Youth Triathalon Question

Bec3b1g · Aug 1, 2015

Dd(12) wants to enter a triathalon. I know that she is physically capable of completing the race, but we don't have specialized bikes or swim gear. Will she be out of place? It will be her first triathalon so I'm not sure what is expected.

Ceila · Aug 1, 2015

My DH does triathlon, and our son did 1 so far. Many kids don't have specialized equipment. A lot of kids just use their regular mountain or hybrid bike. But, if your daughter has or can borrow a road bike, she might be better off. (If the bike course is on a paved surface. If it's off road, obviously ignore that suggestion!) If you do borrow a road bike, make sure the pedals don't require clip-in shoes. If they do, ask if the owner has regular pedals she can use, as using clips takes a certain amount of practice to get used to.

Where will the swim take place? Is the water warm enough for swimming? If so, all she'll need is a suit that won't slip off (most girls seemed to wear one piece suits). If it's cold, she might want a wet suit, but I would look around to borrow one. She should practice getting in and out of it as well as swimming in it before her race.

Let me know if you need more info! I'll try my best to help. Good luck to your daughter!!

Bec3b1g · Aug 1, 2015

Ceila said:
My DH does triathlon, and our son did 1 so far. Many kids don't have specialized equipment. A lot of kids just use their regular mountain or hybrid bike. But, if your daughter has or can borrow a road bike, she might be better off. (If the bike course is on a paved surface. If it's off road, obviously ignore that suggestion!) If you do borrow a road bike, make sure the pedals don't require clip-in shoes. If they do, ask if the owner has regular pedals she can use, as using clips takes a certain amount of practice to get used to.

Where will the swim take place? Is the water warm enough for swimming? If so, all she'll need is a suit that won't slip off (most girls seemed to wear one piece suits). If it's cold, she might want a wet suit, but I would look around to borrow one. She should practice getting in and out of it as well as swimming in it before her race.

Let me know if you need more info! I'll try my best to help. Good luck to your daughter!!

Thank you so much! This is very helpful. I am trying to track down the water temp. It's usually about 65 degrees, but it's been really warm lately.

Jaya · Aug 1, 2015

Is she doing a kid's/youth triathlon or a sprint triathlon? She might want to try a kid's triathlon or two first just to get the hang of it. They're still highly competitive, especially the Iron Kids series. The swim portion of a large sprint triathlon can be a bit unnerving to beginners.

Bec3b1g · Aug 1, 2015

Jaya said:
Is she doing a kid's/youth triathlon or a sprint triathlon? She might want to try a kid's triathlon or two first just to get the hang of it. They're still highly competitive, especially the Iron Kids series. The swim portion of a large sprint triathlon can be a bit unnerving to beginners.

It's a kids triathalon. 200 meter swim, 10k bike, 2k run

Ceila · Aug 1, 2015

Bec3b1g said:
Thank you so much! This is very helpful. I am trying to track down the water temp. It's usually about 65 degrees, but it's been really warm lately.

I asked DH, and he's not sure. I'd suggest contacting a local tri group and ask for some suggestions on the wet suit issue. They would also be a good source of general info, and I'm sure someone there would be happy to get a kid hooked on a great sport.

Jaya · Aug 1, 2015

Here's a suggestion for helping her in the transition area:

Tie a balloon or bright ribbon to the rack where her bike is. Upon entering the transition area from the swim, it's easy to lose track of where your bike is, especially in a large triathlon. That will help her zero in on finding her bike and also finding her place when she comes in from the bike portion. Also, put a small square of carpet or towel by the bike with a dishpan of water by it. When she runs into the triathlon area from the swim, her feet will be sandy or dirty. She can dip her feet in the water and put her socks and shoes on without having sand on her feet. That will make for a lot more comfortable running.

Bec3b1g · Aug 1, 2015

Jaya said:
Here's a suggestion for helping her in the transition area:

Tie a balloon or bright ribbon to the rack where her bike is. Upon entering the transition area from the swim, it's easy to lose track of where your bike is, especially in a large triathlon. That will help her zero in on finding her bike and also finding her place when she comes in from the bike portion. Also, put a small square of carpet or towel by the bike with a dishpan of water by it. When she runs into the triathlon area from the swim, her feet will be sandy or dirty. She can dip her feet in the water and put her socks and shoes on without having sand on her feet. That will make for a lot more comfortable running.

Thank you! I would not have even thought about sandy feet.

MickeySP · Aug 2, 2015

The other thing is, is it ocean or lake water? Swimming in the ocean is very very different than practicing in a pool if she does.

Ceila · Aug 2, 2015

Is the run on pavement or beach? The run leg of the tri my son did was on sand, and he'd never run on that before. Unfortunately, some of the path that was marked off wasn't on the packed sand, so it was a real challenge. Many kids ended up taking their shoes off to run.

Gumbo4x4 · Aug 2, 2015

200M is not a long swim, so I doubt a wetsuit will be necessary.

Bec3b1g · Aug 2, 2015

MickeySP said:
The other thing is, is it ocean or lake water? Swimming in the ocean is very very different than practicing in a pool if she does.

It's a reservoir.

Ceila said:
Is the run on pavement or beach? The run leg of the tri my son did was on sand, and he'd never run on that before. Unfortunately, some of the path that was marked off wasn't on the packed sand, so it was a real challenge. Many kids ended up taking their shoes off to run.

She'll be running on a road.

Gumbo4x4 said:
200M is not a long swim, so I doubt a wetsuit will be necessary.

Excellent!

Ceila · Aug 2, 2015

So, the next piece of advice I have for you is to plan YOUR route so you can see her when you want to. Do you want to see her go through transition? On all three legs? Everything? That might not work out, but if you look at the route map, you can figure out how to see as much as possible. Keep in mind that you may not be able to cross the road at certain points along her route.

As you plan where you'll be, figure out which side of the road you want to be on if you're going to try to capture the moment(s) on film. Coming around a curve can be great, but you have to be in the right place, and keep in mind that there will be other people lining the road who may block your view.

For the bike, I just set the camera to sports mode and hold the shutter button down to get as many shots as possible as DH rides by. During the Philly tri one year, I ended up with an amazing shot that wound up being used in a small publication. (Getting such a great shot was pure dumb luck on my part!)

Skippy918 · Aug 2, 2015

You may want to get a race belt for her number or you can just pin the number to her swim suit. You don't want to be fumbling with the number after the swim. At the last race my son did, many girls just wore the speedo bathing suits and just biked and ran with that on. If there's a local swim shop by you, they may sell tri suits but they are pricey. Good luck. Youth tris are fun.

Youth Triathalon Question

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