My son will be 15 yrs old this summer and just told me that he’d like to do a tri this summer. I’m a bit pleasantly surprised because he hadn’t shown any previous interest. He’s very athletic, one of the top junior athletes at his high school, but his sports have been basketball, volleyball, soccer, skiing/snowboarding and skateboarding. He has a mountain bike that he rides once in awhile. He’s never seemed to have much interest in running or swimming. He can swim OK and can run well in the sports he does, but has never had interest in competitve swimming or running sports.
Unfortunately, I’m a divorced dad. A few years ago his mom moved to BC (I’m in Ontario) so my so the deal is that my son flies here for X-mas, March break and for the summer, at least until he finishes high school. As a result, I may not be as influencial as if his mom and I were still together, but on the other hand, I don’t believe in pushing kids into sports like some of the “hockey parents” and “baseball dads” that we see.
I’m building my son up a decent road bike (he wants to try group riding this summer also). It’s a good older high end classic steel frame with new 9 sp 105 triple and will have Jammer GT aero bars for the tri.
My main question for parents of tri-ing 15 yr olds is what distances are your kids doing? I’ve suggested he do a Try-a-Tri for his first event which would be a 200m swim, 10 kms bike and 2 kms run. Does this seem reasonable? I think a sprint might be a bit too much for the first event, but if he likes it, then he could later do some sprint events.
Any comments would be appreciated from parents or from any of the teenagers on the forum.
Try a tri…give it a try…call it what you will…and all you manly Ironmen (and Ironwomen)out there call me wussy for doing them…but they rock. Maybe my fragile ego needs to beat someone…short and sweet the way to go. Okay so at 34 I’m not a teen…but I think the distance is perfect for younger and first time athletes. Since your son is in good shape already he will undoubtedly do very well at the distance. I agree that sprint is too long for someone so young and as a first time race it would likely do more harm to his desire than good. There are also kids of steel races…but again…if he’s in that good of shape…go bigtime.
well, I’m 11 years removed from that age, but please allow me to comment.
This kid is good at sports so he already has a good physical basis with which to work, AND he’s probably a tiny bit cocky. Nothing wrong with that (I still am). As a result, he might get turned off on the “Try” a Tri. “Try! What the hell?” is what he might say.
I’d let him do a “Real” Tri. Sprint distance, of course, but “real” nonetheless. Couple hundred people, big start, outdoor swim, freezing water, the whole kit and kaboodle. Sell it to him that he’s capable of something a little more “serious”.
You could win some serious “cool guy” points for this.
At 15 I thought I could do anything. I have to admit that not much has changed.
Actually, he’s HUGE big time cocky. Had a bit of a problem with this last year when teaching him scuba diving. This is my biggest concern and why I’m keen on the Try-a-Tri as the first event. If I left it up to him, he’d want to do an IM as the first tri.
Have him do the Guelph Try a Tri. That will humble him. Some wicked fast teens from the Hamilton area always tear that course up. 8 of the top ten came from that age group
My oldest boy, Heath, who is now 12, has been doing 5ks and run/bike biathlons since he was 8. Heath has a soccer background since age 6 and is now running CC and track for the middle school. Heath has done kids tris at the local YMCA also. I have been leery of letting him swim at the local sprints in the past, but fell much more confident of his ability now. Heath has taken swimming lessons over the last few winters, and this year I will let him do a sprint tri with a lake swim if he wants to. He goes back and forth between expressing desire, and showing boredom at the whole thing. Last summer we acquired a Centurion Comp T/A, and restored it for him, and that helped his attitude a little. I do not push him at all to train.
My youngest boy, Eric, is eight and has done two 5ks last fall. He is beside himself to do a multisport event. It is tough letting the oldest compete and then telling Eric “No, he is too young.” I don’t want to throw water on any of his desire. We will see what happens this season. Maybe some team events will be the solution.
I did a half ironman when i was 15, but didn’t have a particularly good time. I’d say any sprint is reasonable so long as he can make the swim, although doing something shorter first wouldn’t hurt in the experience department.
Let me tell you from experience. My first tri was a 300m-8k-2k done when I was 13, and it didn’t feel like a big accomplishment. Have him do a tri that’ll take him atleast an hour. He should train for it. Those short short distances are the downfall of our sport. I’ve seen those ‘kids-of-steel’ or ‘iron-kids’ websites that offer 100y swims with 2 mile bikes and 400m runs. I bet you any kid who can swim the 100y can finish one of those. The training program for young kids on the ironkids websites (or the kos) says ‘run 5 minutes on monday’ or ‘bike 15 minutes saturday’. ‘swim 200 yards’. Is this a joke?
