SunRype Tri Kids

Woohoo! Way to go! Brea and Rhys just completed their first ever triathlon!

We are so happy that our friends, the Kinetic Family, told us about the SunRype Tri Kids Races. What a wonderful opportunity for our children to get active in such a fun and safe environment! I showed a slideshow of past races and Rhys was so excited! We tried to prep the kids a bit in the time leading up to the race but we have been hit hard by some kind of nasty stomach bug so it's been a rough 10 days of very sick kiddos who have wanted do nothing but lie in a lump. We weren't sure Brea would be able to participate but she rallied and seemed better yesterday. So it was a quick go over of the transitions of swim to bike to run as well as a few goes of biking to the park and back. It was okay though, the distance expected for the 3-5 age group was very doable by either kid.

Prep the night before.

We woke bright and early, ate our hearty breakfast and were set to go!

It was a bit daunting upon our arrival since there were many people and it was pretty difficult to really explain and prepare the kids for that. We quickly headed to set-up and got our gear in place. It was lovely to bump into other friends who had kids at the event. Rhys was in the first wave and Brea was only six minutes behind so we basically stripped to our bathing suits and stood by the flag ready to go. It was a bit chilly so the kids were not as happy-go-lucky as we would have liked. It wasn't too long before Po-Po, the Kau-Kaus and Auntie Joyce showed up with a dazzling sign to cheer them on. So that made the waiting a little easier.

Both Craig and I had to be in the pool and along the course with the kids, a requirement for the 3-5 age group. We were on deck though for the swim portion so I did manage to see Rhys go. Brea was very interested in the timer that was strapped to her leg and questioned me on how it worked over and over while we waited. Soon we were in the water and off we went, those swimming lessons totally paid off as Brea crossed the pool without any difficulty, just a few stops to rest supported by my arm. Meanwhile, Rhys had a few gulps of water in the pool, insisted on waiting for Brea outside where it was cold and lost a bit of his enthusiasm.

By the time we headed to the bike section, Rhys wanted to go home. I think it was a bit much for him to hear a myriad of people on the sidelines cheering his name. After a bit of coaxing he did make it onto his bike and met up on the course with Brea and Daddy who had gone ahead. We swapped kids and I went to race the end stretch with Brea. It was so great! The announcer called out the kids names as we crossed the finish line and Brea's smile when she got her medal was well worth it. Rhys got there too in the end, with a bit of tugging encouragement from Craig. He was bawling for the 100m run but once he saw that there was snacks at the finish line, he was fine. This kid knows what his priorities are.

I'm waiting for some pictures from our on-site photographers, I was not able to snap shots while participating in the event, though the Kinetic Family totally did with the help of a strapped on waterproof camera. Hopefully, I'll add them to this post soon.

Proud little kiddos.

They did have fun and we are so very proud of them for completing the event. Here's to more triathlons in our future.