JUST TRI IT
By Rochelle Groskreutz

What do a bicycle, a pair of goggles and running shoes have in common?

If you guessed that parts of all are made with rubber, you’re right, but there’s another way these items are related. They’re the most basic things you need to do a triathlon.

Triathlon is a sport that involves three activities (as you know “tri” means three): swimming, bicycling and running. How much swimming, biking and running do you do in a triathlon? In a race for kids your age, it’s usually a 100-meter swim (4 lengths of a pool), 5 kilometers on a bike (3.1 miles), and 1 kilometer (about 2/3-mile) of running. There are different triathlon distances for adults that go all the way up to a full ironman triathlon, which combines 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of biking and running a marathon (26.2 miles)!

The sport of triathlon began with a group of friends in Mission Bay, California who liked exercising together. Some of the friends were swimmers, some loved bicycling, while others enjoyed running. Since they all liked doing each other’s sport, they decided to combine them into one event. Before long they organized the first official triathlon in Mission Bay on September 25, 1974 that drew in just 46 competitors.

Today you can find thousands of triathlon clubs and races on every continent in the world. Triathlons even became an official Summer Olympics event starting at the 2000 Games in Sydney, Australia.

Make Your Own Race
Even if you’ve never heard of a triathlon before, you’ve already done parts of it. Do you like to race against your friends in the swimming pool? Pedal like crazy to be the first one at the park on your bike? Run as fast as your legs will take you to claim a win at the end of your street?  Just put these three activities together and you’ve got a triathlon. In fact, it’s easy to plan your own race:

1)    Decide when and where. It’s best to have your triathlon in an area with a swimming pool and a safe place to bike and run like your subdivision or at a local park.

2)    Determine the distances. Keep your triathlon short so you can do it for fun without having to train for it. Try a lap in a neighbor’s pool, biking around a small park, and running down two streets in your neighborhood.

3)    Find competitors. Ask friends or family to participate, but keep this first event small so it’s easy to organize—start with 2 to 4 competitors.

4)    Get help. Have one or two adults work at your race by keeping time, helping you stay safe and cheering you on.

5)    Get gear ready. You’ll need a swimsuit, goggles, your bike and bike helmet, a towel, socks, a t-shirt and your favorite pair of running shoes.

6)    Set up your transition. Every triathlon has a transition area where you’ll come from the water to get on your bike, and where you’ll leave your bike to start running. Here’s how it works: once you finish the swim, run to your bike in the transition area. Dry off a bit with your towel and get on your t-shirt, socks, running shoes and bike helmet. Finish the bike portion back in this area so you can leave your bike here, ditch your helmet and head out for your run.

 7)    Review the event. Remember a triathlon is always, swim, bike, run in that order. Go through the event and transition area with your fellow competitors so they know what to do.

8)    Have fun. Who knows, this experience may inspire you to sign up for an official kid’s triathlon in your area.

 If you want to learn more about triathlons and how to train for them, check your local library or bookstore for “Triathlons for Kids” by Sally Edwards. There are also great online resources such as www.kids-tri.com or www.ironkids.com.