The Billy Loutit Despatch Triathlon may be a tough event, but it’s not just for adults.
Kids can also take part and prove that they too can conquer the grueling physical and mental test that is a triathlon.
Each year, the event includes a ‘Kids Of Steel’ race for the younger set. This year the event will be held on Saturday, July 23. Kids younger than seven and as old as 14 can go out and compete in swimming, biking and running.
Kids aged seven and under swim 50m, bike 1.5m and run 0.5m. Those numbers vary depending on age group, all the way up to 300m (swim), 10km (bike) and 4km (run) for 12-14 year olds.
Youth between 15-18 years of age compete on Sunday with the sprint distance athletes.
The distance to cover in the race may differ depending on age group, but the Kids Of Steel event is no picnic according to two local kids that have done it for years.
“It’s challenging, but it’s fun as well,” said 13-year-old Michael MacIsaac-Jones, who competes in triathlons all over and not just in Athabasca.
In fact, Michael’s whole family runs triathlons, including his younger sister Anna and his older sister, 16-year-old Maya.
Maya has become a very prolific cross-country skier in recent years, so her focus on triathlons has waned somewhat. But she still does as many as she can, and she never misses the hometown event.
“It’s still a very important part of my training as an athlete. I try and race as many triathlons as I can,” she said.
Of those, the Athabasca event has always been her favorite.
“It’s at home, so it’s a whole lot of fun. All your friends are there and it’s a very relaxing and fun atmosphere,” she said. “It’s pretty cool, you run by the library and you see the people on the corners cheering you on. It’s motivating too, to know exactly where you’re going and to know that when you’re done the race you can have fun with all your friends.”
Not having to get up early in the morning and drive to a far-off town is no doubt an attraction to all local athletes that take part in the Loutit events. But don’t think that they have a big home-town advantage, because they don’t. At least, not according to Jennifer Jones, mother of Michael, Anna and Maya and a triathlon competitor in her own right.
“Anyone who does the (Athabasca) course says it’s the toughest in the province,” she said. “The run in particular is a great challenge.”
The MacIsaac-Jones’ are just one family who has taken advantage of the Billy Loutit Despatch over the years, in all of its forms, and the youngest of them have derived lots of enjoyment from the Kids Of Steel event.
That opportunity lies before all of this area’s youth as the Triathlon approaches. For more on this weekend’s event, visit www.billyloutit.ca.
