Rain supsends Upper St. Clair youth triathlon
Max Kile and Cameron Griffiths race to the finish line during the Boyce-Mayview Park Kids Triathlon held at the Community and Recreation Center in Upper St. Clair.
Graycin Baldassare receives encouraging words from her mother to persevere during the Boyce-Mayview Park Youth Triathlon. After a slow start in the swim portion of the event, Baldassare completed the course, which included bicycling and running.
Barielle Fishell (left) and Brady Wiggers (right) were the winners in the 7-8-9 age category during the Boyce-Mayview Youth Triathlon held at the Community and Recreation Center in Upper St. Clair.
Aidan Chambers swims during the Boyce-Mayview Youth Triathlon
Pranav Tripathi negotiates a rain-slicked bicycle course durint the Boyce-Mayview Park Youth Triathlon.
Quinn Miller takes a breath of air during the swim portion of the Boyce-Mayview Park Youth Triathlon.
Part of the triathlon featured a cycling course through the Boyce-Mayview complex.
Gabrielle Fishell and Brady Wiggers claimed first-place trophies in the 7-9 age group, but the weather captured the grand prize during the Boyce-Mayview Park Youth Triathlon held July 30 at the Community and Recreation Center in Upper St. Clair.
“The nature gods won this race,” said event volunteer Don Wilhelm.
For the first time in the event’s four-year history, the triathlon was suspended because of storms that soaked the region on Saturday. Despite the stoppage, Wilhelm deemed the triathlon a success. Except for the weather, he noted, “Everything went as it was supposed to.”
“This is the first time we got rained out, but we didn’t have the foibles and problems of the past,” Wilhelm said. “This has gotten better over time.”
“It went smoother,” agreed Wilhelm’s wife, Sue. “I felt like we all knew what we were doing. The kids knew what they were supposed to do, and the parents behaved.
“We did the best we could,” she added. “We can’t control the weather.”
Lisa Reutzel, who co-directed the race with Chris Biswick, agreed.
“You can’t run a race with lightning and thunder,” she said. “For safety reasons, we stopped the race. We want a fun event, but safety first. Weather is a dynamic that you have to deal with every day. But I was pleased with how everybody worked together to make things run smoothly.”
Because many of the competitors participated in a four-week training program offered by the Community and Recreation Center, the athletes, who ranged in age from 7 to 12, were familiar with the course and were ready to race. Ages 7-9 swam three laps in the 25-yard indoor pool, cycled a 1-mile course and ran a half mile. In the older divisions, those able to complete the race before the suspension, swam five laps and doubled their distance in the bike and run. Only one wave of participants, or eight of the 70 entrants, was unable to complete the course, being halted after the swim.
“Those who participated in the training sessions were ahead of the game,” said Reutzel. “I think many of them finished high or at the top of their age groups.”
“These kids have prepared, which is great to see,” said Sue Wilhelm. “It was disappointing for some of the older kids who didn’t get to finish and see how their training benefited them. But everybody was enthusiastic about training for this race. We had kids doing extra laps in the pool prior to the event, and they even wanted to swim some before the race.”
Those who couldn’t compete for medals, however, showed resilience and determination. Even those who were last out of the pool persisted and willed themselves to finish under adverse conditions such as slippery pavement for both the cycling and running legs of the triathlon.
“Everybody may not be able to compete for medals but they could all do the whole race,” Reutzel said. “That’s part of the learning experience, and getting back up and persevering. For many, it’s about trying something new, and we at the center are all about encouraging acts of healthy living.
“For many, we have introduced them to a new sport, a new activity,” Reutzel continued. “It’s rewarding for us when we see their faces when they are done and for them, when they realize what they have accomplished.”