Delta, Utah, had its first ever triathlon yesterday, including a kids event. Earlier in the year I had asked Desert Boy if he wanted to do a triathlon (thinking that might help him improve his swimming), and he answered an enthusiastic "Yes!" So we registered him and took him to the Delta swimming pool for the start. Adults had to swim 300 m, bike 6 miles, and run 1.6 miles. Kids swam 100 m, biked 1.5 miles, and ran .25 miles. Desert Boy had never swam that far before, so I was eager to see how he would do.
He quickly flipped on his back and did his version of elementary backstroke, which actually propelled him fairly rapidly through the water. At age 7, he was the youngest contestant of the eight kids competing.
As soon as he finished swimming, he ran out to the transition zone and quickly got stuck trying to put his shirt on. Transitions are never easy!
Once he started riding, he was stoked. He said there were people at the corners pointing which way to go. We had also driven the bike route right before the race so he knew where to go.
When he got to the track, a helpful bystander grabbed his bike so he could do his lap around the track. He didn't even bother to take off his helmet.
He liked the cheering section.
And then he was across the finish line! It took him about 20 minutes to do the whole race, and he was beyond delighted that he had finished it. Even better were the free swimming pass and drink coupon he got for participating, both of which he used later that day.
When I asked him at the end of our busy day (which also included flu shots, caving, a special lunch out, swimming, and more) what his favorite part was, he said the triathlon, and specifically swimming in the triathlon. So hopefully we'll be doing more of these races!
The organizer said they're planning to do the triathlon again next year, probably at the end of May or beginning of June so it doesn't interfere with school activities. If you're interested, check out Ready, Set, Tri on Facebook.
1 comment:
Way to go!!!!!!
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