For 13-year-old Gilroy resident Kooper Knutson, it was all about
getting back on that bike.
By Mark Powell special to the Dispatch
For 13-year-old Gilroy resident Kooper Knutson, it was all about getting back on that bike.
While competing in the Monterey County-based Wildflower Triathlon in 2005, Knutson suffered a grisly spill during the biking competition after inadvertently colliding with another rider from behind. Knutson was knocked from his bike and his body smacked the rocky ground and he rolled 10 feet, leaving him with a gash on his left hip that “looked like a watermelon scooper just scooped it out.”
Knutson, bloodied and dirtied and only 11 at the time, wasn’t sure he would find the strength to somehow throw his shaken body back on the bike and finish the race. But Knutson said he did find that strength and pedaled his way through the finish line.
He’s nuts about triathlons – has been for years. But the Ascencion Solorsano Middle School student might not be in position to make his biggest splash had he not pushed himself after tumbling at Wildflower.
“I’m guessing not,” said Knutson, an honor-roll student. “I could have maybe been too scared. I could think ‘Would I fall again?’ But since I got back on I’ve developed a lot of confidence.”
Knutson will need confidence for his biggest challenge to date: being one of the youngest competitors in the history of the 27th annual Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon on June 3 in San Francisco.
The grueling race begins with a 1.5 mile swim, from the famous Alcatraz Island to the city’s shore.
Following the swim is an 18-mile bike race, Knutson’s only professed weakness, and then an eight-mile run to close out one of the more difficult triathlons in the world.
“He’s a pretty impressive little guy,” said Steve Cheu, co-owner of Sunshine Bicycles in Gilroy. “Usually at his age we don’t see that kind of stuff.”
When the triathlon begins, individual competitors will be divided by age and sex, and will depart in one-minute intervals depending on their status – either professional or amateur.
The initial swim ends at Marina Green Beach where swimmers become runners and take part in a half-mile warm-up run to the Marina Green.
Then, via Marina Blvd., competitors will be begin their 18-mile bike ride to Crissy Field, making their way through the streets of San Francisco and even passing through Golden Gate Park.
The eight-mile run that follows takes individuals through the Presidio Headlands and around coastal bluffs before concluding at Baker Beach. Awaiting drained athletes is the infamous 400-step, uphill “sand ladder”, which Knutson expects to be quite an intimidating task by the time he reaches it.
“It’s long,” he said. “I’ll jog up half of it and walk up the rest. I’m thinking that, when I actually did the run to get ready for the triathlon, I didn’t feel real tired at that point, but we’ll see.”
Accenture, the triathlon’s sponsor, will be able to update friends and family on competitors’ times and locations during the event, something Knutson’s mother Charlotte said she was happy to hear.
“We’ll be right there for him when he comes in,” she said. “We’re really, really excited. We feel he’s totally safe.”
Father Kris said he was “amazed” when thought about the level of physical activity his son engages in with an event like the Alcatraz triathlon.
“He’s had to work very hard for it,” Kris said. “There have been some days where he really didn’t feel like training, but he did it anyways.”
Five years ago, Knutson’s swim coach Cristin Reichmuth approached the family about letting their only son compete on her triathlon team, the Hammerheads.
“I remember the conversation I had with his mother, that I thought he’d be a good candidate for the triathlon since he was a hard worker and had the mental ability to persevere,” Reichmuth said.
The family eventually agreed, and Reichmuth even helped sponsor Knutson’s trip to a national triathlon last year via the Body and Mind Foundation, which provides funds for young athletes to further compete in their sports.
This was good news for the Knutsons, who, at times, feel they could use a little extra help in allowing Kooper to reach his goals.
Swim lessons, running shoes and biking lessons on the Computrainer, a simulated riding guide at Sunshine Bicycles, have set a foundation for Knutson, though they haven’t come without cost.
“We pay for coaching, biking – it’s not cheap,” Charlotte said. “But we do have to hire coaches. We’ve set up a budget so we can deal with that. A kid’s priorities, you know, there are things that they really love to do.”
Younger sister Katie, 10, has also shown interest in participating in triathlons, to which Charlotte attributes watching older brother Kooper compete.
“I think that had a bit to do with it,” she said.
Knutson has expressed curiosity in competing in the Iron Man Competition in Hawaii, an even more punishing triathlon that is closed to athletes under the age of 18.
Though Knutson may conquer Alcatraz, mom and dad say they aren’t ready to let him attempt a feat like Iron Man’s 2.4 mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26 mile run just yet.
“He’s just too young, that’s just too crazy,” his mother said. “But he would do it if he could.”
