Sunny with a High of 95

The day was Saturday, June 13 and it began at 5:45 a.m. The moon hung cleverly over the bay as the children ages 5 through 15 prepared their gear and were body marked, tagged with wristbands and had their heads vacuum-sealed into swim caps. These are the life and times of two young, first time triathletes.

Aubree, No. 44, listened for the horn and was off and swimming at 8 a.m. She fought off the elbow and leg jabs as she rounded the buoy and finished the 100 yards in the Crystal Beach water. She ran to the transition area and hopped on her bike to complete the two miles that lay ahead of her. She hadn’t anticipated having problems with her chain but she quickly realized that she was on her own and had to figure it out by herself. She somehow managed and began the half-mile run to the finish line. Ribs aching, Aubree continued and finished strong in 25 minutes, coming in eighth place in the 9-year-old (you race at whatever age you will be on Dec. 31, 2009) girls division.

Proud moment… medal hasn’t come off since the race.
Best part of participating in the triathlon… getting to throw her water cups on the ground while racing.
Reward… fostering a dog from the Humane Society for a short time.

Avery, No. 87, stood self-respecting in his Hawaiian style, blue bathing suit mentally preparing himself to swim 200 yards. “I refuse to wear spandex, mom!” were his exact words as he explained his only prerequisite for entering the tri. I told him, “Michael Phelps looks good in spandex,” but this was not a mind changer for him. He concluded the triathlon by running a mile, his total time was 32 minutes and came in sixth place in the 11-year-old boys division.

Proud moment… the smile on his face after sprinting to the finish line, beating out the seventh place 11-year-old, male triathlete.
Best part of participating in the triathlon… biking four miles with no hands on the handlebars while looking at the immense homes along the water.
Reward… buying a cheap PSP on ebay.

Before the race began, I noticed two girls and a dad that looked familiar. It was the family of the midwife that delivered Aubree! Her name is Karen Vaughn-Kerns, she was busy assisting in parturition, but I came to find out that her daughters enter Live Strong youth series triathlons frequently.

With this event under our triathlon belt, the kids have not decided if they care to ever compete in another race, but they are grateful for having the opportunity to experience one. Special thanks to all of you that cheered Avery and Aubree on, whether you were present in mind or body.

Word of the Week: Each week I add a word that I have come across in my reading for which I did not know the definition. After looking it up I try to use it in my future columns. Last week’s word was rudimentary, “a first slight beginning of something.”