Kid's Triathlon

For the second year in a row we entered the kids in the 5430 Kids Triathlon. Each time we do I am reminded of the running races that my dad would enter Tiffany and I in. Dad ran 10k races a few times every summer, some of which we would go and see, sparking our interest. We would “train” by running up and down the driveway the number of times my dad calculated to be equal to the race. I'm not sure of the race length, maybe a mile, maybe half a mile. We had a long driveway, it wasn't many times. Race day would come and we would get up very early to drive into town and get ready for the race. I remember being excited to get up early to go to all types of events because it usually included a stop at Dunkin Donuts. Chocolate frosted, cream filled longjohn. I'm not sure if we did the donut stop on race day but I think we did. I don't remember much about the race but I do remember enjoying the time we spent with Dad.

Triathlons are not really my wife's or my thing but my wife's dad does 4 every summer as well as a few 10K races. When we asked the kids if they wanted to try it we got a unanimous and emphatic yes. We didn't do any training, the distances at this point are very low. Once we got there and were set up the organizers asked everyone to bring the kids over to the finish line for a group shot. Parents were not allowed to accompany their kids into the photograph which made for some extreme crowding around the edges. I set a point for the kids to meet me and sent them in together, but many people had not done this and decided instead to try and keep an eye on their kids. I think all of the adult's stress was bleeding over onto the kids and causing them to get a little scared. This was over quickly and they got the race going.

The kid's “swim” is simply running through the lake and the parents can't be in the water to help. I got R set at the start line and started walking for shore. I guess he thought he could start whenever because he started walking toward the finish of the swim. A few kids saw him and started going as well, a few more kids saw those kids and they started going too. The tension was too much and everyone started running. Parents started cheering their kids on and the official on the lifeguard stand, probably sensing that these kids couldn't be brought back gave up and blew the starting whistle. I laughed to myself as I sprinted to the next station so that I could watch R finish. The rest of his race went well and he even finished by jumping over the finish line. K's race also went well and she had a smile on her face the entire time, much like last year.

After the race we met Poppop at Le' Peeps for pancakes just like last year. While they don't have a longjohn, I think that a funny face pancake is a suitable replacement.