our four youngest competed recently in the Ironkid Triathlon in Brights Grove. this is a really fun event. two had done it before, but for AJ and Hudson this was their first time. for them, the race included a 50 metre swim, 2.5 km bike ride and a 1 km run. for Layla and Adam the race distance was a 100 metre swim, a 5 km bike ride and a 2 km run. i could go on and on about this day, but i'll mostly let the pictures speak for themselves. below, pre-race registration and bike check...
listening to the rules of the race. all four "getting their game on"....worth noting was the intense questioning we received from AJ the whole week prior to the race. he covered everything...."where will i leave my bike?", "how will i know where to go?" etc....thankfully, a few days before the actual race we'd gone for a family bike ride and pretty much taken them all through the course, so it wasn't completely unfamiliar....
walking to the starting point down on the beach...
entering the chilly water...worth noting~ Layla took on some water early in the swim. there are, after all, bodies all together in close proximity, and separating from the pack is difficult at that distance. she was struggling enough to catch her breath after swallowing water that she instinctively rolled to her back and floated/did back stroke until she was breathing well again. she finished last out of the water, and there was much ground to make up...but my fierce and determined one did not let that get her down...
Hudson~ racing like he'd done this before. his face said "i'm good, i'm going for it, i'm strong"...how far he's come. and if you're thinking the pics are really just average, you are right. me with a cell phone, just trying to see all of them and get them through each transition point. between Jeff and I we still didn't catch each one. it was a whirlwind and over so quickly.
AJ coming in from his bike course and ready to transition to the run. also worth noting, AJ apparently fell at the very beginning of his ride, and had the skinned knee to show for it at the finish line. neither of us saw him fall as we were helping our other kids get dried off and onto their bikes. he says he fell, got up, and then just kept riding! AJ also just mastered two wheels officially last month. the training wheels have been off for a lonnngg time, but after many delays he finally agreed to keep practicing until he got it, just last month! when he was four he'd say "i'll learn when i'm five", when he was five he'd say "i'll learn when i'm six, etc....so, this summer his siblings bribed him to practice riding for time on their devices, and it finally worked! i had started to give up and figured he'd learn when he really wanted to~ but hey~ their bribes worked! thanks Adam and Hannah!
Adam~ solid and strong all day. he made it look easy.
Layla, gaining ground and almost at the finish line!
AJ~ almost there!!
done....
post race picture~ a few smiles look a bit forced, which i think is understandable....they were all tired and glad to be done.
lunch!!! yummy hotdogs, cookies and water bottles for all competitors. discussing the race with dad. speaking of dad~ also worth mention is his completion of the Sprint Triathlon the day prior. he competed himself with lots of other brave people and finished strong. especially considering he didn't train for the day at all...because that's how he rolls... :)
so, the final results are:
AJ~ sixth place out of twelve in his age group
Hudson~ seventh place out of twenty-six in his age group
Layla~ third place out of fifteen in her age group
Adam~ sixth out of eleven in his age group
Jeff~ thirty-ninth out of ninety-seven total competitors
great day~ great kids....and the big kid too! so proud of all of you for your courage and effort!
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