New England Kids Triathlon
-
No new posts
New England Kids Triathlon - TriathlonMini Sprint
View Member's Race Log View other race reports
Swim
Comments: Race time!! They lined all the kids up by race number, which I believe were handed out by age. Thsi was done next door to the spectacular 50 yard pool. Swim was an up and back for the 6-10 age groupers. Ava has been on our town swim team te past 2 years, so she had no issues with the pool size, or the water. We were able to watch through the viewing area at the end of the pool, and saw her cross the timing mat, jump in and go. The path from the pool building to the transition was about 100 feet out a side door of the pool building. After she hit the pool, we went outside to wait by the fence on the path. Was getting a bit concerned about when she'd come out, but when she did she said it was fun, and ran by us to her bike. Transition 1
Comments: Saw her get changed (pull on running shorts, socks, running shoes, helmet) and run out with her bike. The bike course wasn't overly easy for spectators, so we headed to the football/soccer stadium where all the kids would be finishing (enter to stadium then 2/3 loop on track to finish line) Bike
Comments: Ava said later the bike was hard. She was riding her neighborhood cruiser bike which weighs a ton, so that didn't help. Since she has grown so much the past year, she is in need of a new bike. Transition 2
Comments: quick in and out, from what I can tell. Didn't actually see this happen. Run
Comments: We didn't see her run until she made her entrance under the giant inflatable NE Patriots football helmet whic went over the track/stadium entrance. She ran in, but quickly slowed to a walk. It was rather exciting to see her on the last bit of the course. She picked it up the last 150 yards and ran in. I *may have* just may have been a bit enthusiastic shoutig to her as she ran down the finish chute. She crossed the line, got her finishers medal, the volunteers had her sit down, gave her an icy towel and a popsicle, and she was content. Post race
Warm down: My other daughter & I went to find her in the "Kids Corral" at the finish line. The race organizers gave each athlete a numbered ID bracelet, and each parent had one as well. You could not get your child from the finish unless you went there, and both bracelet numbers matched. Good idea if you ask me. She was tired, but I could tell she was pround as heck that she'd done it. I know I was. I was a bit teary as she was showing her finishers medal to me & her sister. It was truly awesome to see her do this race, and finish. So cool! We grabbed her bike from transition, and headed back to the car, and went home where she told Mom all about the big day, and night before. Event comments: From my perspective, this race was as well run as anything I've ever seen. activities, race organization, and especially the volunteers made this a special day for my daughter. After seeing the fun had by her younger sister, my oldest has said she wants to do this next year. Would be fun to cheer them both on. If they find some fun in doing these things, then I hope they continue on wit it. They have my full support, and developing healthy lifestyle habits early certainly cant hurt. Overall, this was one of the best things we've ever done together. Could not be more proud of her. :) Last updated: 2012-12-14 12:00 AM
|
|
{postbutton}
2012-12-14 10:10 AM |
|
2012-12-16 10:41 AM in reply to: #4535275 |
General Discussion-> Race Reports! |
{postbutton}
United States
Sun Multisports Events
75F / 24C
Sunny
Overall Rank = /
Age Group = 6-10
Age Group Rank = 160/336
This isn't my race, but is a race report on behalf of my 9 year old daughter Ava who raced her first tri at the New England Kids Triathlon in July. I'm a bit late in getting this report together, but it was a great event and I'm happy to be getting this out.
I first heard about the race via an email from USAT last spring, and after asking both my then 12 year old daughter and my 9 year old if they wanted to do it, the little one stepped up. Her older sister is very athletic and would likely kill it in this race, but she wanted little part of getting up at 5:30 to get to a race and RBS that early :).
To make the race even more fun, and greatly simplify logistics, we stayed overnight at a hotel about 3 miles from the race. My oldest was very interested in that, so she joined us for the venture into the city. My wife stayed home and watched over our then 12 week old puppy. There's only 1 first race, so why not make it as fun as possible, right?
The event began on Saturday afternoon with packet pickup, a big pep rally, a race expo, some fun games to play, dancing, and other fun things like meeting a player for the New England Patriots (a major race sponsor) and some of the NE Cheerleaders (Fun for Dad!). There was also a pre-race meeting explaining logistics, how the race would work, etc. There were all kinds of kids involved, some of whom had parents who were involved in the sport, and some who didn't, but the race organizers did a FANTASTIC job of making sure everyone knew the who/why/what/when/where of everything. Sun Multisport does a great job of race organization, and this was no different.
After that we went back to the hotel, chilled out a bit in the pool (kids swam, I did a treadmill run in the adjacent gym. Had dinner, and packed for the next day. Made sure my youngest had everything ready, and we reviewed transitions, and how to lay stuff out.
Up the next AM early, pack the car, grab a quick bite to eat, and off to the race site. Short ride, and found a close, and free, parking spot. Walked over to bike check in/transition set up. First needed to get body marked which my daughter found to be quite funny, and ticklish. Then she moved off to get set up. There were volunteers everywhere, and things were run very very nicely. Everyone was great, and it was one of the best parts of the day. SUPER volunteers and organization.
Transition set up was done by Ava and her 'helper'. Every kid when they checked in was assigned a volunteer to help them rack their bike, and get set up in transition. She went in and laid everything out like a pro, and was done in no time. I offered some advice from beyond the fence and it was met with a "I know, Daddy!" repsonse and a look of "I got this, no need to help!" :). We had some time to kill before it started so we walked around a bit, and checked out the campus, etc. It was a beautiful sunny day, so weather wouldn't be an issue, and made it really nice to be there.