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When one thinks of the different ways in which kids stay active, a triathlon doesn’t exactly come to mind.
But don’t tell that to roughly 130 brave, young souls who are set to embark on a three-part fitness trial called the Bayou Kids Triathlon.
Open to kids aged 3-14, the event will be held 7:30 a.m. on Aug. 3 at the Bayou Black Rec Center, and it’s just like your typical triathlon featuring swimming, biking and running.
“We wanted to find a way for kids to get a little more exposure to different types of activity by competing in the triathlon rather your typical just on the swim team, just play baseball or just play football. It’s something different,” said triathlon overseer Michelle Matta.
For participants like 12-year-old Graham Frank and 10-year-old Caroline Daigre – both of Houma – the triathlon and training leading up to the triathlon is a fun way to stay active during the summer months.
“It’s a fun activity for people who like sports like me,” Frank said. “It’s fun training. Training was probably my favorite part of it. I enjoy it because I don’t really have a lot to do during the summer. When my swim season ends, I don’t really have a lot to do, so it fills the space.”
The event will be Frank’s fourth triathlon and Daigre’s second.
“I am absolutely, positively very happy for the coming up triathlon,” Daigre said. “I enjoy it so much, because it’s a good way to stay active.”
The length of the legs of the race vary depending on the age of the competitor.
Competitors aged 12 through 14 will be tasked with swimming 150 meters, biking 3.75 miles and running 1.5 km. Leg lengths decrease in descending order of the age groups: 9-11 years old (swim 100 meters, bike 3 miles, run 1.5 km), 7-8 years old (swim 75 meters, bike 2 miles, run 1 km), 5-6 years old (swim 50 meters, bike 1 mile, run 1 km) all the way down to 3-4 years old (swim 25 meters, bike 200 meters, run 100 meters).
Frank is ready for the longest race of the bunch.
“I’m already trained. I’ve been trained for a long time. I’m really prepared for it,” he said. “I’m biking a few miles every night with my mom. I’m running laps around the track at one of the local schools and I’m on the swim team so I feel like I’m already ready for that.”
Believe it or not, Matta said there’s very little hesitancy with kids wanting to compete in triathlons. However, it’s the parents that sometimes take a little more convincing.
“Once they get the kids out there, the kids enjoy it and have a good time. It’s more parents who aren’t quite as willing because they don’t know what it’s all about and they’re unsure. But once a kid starts doing it they get their friends to come do it, and it has been growing,” Matta said.
In an effort to ease the minds of parents, lifeguards will be present during the swimming portion, Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s deputies will be routing traffic away from the street where the biking and running portion will be held and a security force has been hired.
Matta said the event is also accepting volunteers to help the event run smoothly.
The annual Bayou Kids Triathlon began three years ago as a way to raise scholarship money for the South Central Swim Association, and the race has grown ever since. Matta said seven $5,000 scholarships have been given to swimmers entering college, and this year’s triathlon should raise enough money for two $500 scholarships for the swim club.
“The kids start participating usually around the ages of four or five or six years old and stay with us until they’re 18 so it’s kind of a way for us to thank them for all their years of dedication in swimming and send them off to college with a little something,” said Matta.
Matta is expecting competitors from all over the state.
Registration ends July 30 – the release date of this publication – and costs $35. Athletes can register online at www.IMAthlete.com and can visit the race’s website www.bayoukidstri.com or send an email to bayoukidstri@gmail.com for more information.
Competitors must be USA Triathlon (USAT) members. A one-day USAT membership can be purchased for $10 at www.usatriathlon.org.
Young athletes Brayden Verdin, left, smiles with pride, showing off his medal with fellow proud competitor Scott Haydel at the 2014 Mighty Kids Triathlon. A similar event will take place on Aug. 3 at the Bayou Black Recreation Center. Titled the Bayou Kids Triathlon, the event will welcome kids ages 3-14, and will put them through a gauntlet of endurance tests throughout the day.