Tell him to go out and train a little. Not a lot, maybe 3-4 hours a week. Mostly focus on the swim and have him get to the pool by bike (if that’s possible). You said he was athletic so he won’t have a problem with the run. As long as he can finish the swim he’ll be okay.
my first triathlon was an Olympic distance event when I was 16. There are loads of kids 15 and slightly younger here who do sprint distance all the time.
If he’s reasonably athletic, he’ll do a sprint in an hour fifteen or less (wild speculation) That’s not too long for a fifteen year old, but is also long enough that he can’t just show up on the day. He’ll need to put some work into it, which ain’t a bad thing. Don’t push him to train, he’ll either do the training or he won’t. If he doesn’t it will come back and bite him. Either way he’ll learn something.
A try-a-tri, most (athletic) teens can do it without putting any effort into it. Not sure that’s what you want.
I did my first Sprint tri in 1:28, but the swim was 900m and the run 6k. It was hot as hell too. My next race I went 1:14 and finally at the end of the season 1:09.
I’m hoping to get to 1:05 this year, but it all depends on my run (i’ve yet to break 20 minutes in a tri).
If he is athletic and cocky, most excellent. He has the traits needed to succeed. Remember when Lance was beating Pigg and Allan at the age of 16 in the Coke sprint series races in FLA ? Just kidding though, as Scott Molina says, the best training that a young kid can have for tris is playing every sport on the planet in high school. That’s what he and the other big four did in the 70’s before tris really existed. It served them well. Your son will have a blast. If he can run 10K throw him into an Olympic tri. He’ll have fun and have huge bragging rights with his buddies. And if he blow up, it might take some of the edge off the cockiness (and ensuing respect for the old man).
ok… im 19, so not exactly young, in the sense we are speaking now, but young enough for sure to remember what is was starting out. My first race was the endless mts. sprint triathlon when i was 14. the name says it all… that course was a bitch, but i finished on a mt bike, with no aero gear. just a speedo and a t-shirt. it is great to look back at the pictures… it looks like i was naked except for the shirt. but the point is i was hooked, and the next year, at 15, i did my first olympic, in the same area, also killer hills - the wilkes barre tri, this time on a road bike…
the point is… i have to agree with freestyle, that the ironkids races are a joke. i do not agree with him that at his first try he did not feel like he accomplished anything. freestlye, i’m agreeing with you on the ironkids, but i have to call you out on the lack of accomplishment in completing a sprint. i am sure everyone here on completion of their first event felt on top of the world. i haven’t been around the sport long, but 4 full seasons is long enough to know that everyone’s first event is about finishing.
with that said, let him finish a real race, a sprint is a real triathalon, that real athletes do. 15 is not as young as you think, next year he will be a high school freshman, correct. he is growing up, and should be pushed physically. he has to learn from the beginning to respect the sport, and i don’t think it is possible in an ironkids event. IMO, after the race, he should not be able to move for the rest of the day after the race. It will teach him that the race is not something to take lightly. At 15, freestyle, i think a sprint race should do this to you. i’m getting off my high horse now. sorry for the babbling.
bob
I’m 16 and have been doing Tri’s since I was 13. Unlike your son, I started swimming at the age of 5 so I got the hard thing for him out of the way very early. But as most people have stated before, I would say go with a flat sprint. Just remember, you want this to be challenging but at the same time fun for him so he will want to continue with the sport if he chooses so.
Oh yeah and freestyle, you’ll get that sub 20 5k in a race soon. What are your times for a 5k road race? If they’re under 18:30 and you’re a pure distance runner, cyclist and swimmer, it could also be a factor on the bike or in the swim why you haven’t been under it yet. e-mail me.
Anyway why have you quit Ironman racing Tex?
-Tex doesn’t need to do IM, as he’s one of the fastest short course racers in the country. Congrats on a terrific season.
"-Tex doesn’t need to do IM, as he’s one of the fastest short course racers in the country. Congrats on a terrific season. "
There is a tendency by some to downplay the athletic accomplishments of the short coursers as if the only real triathletes are IM people. I watched Tim DeBoom finish a distant 12th in an Oly race and knew that’s not so. Was it because Tim was too slow or is it because the other guys just weren’t racing long enough. Sort of like asking who’s a better runner, the 100m sprinter or the marathoner. It’s comparing apples and oranges.
sign me up for the bike section and you got a deal.