Last summer, Helene Lane and her husband decided to put on little triathlon for the neighborhood kids. Nothing big, a little swim at the Lake Park Swim Club, then a short run and bike through the North Raleigh neighborhood. To their surprise, 43 kids signed up. (Perhaps more surprising: the majority — 28 — were girls.) So they've decided to do it again.
Apparently not everyone got the word that the Lake Park Tri is a laidback affair.
This year's 2nd Annual Lake Park Kids' Triathlon is Saturday, Aug. 9. Two things we like about the 2ALPK:
— It's pretty dang cheap: Registration is $8, and that includes a T-shirt! When have you ever seen a tri for $8, with a T-shirt. And, says, Helene Lane, "not just any old t-shirt. They're designed by a lady from our neighborhood who is a senior graphic designer with Olympic-sponsor, Lenovo. There is a certain Olympic influence in the design which we thought was appropriate given that the race falls on the first day of competition in Beijing." Dang!
— It''s a laidback, non-competitive affair. Everyone gets a medal, it's run by a couple of parents in the neighborhood.
Even though it's non-competitive, it's three weeks out, so there's plenty of time to — well, not "train" for the race. "Prepare" for it. That's it.
Take the kids out in the neighborhood this week and start ... preparing.
Comments
Lake Part Tri - The Best for Kids
Tue, 07/15/2008 - 09:13 — jjj123Not only is this a great and fun event, it sets the right example for kids, health and discipline. Growing up around hockey and other intensive preparation sports, this event seems ideal. It's not about pushing your kids to the limit in sports and burning them out it's about helping them discover lifelong habits, letting them get excited about achieving. In our family's first year with the event last year everyone got involved. We used this event to teach things and let them see the rewards of their involvement. We didn't need to buy hybrid bikes, the new lazer swim suits and get them up at O Dark Thirty to train. But we set goals and let them do it. The staff at Lakepark Swim Club encourages every last person who tries whether they are budding young superstars or physically challenged. It's an ideal way to expose your kids to good lifelong, healthy habits.