Kids Tri Harder Triathlon 2008

In this family we Tri, we really, really do. But the kids said they wanted to TRI Harder. So it is....

We are lucky enough to live in a place that has the cutest, funnest little triathlon for kids, called the Kids Tri Harder. Mason participated last year and loved it. Savannah wasn't old enough yet but she couldn't wait to do it this year.

The kids ages 4-7 swim once across the pool (25 m), then they bike around the block, then they run around the parking lot twice and through the big finish. The kids 8-12 do double those distances. They all get Tshirts, a goodie bag, and a finisher's medal, and then they announce winners at the end. The kids 4-6 are allowed to use flotation devices as well.

We arrived at 7:15 am for check in. Savannah's group would be first. They start them age by age, 1 year at a time, starting with the youngest. Last year, there were only 1-2 four year olds, but this year, she had one of the biggest divisions, which was fun. The girl is competitive, so I think she liked having some competition ;)

Here she is, outside, listening to the race director give instructions and looking so excited!!!


Then she hopped in the pool and waited for the starting whistle. Can you tell she enjoys the camera?



And then the whistle blew and she and the other 4 year olds and their floaties were off!! They swam their very fastest and kicked their little legs all the way across the pool, where Daddy helped her climb out and we ran out to transition 1. Here, she put on her bike helmet and shoes and she was off again! Daddy was able to run by her side to cheer her on. She was the only 4 year old without training wheels which made her much faster than her competition.



She was so much faster, in fact, that she was finishing the run before any of the other 4 year olds, even the boys, had begun. As she crossed the finish line, the announcer said, "And we have our very first finisher of the day!" And just like you would expect from Savannah, as she crossed the finish line, she gave me a pose ;)





She was so excited that she took first place. We didnt know it yet but she beat the next girl by 4 whole minutes (the rest of the 4 year olds finished within a minute of each other) and she was a full 2 minutes ahead of the fastest boy. Girl can MOVE!

She was thrilled to get her finisher's medal as well.

As soon as Savannah finished, we rushed back inside to see Mason preparing to get in for his swim.

Mason has not had swimming lessons at all so he did the backstroke. Of course the kids that had already had years of swimming lessons and could do the freestyle were out of the pool before he was, but Mason is pretty darn fast on his bike!

He was in third place going into the bike portion, and the kid in 4th place had this look of determination on his face- he really wanted to pass Mason. Mason kept looking over his shoulder and making sure he was going fast enough to stay ahead, and he was. Check out the picture below to see that look on the kid's face. It was kind of humorous!


As Mason went into the second lap of the bike, he came around the corner a little too fast and wiped out on his bike! That gave the boy behind him just the opportunity he was looking for, and he was able to pass Mason. But Mason got right back up, hopped back on and kept going. I was so proud of him for his determination!


Dan ran along side Mason to give him some moral support, and Mason was a trooper! He came in 4th place and was really happy about the whole thing. He said he can't wait to do another one!

Both kids had a great time and we took them out to eat afterwards to celebrate. Here they are with their medals:

Here are the kids who did the tri-the ones that stayed for the awards, which wasn't nearly all of them.

Mason and Savannah each after the awards ceremony:

And of course I had both kids give me a nice pose at the end!!

Now, if only I can get them to Try so hard at their chores.....