Youngsters get moving in YMCA triathlon
Organizers say event, aimed at encouraging children ages 6 to 12 to be more active, will return next year.

By Joanne Huist Smith
Dayton Daily News

TROTWOOD - The heat was brutal and the competition intense Saturday, but Ben Kilfoyle of Beavercreek had been training for the first Strong Kids Triathlon sponsored by the YMCA of Greater Dayton for weeks.

He ignored the splash of other competitors during the half-mile swim, then let the clack of the training wheels on his Huffy Looney Tunes bicycle spur him through the second trial, a half-mile bike ride.

The final leg of the race was tough under a blistering sun, but Ben's favorite part of the endurance test was a quarter-mile run.

Afterward, the 6-year-old's freckled face was all sweat and smile.

"He's been practicing for a month," his mom, Kelly Kilfoyle, said.

It was a competition where every child left a winner, all 96 of them.

"Everyone gets a medal," said Steve Gill, director of Community Development for the YMCA of Greater Dayton, adding that the event was such a success it will be repeated next year.

The triathlon was held on the sprawling grounds of the United Theological Seminary in Trotwood with a goal of encouraging kids ages 6 to 12 to become more physically active. Participants were divided by age groups, with a course that was progressively more challenging for older children.

Shomari Reid, 11, of Trotwood said he was both excited and nervous before the race, but felt great after crossing the finish line. He's been training all summer for the triathlon, swimming three times a week, running on a treadmill and riding his bike.

"This was my first triathlon. I wanted to try something different," Shomari said. "I think kids should do this so they can get in shape."