kids tri vs sprint tri

How old are you?

i am 13

If you think you can handle a Sprint then go for it.  You'll have to check what age requirements may be for the events.

There is a huge difference between a sprint and a kids.  Might want to do something smaller.

Edited by JC5066 2009-08-07 9:30 AM

But you placed 3rd

i was only 9 seconds behind the guy in second and the guy that placed first will be to old for the event next year. plus i will have another year of trianing under my belt

You could also see if there are any "mini sprint," "super sprint," or "try a tri" type events in your area.  They seem to be more geared towards adolescents and first-timer adults, and the distances are intermediate between kids' tri and sprint tri.  The distances aren't really standardized, but they seem to generally fall in the ballpark of 400m swim, 10k bike, 2.5 k run.  Sprint distances are almost twice as far, so that would be a pretty big stretch from the distances you're currently doing in the kids' tri.  Honestly, if you kept up w/your training, chances are that you could handle the sprint.  But you'd need the input of a coach from school, or your doctor, or some other person who really knew a lot about what kind of training load your body can handle -- considering that you're in a stage of life where your body already has unusual demands on it just from growth, puberty, etc., you don't want to push it too hard or you could really set yourself up for injury.

 

i would do a sprint, but i don't know how good my chances of placing are

It's nice to see your enthusiasm for the sport!

First off, I'm assuming that you're like most 13 year old triathletes I see who can do well short races while doing little or no training, or by training seriously in just one sport.  If you actually train seriously in all three sports, you can ignore  my comments....

I'd stick with the kid's races and minisprints (a bit shorter than most Sprints) for now.  You have the natural ability to do well at these distances.  They're short and fun.  You'll get faster.  For a sprint triathlon you should really be training all three sports regularly and with a structured training plan.  If not, you'll just suffer through the race which isn't fun....

My daughter is about your age and does some triathlons.  She trains a bit for triathlons during the summer, but nothing too serious.  She's in shape because of summer swim team, middle school x-country and track, so she does fairly well in kid's triathlon.   But when we run together (not often) it's clear that she has great top-end speed but not the kind of endurance required for a 400-800m swim, 12 mile ride, followed by a 3 mile run.

Good luck!

Brian

Lose the tude.  You won't make many friends here this way.

You talk about wanting a challenge, then you talk about not placing.  Make up your mind on which one is more important to you and do it.

i train every day with one rest day a week. my event is the bike. i had the 2nd best time overall for it. my swim is very slow and my run is good.

I wouldn't worry about placing ... most of us here - hell, most triathlets everywhere - do this because we enjoy it, not because we want to place.  There are some AGers but podium is not why most of us tri.

sorry about the attitude. i guess i would like the challenge over placing

Edited by domino851 2009-08-07 10:05 AM

then it sounds like you're in the right place

I echo the above -- look for a mini sprint, a try a tri, etc.  www.trifind.com is a good place to start.

good luck and have fun !

thanks for the website

I think someone else said this but check the age requirements.  I am pretty sure the sprints I have done set the minimum age at 14.  You might want to get another kids tri or two under your belt before a regular sprint.

i was just wondering how many triathlons you have done and of what distance?

If you are looking for a challenge you might want to place 1st before moving to a sprint. 3rd is awesome and you should be congratulated but... you didn't win and are looking for a challenge? Challenge yourself to WIN IT ALL then say its not a challenge and move on from there.

All events are different, but from my limited experience the kids tri's that I have seen (my kids have participated in) are NOTHING like a "real" sprint or tri a tri. 

IF you are an athletic person and can prove to yourself through training regularly in each event that you can handle the distances of what ever event you select then I don't see any reason you shouldn't do it. 

My daughter (12) recently asked me to help her to prepare for a Sprint that she wanted to do.  I built a training plan for her and after a few weeks of training it became clear to her that it was going to be more challenging than she had anticipated.  We modified the program and will be looking for an event further out in time so that she feels comfortable with the challenge. 

It is important to make sure that the challenge is reasonable and you don't over-do your training.

Michael

This is a decision that really should be between you and your parents, but I will tell you that at one of the sprints I did last year a 9-year old competed.  My kids still have not let me live down the fact that he beat me on the swim - really was pretty humbling.  In my defense it was pretty obvious that his parents were avid triathletes (and therefore able to help with the training) as he had a disk wheel for his bike and an aero helmet that looked a couple sizes too big.  My kids were so inspired by him that my 9-year old wanted to do the race this year, but my concern is that even though my son could complete the distances, he is not a strong enough swimmer to handle the hand-to-hand combat at the swim start.

You'd likely do just fine in a sprint.  If you want the challenge, go for it!

You'll likely have to get special permission from the race director due to your age.  A RD might like to see another kids triathlon or two under your belt beforehand.  He'd probably worry most about the swimming. I gather it has to do with liability and insurance issues. 

Brian

 i am going to do the kids tri and then do a sprint about 2-3 weeks later. thanks for helping me make my decsion