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Triathlon Time
Is Your Child Ready for a Triathlon?
By Leigh Brown Perkins
"If I pushed them it wouldn't be fun anymore," says John Reback, who started running at 6 years old and got the tri bug from watching his father compete. "They'll have to decide what level they want to reach in triathlon or if they want to do it at all. They may end up loving a sport they haven't even tried yet."
Mackinnon says triathlon is a great starting point for an athletic life because becoming proficient in its three disciplines prepares kids for every other sport. The temptation to train a little triathlete is great, since most adults would never dream of entering a triathlon without weeks of sweaty preparation. But Mackinnon warns against it. "Kids should be vigorously active an hour and a half a day, but not training," he says. "Practicing other sports and simply playing is enough. Doing too much can burn them out before they've reached their potential."
McLennan, who now does serious daily workouts, never trained when he was little. "I live in a big neighborhood and I just ran around all the time," he says. What kids consider playing, however, falls into the "training" category on most parents' to-do list. Racing to the end of the pool is entertaining, sure, but it counts as cardio. Playing can keep Mama fit while she keeps her tiny triathlete company. Biking to school, jumping rope, running after the soccer ball – all of this is training disguised as fun.
For families who can't resist setting up a workout schedule, though, Mackinnon recommends keeping it positive and relaxed. Swim and bike one day, run relays with friendsthe next, bike on trails the third day, dive for pennies and swim a few laps the fourth. Four or five days of structure for an hour is plenty. A few weeks of it and they'll be ready to roll – and run and swim.
