Children Try a Tri at Taylorsville Event
Aug 23, 2016 01:04PM ● By Tori La Rue
A boy begins the running portion of the Taylorsville Triumph Youth and Family Triathlon. –Tori La Rue
By Tori La Rue | [email protected]
Over 100 spectators watched as racers, many of them children, leapt into the pool, sped through a park on bikes and sprinted to the finish line during Taylorsville Fitness and Recreation Center’s fifth annual triathlon.
The Taylorsville Triumph Youth and Family Triathlon is a super sprint race, meaning the distance of each event is shortened, making it the perfect triathlon for children, said Ryan Roghaar, program coordinator. Participants swam 150 meters biked 4.6 miles and ran 1.2 miles.
“I run tris all over the place, but this is the only one that caters to my kids, so it was kind of fun to get them involved, and I brought some friends,” said Derek Jones, a participant. “It’s just an easy-to-do, short, fun, low-pressure, great little race.”
Ryker Jones, 11, now knows that the triathlons his dad participates in are easy, he said. Ryker said he and his brother Cole, 10, trained for their first triathlon by signing up for a 5k and wanting to play the XBOX frequently.
“My dad has a rule that we can only play the XBOX if we run a couple laps,” Cole explained.
Cole said he enjoyed the triathlon and wants to participate in the event next year. Cole and Ryker sported their participant medals as they walked around to cool off after the race.
Kylan Olson, 12, who has participated in the race each year since its beginning, got third place overall. Kylan’s sister, Kelti Olson, 9, and his cousins Gavin Miller, 9, and Samantha Miller, 12, participated in the race because they love being sporty and competing against each other, Kelti said.
“The hardest part about the race is to not die,” Kylan said.
“And to not stop and keep going,” Kelti added.
Mike Olsen, Kelti and Kylan’s father, cheered his children, niece and nephew on as he watched them from the sidelines. He was all smiles as he watched them cross the finish line.
“It’s exciting watching them do something hard and do so well at it. They have more guts than I have,” he said. “I won’t do it, but they are always eager to do it. It is something they look forward to every year.”
The group of siblings and cousins congratulated each other, each of them getting between first and third place in their divisions.
At 9:30 a.m.—one hour after the start of the race—most participants had finished. Recreation center staff members wrote each participant’s time and place down on a little card that they handed out at the end of the event. It was a way for the racers to know their scores without the results being posted online or in front of everyone, because the point of the recreation center’s super sprint is completion not beating others, Roghaar said.
Over 100 spectators watched as racers, many of them children, leapt into the pool, sped through a park on bikes and sprinted to the finish line during Taylorsville Fitness and Recreation Center’s fifth annual triathlon.
The Taylorsville Triumph Youth and Family Triathlon is a super sprint race, meaning the distance of each event is shortened, making it the perfect triathlon for children, said Ryan Roghaar, program coordinator. Participants swam 150 meters biked 4.6 miles and ran 1.2 miles.
“I run tris all over the place, but this is the only one that caters to my kids, so it was kind of fun to get them involved, and I brought some friends,” said Derek Jones, a participant. “It’s just an easy-to-do, short, fun, low-pressure, great little race.”
Ryker Jones, 11, now knows that the triathlons his dad participates in are easy, he said. Ryker said he and his brother Cole, 10, trained for their first triathlon by signing up for a 5k and wanting to play the XBOX frequently.
“My dad has a rule that we can only play the XBOX if we run a couple laps,” Cole explained.
Cole said he enjoyed the triathlon and wants to participate in the event next year. Cole and Ryker sported their participant medals as they walked around to cool off after the race.
Kylan Olson, 12, who has participated in the race each year since its beginning, got third place overall. Kylan’s sister, Kelti Olson, 9, and his cousins Gavin Miller, 9, and Samantha Miller, 12, participated in the race because they love being sporty and competing against each other, Kelti said.
“The hardest part about the race is to not die,” Kylan said.
“And to not stop and keep going,” Kelti added.
Mike Olsen, Kelti and Kylan’s father, cheered his children, niece and nephew on as he watched them from the sidelines. He was all smiles as he watched them cross the finish line.
“It’s exciting watching them do something hard and do so well at it. They have more guts than I have,” he said. “I won’t do it, but they are always eager to do it. It is something they look forward to every year.”
The group of siblings and cousins congratulated each other, each of them getting between first and third place in their divisions.
At 9:30 a.m.—one hour after the start of the race—most participants had finished. Recreation center staff members wrote each participant’s time and place down on a little card that they handed out at the end of the event. It was a way for the racers to know their scores without the results being posted online or in front of everyone, because the point of the recreation center’s super sprint is completion not beating others, Roghaar said.
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