Last Saturday Connor entered his first youth triathlon, the Splash 2 Dash. He had been super excited about it since he got to help Daddy put up the course the night before. For Connor's age group, the 5-6 year olds, he had to swing 25 yards, bike 1 mile, and run 1/4 mile. Being a little cautious, Chris decided that Connor needed a life vest and use a kick board for the swim. He's been in swim lessons since the Fall, but we hadn't actually tested him the length of the pool.
The morning was really chilly, so using the kick board turned out to be a good thing. Connor hardly got any of his hair wet, while the others had to endure the bike and run with sopping hair.
During the swim, Connor came in around mid-pack. Not bad for being constrained with a life vest and kick board. The change from swim to bike was seamless. I got to help him out, and I preplanned by having his shirt hanging on his bike along with his helmet, and I had his shoes with velcro tabs open and ready to slip on. Earlier that morning, I chose new, thin socks that would stretch easily over his wet feet. Yeah, I was thinking!
By the time he returned from the bike portion, he was in 2nd place. He LOVES riding his bike, so I knew that would be a strong section for him. What we quickly learned, though, was he didn't pace himself very well and, like his mom, he isn't a distance runner. Omi advised him while he was taking off for the run to get a drink at the drink station. He took her literally, and stopped to get a drink while others passed him by. I think he realized that getting a drink wasn't a good idea in a race.
Off he went for the 1/4 mile run. After a few minutes or so (no one was really timing), I saw him in the distance walking with a friend of his from school. They were walking and talking having some sort of social hour. The moms were yelling for their kids to run, and as Connor continued to get passed, he eventually realized that the finish line was around the corner. He sprinted with his friend, edging him out by a fraction of a second.
Connor received his medal, which he is very proud of, along with his bagel and jamba juice, and went and sat down with his friend, Gabby, from school. Gabby apparently did quite well, taking the race serious as a race. We were proud of all the kids. More importantly, they were proud of themselves and had a great time!More Photos from Connor's race:
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