As race day drew closer and I talked with him about what to expect he would get a big smile on his face and say he couldn't wait. The night before I walked him through my own pre-race ritual: inflate bike tires, make sure all labels are affixed to bike and helmet, load the bike on (or, in this case, in) the car, pack all gear, lay out clothes.
Race morning started early. The race started at 7:30 and was a 30 minute drive from the house so we were out the door by 6:20. At first Daniel was hard to wake but he quickly became alert and excited once he realized what day it was. I offered to let him sleep in the car on the way there but he asked me to play loud music for him-just as I do on my race mornings! So we rocked out to Pitbull and Eminem and danced in our seats.
When we parked and went to the body marking line he said he had rocket boosters on his bike but was going to save them for the race. We enjoyed visiting with the families around us. Unsurprisingly, the parents were all triathletes themselves, and I have to say I haven't seen so much M-Dot (Ironman) apparel since Ironman Village in Victoria. I'm sure for all of them this race meant what it did to me: the chance to include our children in the sports we're passionate about. To share it with them so that our hobby isn't just something that takes us away from them but something fun we can enjoy together.
Of course, it's also about giving the kids a fun experience, and this tri definitely delivered. After body marking, we set up his transition area and headed into the natatorium where he took a spot with the rest of the Leap Frog (youngest kids) group.
Finally, the event started, with the Leap Frogs starting 5 at a time. Their swim was 25m-one length of the pool, and each lane had a teen escort (I assume members of a local swim team) who had a pool noodle for the kids to hold onto. Daniel has swum 25m before but made use of the noodle. I was waiting at the end of the lane and together we ran out to transition (note to self: next time bring the towel inside for him). Swim down, bike and run to go.
He was cold so wanted to wear pants and a long-sleeve shirt under his short-sleeve race tee shirt with race number. After one wardrobe change (and a little unplanned nudity when he decided to take off his swimsuit instead of layering the pants over it!), he got his helmet on and we walked the bike out of transition and over to the mount line. I watched him roll away on his balance bike and awaited his return. The bike was a 1 mile out-and-back, and soon enough he appeared on the other side of the road inbound for transition. I cheered him on as he rode to the dismount line and we ran the bike back to transition.
We dropped off the bike and helmet and grabbed his Aggie cap (I wear an Aggie visor at my races, so this was his version of that) and sunglasses and headed out for the run. I asked Daniel if he wanted me to run with him or wait at the finish line and he wanted me to go with him and hold his hand. I'm recovering from a stress fracture and not really supposed to run but I couldn't pass up the chance to hold my son's hand as he ran his very first triathlon and I figured I could handle a .3 mile run at a 5 year old's pace. We ran-walked it and before long, the finish line was in sight.
Holding hands, we ran together under the finish marker as the announcer called out "Daniel Williamson of Irving, first triathlon!" He got his finisher medal and was just beaming with pride as he looked at it.
Before we had even walked back to the car Daniel was already asking when he could do his next triathlon, and as he'd look at his medal he kept saying "I'm so, so happy I have this." I told him that the rule was after a race, the athlete gets to pick where to eat and he chose Chik-Fil-A "so I can eat chicken and fruit and play in the playscape." Of course, by the time we got there, the post-race doughnut he'd eaten at the finish line had had time to settle so he didn't touch his food but Rebecca got there just in time to eat it all. Younger siblings have their uses ;)
Afterward Daniel declared that he wanted a medal hanger like mine to hang this and all the other medals he plans to earn, and he asks every day when he gets to do his next race. I'm so glad he enjoyed the race and look forward to sharing more triathlon experiences-his and mine-over the coming years. It was well worth the early morning and drive to see the pride and joy on his face. My little triathlete!
This is so cute! I'm glad he enjoyed his first triathlon. :)
ReplyDelete