Three young Sudbury athletes participated in their first triathlon on Aug. 16, swimming, biking, and running their way through the Sundridge Kids of Steel Triathlon.
The triathlon was made up of a 75-metre swim, a five-kilometre bike ride and a 1.5-kilometre run.
“The race started at 1:30 p.m. so it was very hot for the kids,” said coach Buddy Green, a personal trainer and professional triathlete. “Once the gun went off, all three of them did amazing. I could see that each one had their strengths and weaknesses, but overall they did really good for their first ever triathlon.”
The three athletes — Erik Wainman, Michael Wainman and Spencer Allen — were among a field of 20 kids in their age group, and all three finished in the top 10 throughout each leg of the race.
Erik had the fastest overall swim on the day and was still in first place after the bike. Spencer, who came out a little back on the swim, caught right up on the bike, passing almost everyone in front of him, and ended up third overall, according to the coach. Michael showed off his running skills with a strong sprint into the finish.
“I’m very proud of all three of them this weekend and all the kids who have been working so hard all summer,” Green said.
The group of young triathletes began training in the first week of July and have been practising twice a week.
“They have been learning about all the different aspects of triathlon and what each sport entails,” the coach said. “They have also been learning about team work, and even though it’s an individual sport, having teammates can really help.”
Other members of the group will compete in their first triathlon this weekend, at the Beaton Classic in Sudbury.
“It’s really about giving back to the kids, teaching them different qualities that they can carry forward in life and making sure they have a good time,” Green said.
“I’m looking forward to keeping this going next year and hopefully we will grow and get new kids who are interested in the sport — it’s something that they can do for a very long time and it can really become a lifestyle.”
