A Pair of IronKids

Saturday morning we were all up early so the girls could participate in the HyVee IronKids Triathlon. Despite a wake up call that came just before 6am the girls zipped right out of bed, to breakfast and to get ready.  The energy level and excitement was really high.

Even though this is a kids event, it is run just like all the triathlons I've ever seen. The banners, the transitions, the course is just a somewhat smaller version of an adult event. When we arrived the first thing the girls did was get their body marking, their race numbers and ages in permanent marker.

Amelia, "that kind of hurt..."

Ava, our seasoned triathlon pro....

Then it was off to transition to get their spots set up and their stuff organized. We laid everything out and walked the transitions one more time before they closed the area.  Pausing for a photo with mom - the triathlon organizer-in-chief...

Transition closed at 7:45am, but Ava's race wave didn't start until 9:30am.  By lucky coincidence Meghan was there, producing a video shoot for work, so the girls got to say hello and talk with her for a little bit. We walked around for awhile, said hello to a few people we knew and watched the Seniors race. But it was a long time to wait.

Finally they started lining up the Intermediate division.  As usual, Ava got busy making friends.  Chatting up her new buddy here - Ava: "Mom, she was trying to qualify for the National Championships!"

They lined the Intermediates up by gender, then age...  it was a big group and they started the kids one by one to avoid a confusing group swim start.  Ready, set, go!  Ava's off!

It was so great to watch Ava swim - she looked strong and comfortable in the water.  She caught up to the person in front of her, moving through the swim with a really consistent pace. Here she is, coming out of the water....

Waving to her sister Meghan running into transition....

Ava kind of took her time in transition, putting on dry clothes over her swim suit, but she headed out for the hilly four mile bike with great determination....

Ava blew through her second transition and set out to run the final leg of the triathlon.  John went out to the midway point in the run, where he said Ava was slowing down to a walk.  He gave her a little pep talk and ran with her for a little ways and she finished strong and sure.  Ava: "Boy it sure helped to have dad out there to run with me for a little while!"

Here she is just before the finish line, our IronKid!

Amelia had been waiting all this time, cheering for her "Sissy," but ready to get her own show on the road.  Her age group was supposed to start at 10:15am, but didn't get going until 11am.  Amelia had to do some fussing - she didn't like her swim cap over her ears, her goggles were too tight, but once those things were set she ran this race like a champ!

Amelia setting off on the swim start....

Making quick work of the swim, she is out of the water like a flash!

She ran up the hill to transition and despite having walked the transitions several times she blew right by her spot.  Her bike rack was the very first one when you come in off the swim, but I think she got turned around because she ran all the way down to the opposite end of transition looking for her bike.  I waved down a volunteer (the nice young man in the orange shirt, khaki shorts, black shoes in this picture) and asked him to go find her....  He located Amelia and ran her back to her transition spot where she got dressed for the bike... just so....   And a moment to say, the volunteer support at this race was just exceptional.  You can see that each one of the kids in transition here basically has a volunteer to help them.  They won't help them with shoes/clothing, but they pointed them in the right way, got their bikes out, kickstands up etc.... They were so kind.

Let's go bike now!  Amelia had a very fast two mile bike on a nice flat course. 

The second transition went much quicker, she ran in and the wonderful volunteer helped her with her bike and put her helmet back in her spot - and off she went on the run.  John again was waiting at her halfway point where he had to tell her it was ok to pass people....  apparently she was waiting behind people saying, "excuse me."  

A tunnel of spectators lined up just before the finish and the Junior kids ran through, giving high fives on their way to the finish line....

Amelia the IronKid!  A six year old triathlete!

A National Championship Event was being held on the same site the next day. There were championship triathlon teams from 14 different states participating with their triathlon suits, expensive bikes and coaches. In order to participate in a championship event a child has to have placed in their age group at an event.  Many of the kids who participated in the HyVee IronKids had already qualified.  Many more were trying to qualify.  So there was an interesting division between the really serious and competitive kid athletes and the ones who were out there for fun.

John and I are competitive people in our own way...  As we were walking around after the event we started talking about how much of a difference triathlon suits would make for the girls in transition, how their heavy bikes made it tough for Ava to bike those hills, how they didn't really prepare or train for this event except to do the things they do normally in the summer anyway. But then we brought that talk back around to remember how glad we are that our kids participated with joy and enthusiasm, wanting to do their best, but not comparing themselves to others. How grateful we are that they are healthy and athletic... And how very much we did NOT want to be like the parents we saw yelling at their kids who were trying to qualify for National Championship Events. Including the father who was yelling at his son, who had just thrown up in transition, to swish some water in his mouth and get  going...  I'm not kidding...

Because look at those happy smiles!  We are proud to the point of bursting of our IronKids!