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Triathlon Time
Is Your Child Ready for a Triathlon?
By Leigh Brown Perkins
Tyler Reback may not win every race yet, but he's learning about perseverance. His first one-mile race was the inspiration for a school essay where he wrote about the rewards of sticking with something even if it's hard. He ran an 8:29, just a couple ticks behind his sister Ashley.
Their father, who knows tris from both sides of the cheering crowds, says that although his kids seem to have an instinct for winning, triathlon is not simply for competition. And though his kids have crossed every finish line smiling, knowing they've done well and that the Reback tradition of post-race pancakes or ice cream is next, triathlon is not simply for fun. It is for both of those things and more.
"Being a triathlete kept me away from bad elements," Reback says. "I would never touch a cigarette or drugs because I thought it would have a negative impact on my racing. If they continue with triathlons, I feel like my kids will have that kind of healthy approach to life."
Our son Mac has never won a triathlon, Speedo or not, but he has learned the sport's best lesson: Being fit is a blast. Obsessing over his bathing suit seems so shallow in comparison, doesn't it?