We have organized two mini-triathlons for the kids in our neighborhood. It was part of a celebration of the end of summer. The kids in the neighborhood were invited to bike one mile, swim two lengths of the pool, then run half a mile. We had kids from age 5 – 14 participate. You should have seen all those proud faces when they crossed the finish line!
Make sure to recruit at least 8 adults to help. You’ll need to place them along the route to keep everyone safe. Map out your course and give your volunteers specific assignments, making sure there is an adult at any road crossings or wear a kids could stray from the route. You’ll also need timers with stopwatches and clipboards recording start and finish times. And, you will need a volunteer lifeguard at the pool.
We like this order, bike – swim – run, but you could also put your swim at the end. Kids don’t want to get out of the pool once they’re in, so we like sandwiching it in the middle so the pool stays clear for the next athlete.
The Starting Line
We wrote numbers on the kids’ shoulders with eye liner pen. The pens are waxy so they don’t rub off in the water.
We sent the kids one at a time, every thirty seconds. They raced against the clock, not each other. Otherwise, there would be way too many kids in the pool at once and the bike route would be too crowded as well.
Biking
Swimming
Running
The Finish Line
I really love this event. I think it’s a great opportunity for kids to feel the glory of hard work and determination. We all feel better about ourselves when we finish something difficult. Everyone feels like a winner if they complete the course– and they all did!