What better way to get kids moving and having fun than a triathlon! On Sunday, June 30th the Park Cities held its annual Kids triathlon for children ages 6 to 14.  This event marks the 6th year in the making.  The annual event is contracted through PlayTri Racing and is supported by many sponsors giving these children an opportunity to grow stronger in three different capacities:  swimming, biking and running.

As the Park Cities Y is continuing its growth in providing programs for “all”, this year we added Adaptive Splash and Dash for special needs children ages 6-17, to kick-off the event. While there were only a few participants, hundreds of spectators cheered them on as they swam and ran their distance. We only hope that the word will get out about the great opportunities the Park Cities Y is beginning to build for special needs children.

The 6th Annual Kids Triathlon had 113 participants.  Children ages 6 to 10 began the event by jumping in the pool every 10 seconds, for their 100 yard swim.  Afterwards, they transitioned to the bike rack, got their helmet on and headed out to the streets for a 5k bike ride. Upon their return back to the Y, they racked their bike and started a 1k run. After the last runner in this age group crossed the finish line, the 11 to 14 year olds swam 200 yards, transitioned to a 10k bike ride and then on to a 2k run.

Once the athletes completed their physical task of swimming, biking and running, they received a medal at the finish line along with a snow cone.  Lots of happy faces were to be found on the soccer field Sunday morning, from grandparents, to siblings to our newly accomplished young triathletes.

The event was a huge success because of the compassion and dedication from PLAYTRI, Y staff, volunteers and police officers on the course. Thank you to all of those that helped!