10 Ways to Encourage Your Kids to Do a Triathlon

Every year in the town I live by they do 2 Mini Triathlons for kids, one in the spring and one in the fall.  My brother comes down to do the adult one and brings his family!  I have done it with him in years past when I don’t have a nursing baby.  For the last two years we have encouraged our oldest daughters to do it together.  They have had so much fun and they always end the race hand in hand!  This last April he got his one son (age 5) and my two boys (age 7 and 5) to do the triathlon as a relay.  I was surprised when my oldest boy decided he would do the swim.  He loves to swim, but doesn’t really like being in water he can’t touch the bottom of.  He ended up getting really scared when he jumped in and when he made it down to me I handed him a life jacket to finish it off.  (Yes kids can wear life jackets).  My other son did the bike and even did this hard hill that I thought he would just toss his bike down and cry on, but he went right up that hill grinning ear to ear!

Here are some picture of Tris we have done in the past…

Anyway, it has been really fun getting my kids involved in these races.  The nice thing about tri’s is you don’t have to be super athletic to be involved in these.  If you know how to swim a little, ride a bike and run then you can do a tri.  They usually have a beginner and a sprint distance for kids.  Beginner: 50 yard swim, 1 mile bike and 1/2 mile run and Sprint: 100 yard swim, 2 mile bike and 3/4 mile run.  Here are some ways that have helped them want to be involved in triathlons.

1. Run, bike and swim with your kids often so exercise is fun to them. We do these things at least once a week.  
2. Help them learn to not be afraid of swimming in pools where they can’t touch the bottom.  I wish I had helped my son with this before he jumped in the water!
3. Find a friend or family member to participate with them.  This has helped my daughter so much doing it with one of her favorite cousins.
4. Consider doing a relay with friends or family. If your child doesn’t feel ready to do all three, break them up and find 2 other people do do the other two.   
5. Sign them up for the shorter distance for their first race. 
6. Let them know there is free food at the end of the race!  I am not even kidding you, this is a huge motivating factor for my kids!!
7. Make sure their equipment works {i.e. goggles, bike shifts well, shoes fit well}.
8. Teach them that it isn’t about winning, it’s about finishing and having fun.  That is the joy of the triathlon that starts with the swim, you really don’t know who is in first place. It’s all about improving your time and having fun.  
9. Keep it positive by cheering them on the whole way.  Don’t yell at your kids if they are going slow, or struggling.  Just have fun.  I have seen way to many parents get mad or frustrated with their kids while participating in sports and it only makes the parent look dumb.
10. Go out for a treat after every race.  We do this every race.  It’s usually Wendy’s or something, but the kids know we always get a treat!

The great things about kids and indoor pool tri’s is that they don’t have to have special tri suits.  They can just wear their swimming suit.  Some kids at the tri wore their suit the whole race and some threw on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt over it.  I do have a preference though for my daughters swimming suit.  Speedo brand swimsuits last forever, fit great, and don’t stretch out.  They have been a very good suit for for my daughter.  You can visit Speedo for girls swimwear to check out their great suits.  My daughter has had hers for 3 years and it still looks new which makes it worth the price.   As far as shoes.  We just bought them Nike’s from Kohls this year for $19.99 each.  I think that as they go on in racing they will have to get a better shoe, but so far so good!

I hope this motivates  you and your kids to get out and enjoy these fun races as a family!!