Triathlons keep kids busy this summer
Brady Wiggers, 9, gets a hug from his mother, Stephanie, after completing the Kids Triathlon. The Bridgeville native finished second in his age group.
Greg Ellis from Pro Bike & Ride adjusts the bicycle helmet of Alyssa Danen before she participates in the Kids Triathlon.
Eleanor Bailey / Staff Abby Poe swims across the South Park Wave Pool during the first leg of competition in the Kids Triathlon. The 8-year-old Bridgeville resident won her age group after finishing the event, which also included cycling and running, in 10:41.
Eleanor Bailey / Staff Mikayla Eckenrode enjoys a cold bottle of waterafter completing her first Kids Triathlon. The 7-year-old Ventia resident finished second in her age group.
A youth keeps his eyes on the road while he negotiates a hill during the bicycling portion of the Kids Triathlon. Participants either completed a 1.5- or 2.4-mile bike during the event, which also included swimming and running.
The Hnaras siblings, Julianna, 5, Melina, 6, and Matthew, 2, enjoy bagels while they wait for their older sister, Gabrielle, 9, to finish the Kids Triathlon.The Hnaras family hails from Canonsburg.
Jackson Beemer, 9, puts the finishing touches on his tie-dye shirt. Participants in the Kids Triathlon were given a souvenir T-shirt, which they could decorate in their favorite colors.
Sydney Saba charges up the hill during the running portion of the Kids Triathlon. The 12-year-old Mt. Lebanon resident took second in his age group during the competition, which also featured swimming and cycling.
Former Kids Triathlon race director turned yoga instructor, Dana Barone, demonstrates a move to Joy and Bridget Beck. Barone owns and operates Yoga Inovations in Bethel Park and was on hand to help the young athletes stretch after their competition.
Pam Dillie of Upper St. Clair (center) helps Aislin Majoris, 9, and Zach Kashak, 7, with the dyes they will use to tint their souvenir shirts from the Kids Triathlon.
A young athlete is pleased to be finished with the simming portion of the triathlon and heads to the transition zone to prepare for the cycling and running legs of the event.
A young triathlete sets up his transition zone in preparation for the Kids Triathlon.
An enthusiastic youth cheers on his companion during the Kids Triathlon.
Cheering on the competition is a youth after she, herself, had completed the Kids Triathlon.
Focus was a key for this competitor during the cycling portion of the Kids Triathlon.
Spanning the generations in the Kids Triathlon were the Eckenrodes. Margaret and Jack (center back) were on hand to watch their granddaughter, Mikayla, as were her parents, Nikkie and Josh (back) and siblings, Eligjah, 5, Olivia, 3, and Violet, 1.
Enjoying a leisurely ride in the park is this young triathlete.
A horse and its dismounted rider wander onto the course during the Kids Triathlon held at South Park.
For Stephanie Wiggers, the summer is not over after the Fourth of July, as the old adage goes. It is just beginning.
“It’s a busy summer,” she said, because her son, Brady, just completed the first of the many triathlons in which the family will participate. The 9-year-old Bridgeville resident took second in his age group during the 16th annual Kids Triathlon, held July 23 at the South Park Wave Pool.
Of triathlons, Wiggers added, “You get addicted to doing them.”
Brady certainly is hooked. He will compete July 30 in the Boyce-Mayview Triathlon at the Community and Recreation Center in Upper St. Clair. He will also participate in the North Park Kids Triathlon set for Aug. 6 and the Kids Competing for Autism Speaks Youth event the following morning at Settler’s Cabin Park, located at 608 Ridge Road. That triathlon is a favorite as it is a fundraiser for the neurodevelopmental disorder from which Brady’s brother, Bobby, suffers.
Wiggers agreed there are many events but noted the causes. The South Park Triathlon benefits Habitat For Humanity.
“There are so many important things that need help and support,” she said, then noted that there is so much “negativity” out there. “Something like this gives you hope, especially when you look at all that the youth of today are doing.”
On an especially warm and humid morning at the South Park Wave Pool, several hundred youths, including Brady, completed a course that featured either a 50- or 100-meter swim, a 1.5- or 2.4-mile bike and a half- or one-mile run, depending on age divisions between 7-12.
“I really liked it,” Brady said, “especially the bike. I liked how hard the course was. It was bumpy. I’m not a good runner. I don’t like to go uphill, but I am a good swimmer,” he added, noting he belongs to the Chartiers Country Club’s swim team.
“Brady really had a good time,” Wiggers said. “I think all the kids had a wonderful time, and the race is very well-organized. I enjoy seeing the smiles on the kids’ faces. It gives them a great sense of accomplishment. It’s absolutely an amazing experience.”
For Mikayla Eckenrode of Venetia, the Kids Triathlon proved an equally noteworthy experience, one that has spanned the generations. Her grandparents, Margaret and Jack Eckenrode – they raised eight athletic siblings who excelled at Peters Township High School – were on hand to congratulate her for a second-place showing in the Under-8 division. Eckenrode’s cousins were among the first participants in the event some 16 years ago.
Mikayla trains like a champion.
“For breakfast,” said her father, Josh, who does Ironman Triathlons, “she wanted those ‘frosty flakes.’ ‘That cereal that had the Olympic figure on it,'” she told me.
Mikayla said that she prepared for the triathlon mostly by running. “I trained a lot with my mom because Dad’s at work during the day,” she said of Nikki Eckenrode, who is a seasoned runner.
Mikayla – who was cheered on by her siblings, Elijah, 5; Olivia, 3; and Violet, 1; plus Uncle Michael – said the swimming portion of the triathlon was hardest for her but she liked the bike best.
“I liked everything, but the fun part was the biking because I was able to cool off,” she said. “The race was good, but it was very hot and I’m out of breath. But I want to do it again. I can’t wait until next year because Eli will be able to do it.”
Of the triathlon, Mikayla added, “It’s fun and you get a lot of exercise.”
Meanwhile, Mikayla’s father noted the Kids Triathlon is a good exercise in community service. Since its inception in 2000, the Kids Triathlon Series, which now includes the race Aug. 6 in North Park, has raised over $800,000 for Habitat For Humanity.
“All the money goes for a good cause and back into the community,” noted Josh Eckenrode. “We stress it’s fun to do things like this but at the end of the day the money raised helps young kids and families, who may do this one day.”
Eckenrode also acknowledged how triathlons expose young athletes to a variety of activities. “It’s a great event for the community to get young kids involved in multiple sports,” he added.
That aspect attracted Lucien Guillon and his father, Mathew, to the race, which they discovered through an Internet search. For the triathlon enthusiasts, it is a neater trend than Pokemon, Go.
“I like this better because it’s easier to do this,” said Lucien.
“But it’s good to do both,” said Mr. Guillon. “It’s good to have balance. We think triathlons are fun for kids because it’s not just one sport. It’s less boring for kids and in the park, here, it’s a nice venue.”
For Jane Maurer, 7, and her friends Sam and Sydney Asher, South Park beat running around their neighborhood and swimming at their community pool for the day. “It was fun,” enthused the Aspinwall residents.
“I like the bike because I went real fast,” added Jane.
That did not bother her parents, who are avid runners. Jonnett and Scott Maurer, along with their daughter Elise, 4, and the family dog, Ozzie, enjoyed watching Jane and the rest of the young athletes compete in their first triathlon.
“It’s amazing,” Scott said of the race. “It is good to see people promoting healthy habits for kids.”
Visit runhigh.com for complete race results.