Triathlon is a fantastic sports for kids, helping to develop resilience from a young age. As triathlon is an individual rather than team sport, it fosters personal ability and personal development. Bendigo Tri Club is excited to help so many young people have their first triathlon experience!
Why choose triathlon for your child?
Triathlon has many benefits for kids – the most important being that it’s an active and fun sport that gets them off the couch, away from the screens and doing things! The benefits of exercise are well-documented – an improved sense of wellness and lower obesity rates are just the start. In addition to this, exercise has proven benefits for mental health, and research has shown a significant positive relationship between physical activity and academic performance.
Triathlon is unique in that it involves three separate events in one, which can help to prevent overuse injuries that can occur from playing just one sport all of the time. By participating in the same activity or sport over and over, our bodies are more susceptible to injury. Participating in shorter segments of multiple activities can actually decrease the number of overuse injuries.
About our events
We offer 3 different events specifically aimed at kids.
Minis
50m swim (in 25m pool), 1km ride, 200m run.
The ride takes place on the path around Lake Neangar (not on roads), and the run is on grass. Minimum age on race day is 6 years. Mini participants should be able to swim/doggie paddle (prefer no walking) and be confident in the water.
Maxi Minis
100m swim (in 50m pool), 3km ride, 500m run.
The ride takes place on the path around Lake Neangar (not on roads), and the run is on grass. Maxi participants should be able to swim 100m freestyle/backstroke unaided and continuous and be confident in deep water.
Superkids
150m swim (in 50m pool), 3.75km ride, 1km run.
The Superkids tri takes place on the adult course, with the bike leg on the roads and the run being around Lake Neangar on the path. Superkids participants must be able to swim 150m freestyle unaided and continuous and be confident in deep water. Superkids participants need to be competent and confident on a bike and know the road rules as the course is run on open roads with no road closures. They must obey roadside marshals.
Guidelines for Participant Safety
Safety is key at our events, so we’ve set some guidelines to ensure that the event runs smoothly and safely for all competitors.
- No training wheels, child must be able to ride a standard 2 wheel bike.
- Parents are not permitted on the course during event unless you are a nominated volunteer or have asked for authorization from co-ordinators.
- After the swim leg, parents are allowed to help dry and put shoes on their own children on the grass area beside the pool before the child runs to the bike transition area.
- All Participants must be present at event briefing in bike transition area to hear course description and other vital information 7:45am.
- All participants must make sure bikes are in perfect working condition i.e. brakes, tyres (pump up) steering is straight, chains not falling off, this is for your safety and the safety of all other participants. The Bendigo Triathlon Club takes NO responsibility for unsafe bikes or other equipment and we will NOT be checking bikes for safety. If you are not sure, see one of our fantastic bike store sponsors Moronis Cycles or Bicycle Center Bendigo.
What to bring and some tips
So you’ve decided to give it a go – great news! It might seem like there’s a lot of stuff to organise, but it’s easier than it sounds. Here’s a quick starter list.
- Goggles/towel
- Swim cap (long hair) or hair elastics
- Bike in good working order can be BMX, mountain bike, road bike, hybrid etc 2 wheeler only
- Swimmers
- A top to wear on the bike and run (NO bare chests boys)
- Running shoes and socks (elastic laces are handy but not necessary – if you’re trying these out, do it one week before the event so kids can practice!)
- Bike helmet is a must, check fit and straps, helmet should be fastened firmly under chin with no dangling strap. No helmet no ride!
- Sunscreen and hat
We also suggest labelling your things so that nothing goes missing! Don’t be late – we recommend to be there at 7:15 to register and set up. Registration closes at 7:40 and Mandatory Event briefing is at 7:45.
For Parents
Our Kids events are all about participation! The Minis and Maxi Minis events are not timed, the Superkids event is timed but no winner or fastest times are recognised (times will be displayed for this event on the results page). We believe that the kids are all winners just for participating in such an enjoyable friendly sport. You are welcome to time your own child as we understand some kids like to know how they are going each month.
On the event day requests for parent volunteers to stand on corners and run leg turnarounds will be announced. Please try to volunteer once a season! You will be well briefed on what’s required.
For other great tips and advice checkout the www.tryathlon.weetbix.com.au. The Bendigo Weetbix TRYathlon is a fantastic event and is usually held towards the end of February. So come along and try triathlon with the Bendigo Triathlon Club.
For more information, please contact our kids co-ordinator Damian Hughes on 0413 846 992.