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  • A pair of youth cyclists head out onto Plymouth Avenue during the Goshen Kids Try-Athlon Saturday morning at Shanklin Park. DAVID VANTRESS

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July 15, 2012

YOUTH SPORTS: Running, swimming and biking on a Saturday

8th annual Kerry’s Kids and Teens Try-Athlon draws hundreds to Shanklin Park

By DAVID VANTRESS THE GOSHEN NEWS

GOSHEN — Over the past eight years, the Goshen Parks and Recreation Department’s Kerry’s Kids and Teens Try-Athlon has grown from humble roots to its current status as an event drawing hundreds of participants from all over the area.

Saturday’s eighth incarnation of the popular event drew more than 300 kids ages 5-18 to Shanklin Park on a warm summer Saturday morning to bike, run and swim.

Just like a full-fledged triathlon, the event is broken up into distinct segments: A one-length swim of the Shanklin Park pool (25 meters) for ages 5-12, and three lengths (75 meters) for ages 13-18; then, competitors were scheduled to bike 1.2 miles  on their own two-wheeled, self-propelled bikes. No scooters or tricycles were allowed, but training wheels could be used for the 5-6 age groups.

The run capped off the event, with a half-mile for ages 5-12 and 3.1 miles for ages 13-18.  Parents could run alongside their child throughout the run course, which was located at the north end of Shanklin Park and on the Millrace Trail.

Ben Bowers of Goshen brought three kids to the event this year: Sons Garrett, 10; Aiden, 8; and Drake, 7.

Bowers said he finds the event a fitting summer activity for the family: The kids spend most of the early summer preparing for the event.

And since all three Bowers boys are active, it’s just one more event to add to a busy schedule, Bowers said.

“This is a very well-organized event,” Bowers said as he prepared to watch Garrett compete in the running part of the event.

For Zefram Franzen, 11, of Goshen, Saturday’s event was a new experience. “I’m happy I did it, and I’ll come out to do it again,” Franzen said. He participates in basketball, soccer and baseball.    

Ellie Zehr, also 11  of Goshen, a rising Goshen Middle School student, was able to tell Franzen what to expect, having been in the event before.

“This is a great summer activity,” Zehr said. She participates in volleyball and swimming and expects to continue those activities as she gets older.

Tanya Heyde of the Goshen Parks and Recreation Department, one of the event’s organizers, said it can’t be put on without the help of many sponsors and volunteers.

On Saturday, a cadre of more than 60 volunteers helped out with everything from checking in participants to supervising the routes for the bike ride and run, helping keep participants headed in the right direction.

One of the biggest groups of volunteers — about 30, Heyde said — came from Goshen Community Schools, organized by Sue Egli, athletic director at Goshen Middle School.

Goshen Mayor Allan Kauffman had a few words of encouragement to start the event.

“What a great group of kids, and what a great event,” Kauffman said. He added that an event like this could not be put on by the city in the current economic environment without the help of sponsors.

 

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