Do any STs let their children compete in the various children specific TRIs? My daughter has shown some interest but being the over protective parent that I am I have a hard time letting my ten year old be miles away on a bike without me.
I’ve considered registering us both for a short TRI where I would hang back far enough to not be penalized for drafting but close enough to be there should she need help. Of course if I helped her with mechanical problems I’d be DQ.
Do any STs let their children compete in the various children specific TRIs? My daughter has shown some interest but being the over protective parent that I am I have a hard time letting my ten year old be miles away on a bike without me.
Yes, the 6yo did about four this year. For the first three, the bike was on a track. For the last, it was on a closed road. Volunteer supervision was pretty good. It’s awesome fun for everyone.
Both of my boys have been racing “kids” tri’s for a while. The older one started about 8 and the younger one about 6. Toughkids series and a few other races
This past summer my older son (now 12) did 3 “adult” duathlons with me. We did not run or ride together.
I’m wondering what you are afraid of that you are going to be able to prevent by riding along behind her. If she wants to race, get out of the way and let her race. Kid’s tris are designed for kids, many of them much younger than your daughter, she will be fine.
My son started at about 5 and moved to adult sprint tris at about 13. The worst part of kids tris is parents getting in the way. If you want to be involved, volunteer to help out.
My daughter did her first tri when she was eleven. It was a local pool sprint. She and I pre-rode the bike course a couple of times. We arranged with the race director for her to swim two heats earlier than mine. If she had an issue on the bike I would be coming along shortly. Also, I made sure she knew how to change both front and rear tires in the event of a flat. The roads were not closed, but early on a Sunday morning there was very little traffic, and volunteers were at all turns on the course. She had a great experience. The following year she spent her own money on a wet suit and did an open water sprint!
There’s lots to be concerned about with children riding the open road alone at that age in adult events: dogs, texting drivers, overbearing athletes with more concern for their own time than the safety of other competitors (I’ve seen a couple in every race I’ve been in). The last one is fine if both competitors are adults but when one is a child we must have a different level of expectations.
I like the idea of the shorter TRIs for children mentioned by another post and have seen a few of them online but have not fully looked into race specifics. Also don’t mind riding behind at a distance to let her race and assist if required.
Maybe I’m most afraid that she’s faster than I :-p
Daughter started at 5 and moving up to adult tris next summer at 12. I’ve never shadowed her. Two years ago she overcooked a corner, and ended up over the bars in someone’s yard - there were volunteers there to make sure she was safe and able to continue. Now, she has no problem riding 15-20 miles, and the run is a non-issue. I’ll be around for the swim to watch - and she’ll have instructions to hang out for 30 seconds before starting for the first couple of races.
Of course I’m anxious when she is out of sight…but that’s also part of the fun/challenge for us both.
I hope one of my kids want to do a tri one day. I use to do them between the ages of 7-10 and it is something that helped shape the person I became. I would never discourage or hold back my kids from doing anything promoting a healthy/active lifestyle. There are enough obstacles already with trying to keep them active I don’t need to be one of them.
Almost every local tri in the area has a kids race. The kids in those events look forward to it (sort of their reward for watching mommy and daddy all morning). The biggest complaint that most of the parent has, IME, is that the distances are insultingly short for the older kids. A 25 yard pool, 0.5 mile ride and a 0.25 mile swim may be perfect for a 5 year old. Not so much for a 10 year old. Regardless, I’ve never seen an injury, incident, or a kid that failed to appreciate the experience.
Locally we have the “Kids of Steel” series. Age appropriate distances. Sometimes a pool swim, sometimes open water. For the younger kids they can be accompanied by parents in the water (and can use flotation devices) but not on bike or run but then the distances at 7 or so are pretty short. The older kids have longer distances, no parents or flotation.
With a number of the local Tris, the Kids stuff is,on Saturday and the adults (Try a Tri, Sprint and Oly) are the next day.
My 2 sons both participated a couple of times and 3 of my Grand sons and 1 Grand daughter have participated. One of sons now does adult Triathlons and he even got me into it as well. I think the 3 Grandsons will be participating this year as well.