Matthew Lattin jockeys for position Aug. 25, 2012, during the swim portion of the Try Boro Kids Triathlon in Murfreesboro, Tenn. (Photo by J. Davis)
The fourth annual Try Boro Kids Triathlon took place Saturday morning at SportsCom in Murfreesboro.
“We have sold out each year we have held the race,” said Charlie Apigian, race director for Try Boro Kids Triathlon. “The first year was 175, and each year, we have bump up the number of entries. So, we have done very good in building the race.”
Nearly 150 volunteers were on sight for the race. They were spread throughout the course.
“We couldn’t not have done all this though if it wasn’t for the volunteers,” said Apigian. “They really work hard to make the event special for the kids.”
Two age groups, 7 to 10 years old and 11 to 14 years old, competed in separate distances, each beginning with a swim in the outdoor pool at the facility on Memorial Boulevard.
The junior division swam 100 yards then took to the bike that loops from SportsCom into the StarPlex area for 2.4 miles and finished with a half mile run on the grass.
The senior division completed the same course but doubled the distance for a 200-yard swim, a 4.8-mile bike course and one mile run.
Competing in the event for the first time were two Lascassas Elementary School students.
Trey Turk and Ethan Leeke are friends at the Rutherford County School and trained together for the race.
“We mostly used the pool at my house to work on the swimming,” Turk said. “The swim and bike weren’t too bad, but the run was the hardest of the three events. Running across the grass was the toughest. But it was fun. I will do another one.”
The 2012 edition of the race had 235 competitors enter the event.
“I had a really bad pain near the end of the run,” Leeke said, “but I think I was just tired from the swimming and biking. It was real exciting, and it is something that I want to do again.”
Beth Leeke and Jenna Turk, mothers of the duo, were on the sidelines with the rest of their families cheering them to the finish.
“We are so very proud of them both,” said the pair almost in unison.
“They have been excited about this from the time they entered the race,” Beth Leeke said.
“They have both worked hard for the race and they both did really great.”
“For a month they have been getting ready,” Jenna Turk added. “Swimming, biking and running, they have work hard. And for their first kids triathlon they did very good. We all are very proud of the them both.”
The first swimmer hit the water at 7 a.m., and each competitor after in three second intervals. After completing the swim it was a dash to the transition area to start the bike portion and back to the transition area for the run that started and finished on the grass.
Apigian said organizers try to complete the event in two hours.
“From the start of the race to the final award given out, we strive to have it done in two hours,” he said. “And to do that we plan 365 days for those two hours. It’s a labor of love for all of us, and the reward is to see the smiles on the kids faces when they finish.”
In the senior division boys race, the top finisher was Chase Patton with a time of 27.30, followed by Jack Dang at 27.43, and coming in third was Cooper Baughn with a time of 28.08.
In the senior girls division it was Maria Botha at 27.21 in first place, in second, Brady Bove at 27.43, and in third, Marlee Bratch at 31.12.
In the junior division boys, it was Will Stacey in first place with a time of 15.58, second was Gael Hernandez Palm at 16.05, and in third, Rowan Brown with a time of 16.10.
In the junior girls division, Jordan Browning was first with a time of 16.29, Danielle Lunny at 16.31, and coming in third was Makenna Rielly at 16.36.
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