worthwhile. Also, the race took on
a bit more importance for me because I went into it with Dan and our housemate Brad
Weiss, who are local favourites, so I really wanted to go out there and do well.”

RIGHT TIMING

The couple met while living and training in Boulder in the USA, although Dan said he had
to wait for his chance with Flora. “I’ve been going to the US for eight years and since
2010 I’ve been based in Boulder, which is the Mecca for long distance athletes. Flora
and I would see each other at the Farmer’s Market and socially, and fortunately for me,
three summers on she was finally single again and seemed to pay me more attention.
Now we’re just taking it one step at a time, because our lives are on different continents
much of the time, but we enjoy a lot of the same things. I struggle to swim, bike, run
24/7, and Flora fits into that, because she also likes to do different things and talk about
different things.”
While Dan has made off-road triathlon his focus, Flora still competes on the road,
having already been to the Olympics and Commonwealth Games twice each, and
medalled twice at the Triathlon World Champs. Her immediate goal is to qualify for the
Commonwealth Games later this year in Scotland, and then for the Rio 2016 Olympics.

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ISSUE 58 MAY 2014 / www.modernathlete.co.za

Flora breaks the tape at the
SA XTERRA Champs.

Images: Cherie Vale/Newsport Media, Jetline Action Photo

Dan on his way to another XTERRA victory.