At exactly 7:30 a.m. Sunday, June 19, the calm swimming pool suddenly teems with arms and legs. As the whistle call echoes, an army of swimmers in matching yellow swim caps surges away from the pool deck, one at a time like strange, waterborne bacteria.
Onlookers on the surrounding pool deck to cheer and hold signs. One hot pink poster board reads “Go Sissy Go!” and another says “Team Madison,” with the day’s agenda listed below: “Swim, Bike, Run.”
The young swimmers, ages 7 to 15, are contestants of the Jr. Varsity Triathlon. They swam 100-150 meters, rode 2.5-6 miles, and ran 1-2 miles, all depending on their ages.
With downtown as the backdrop, the panting participants run from the pool to locate their bicycles among rows of waiting bikes of all colors and sizes. Parents run alongside the course, dodging volunteers, fans and pets to scream final words of encouragement or snap a few close-ups of their little triathlete. As you see them speed in and jump off the bikes to get to the run you wonder, where do they get all that energy. Then it hits. You see the tired look on the faces. But as soon as they see the finish they have a bolt of speed. And once again you see the smile on their faces.
There was a good turnout for the triathlon and we want to thank everyone for helping and participating in the race.
