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Triathlon tests youngsters
Jorden Thornton, 13, first-place winner of the girlsÕ 12-14 year-old division, sprints to the finish line during the KidsÕ Try-A-Triathlon at Beech Fork Lake in Lavalette on Saturday, August 2, 2008.
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LAVALETTE -- Youngsters pushed themselves to the ultimate limit Saturday in the Kids' Try-A-Triathlon at Beech Fork Lake.
The triathlon for athletes age 6 to 14 included segments of swimming, cycling and running. The 6 to 9 age group swam 50 yards, biked two miles and ran one mile. The 10 to 14 age group course was more challenging with legs of swimming 100 yards, cycling six miles and running two miles.
Adults will be competing at 8 a.m. today in the St. Mary's Medical Center Tri-State Triathlon.
Kids race director Stacy Joy said she was pleased with the turnout and positive attitudes all the kids showed. She said all the kids were cheering for each other whether they came in first or last.
"We had a record number of kids with 90 runners," Joy said. "There was great sportsmanship out here today and the kids did exactly what I asked them to do."
First-time competitors in a triathlon might perform well, but winning typically isn't in the cards.
But, don't tell that to a pair of youngsters who crossed the finished line first and relied on their athleticism instead of experience.
Jorden Thornton won the age 12-14 girls race and Makenzie Warnock claimed the top spot in the 10-11 girls division. Thornton's winning time was 38:20 while Warnoch crossed in 40:32.
"This is my first ever triathlon, so this is a huge surprise for me," Thornton said. "I am a strong runner, but biking and swimming were two things I had to overcome to win this race."
Both girls are involved in playing competitive soccer, something they say helped keep them in shape and prepare better for the race.
"I really didn't know what to expect because I had only trained about a month," Warnock said. "Soccer is my favorite sport to play, but next year I plan to train even harder for this triathlon."
Michael Meadows didn't expect much coming into the age 10-11 year-old division, but he ended up walking off the course with a first place medal. He said it was a close race, but was shocked that he was able to pull away at the end in a winning time of 33:48.
"Once I got at the bottom of the hill I knew if I just kept pushing that I had the race won," Meadows said. "My dad really helped me train and get ready for this race so I couldn't have done it without him."
Nick Chambers faired well in the 6-7 age group, placing fifth in a time of 22:34. He didn't win, but that didn't stop him from being all smiles after crossing the finish line.
"My favorite part was biking because it was a lot of fun," Chambers said. "I made a lot of friends and I can't wait to do it again next year.
Other first-place winners included Nathan Randall (12-14 boys), Kirk Jennings (8-9 boys), Dominique Rooney (8-9 girls), Zane Porter (7-younger boys) and Emilie Charles (7-younger girls).
