Photos courtesy of asiphoto.com

Grab your swimsuit, bike, and running shoes, and get ready for a triathlon! That’s where participants swim, bike, and run in one race.

Iron Kids is an organization that puts together triathlons for kids. The only difference between a kids’ race and one for adults is the distance. Sounds hard! Why do it then? Well, like Robbie and Mason of Richmond, Virgina, will tell you, there’s nothing better than the feeling you get crossing the finish line after a long race!

Jack talked to Robbie and Mason right after they participated in an Iron Kids triathlon in July 2009 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Robbie was in the senior division. He swam 300 yards, biked 8 miles, and ran 2 miles. Mason is nine. Mason was in the intermediate division in Raleigh. He swam 150 yards, biked 4 miles, and ran 1 mile.



Jack: How did you get interested in triathlons?

Robbie: Our dad had been doing triathlons for a long time so we thought it would be cool to try it out. I did my first triathlon at six or seven.

Dad: Mason’s first bike or run race was at four or five.

Mason: I did my first triathlon when I was six or seven.



Jack: Is training hard? How much time do you take each day to train?

Mason: We train all the time.

Robbie: We train at Endorphin Fitness, but now we do that at [triathlon] camp. We work on speed and stuff, and intervals.

Dad: They run, swim, road and mountain bike on different days. They love camp and jump out of bed every morning. Plus they get their workout done early so they can come home and watch TV if they want.



Jack: What other activities do you do?

Robbie and Mason: We play lacrosse. We run cross country and track at school, too.



Jack: On the day of a race, how do you get ready?

Robbie: The day before, I eat a lot of carbs like pasta or spaghetti and drink lots of water. In the morning I eat yogurt and a bagel. After the race I’m usually very hungry.

Dad: There is always a big celebration afterwards and we go out to eat.

Robbie: We go with people from the race. We meet people there and hang out with them. They stick around to do the other races, too. It’s kind of cool to see them again.



Jack: What’s your favorite part about triathlons?

Robbie: Bikes, but I’m a lot better at the run. You go a lot faster biking. That’s when you get to either really gain or lose in the competition.

Mason: Biking probably.



Jack: What was the Iron Kids race in Raleigh like?

Robbie: We swim in a pool normally, but sometimes get into open water. At this race we swam in a lake.

Dad: The running and biking were on North Carolina State University’s campus, so there were no cars.

Robbie: Yeah, usually they have to shut down the roads for us!

Mason: I got second place in my age group.

Robbie: I finished fourth in my age group.



Jack: What advice would you give to a kid interested in doing a triathlon?

Robbie: Start out small and do a bike race or a swim race to build up your endurance to do a full triathlon.



Thanks for talking to us, Mason and Robbie! Keep up the Awesome work, and good luck! To learn more about Iron Kids, visit ironkids.com.