GILROY—July 12 was a special morning for Elaine Wendel’s six grandchildren. After a week-long training session—and a whole year of waiting—each awoke to new outfits which had been custom embroidered with their names on it for the 6th Annual Gilroy Kids Triathlon at Gilroy High School.
The morning was especially exciting for her youngest grandson, Hunter McCarthy who was visiting from Antioch, as it was the first time he could compete in the triathlon.
“He just turned 5; he’s been waiting for two years,” Wendel said. “Every time he passes the high school he goes, ‘I’m going to do it’.”
McCarthy was joined by his siblings—10-year-old Hayden, 8-year-old Mia and 6-year-old Emma, all from Antioch—as well as his cousins Angel Cobb, 7, from Nevada and Mason Calhoun, 6, of Gilroy. They’ve participated in the triathlon for the past three years and it has become a tradition for Wendel’s family which helps her reinforce the importance of fitness. Training begins when her grandchildren arrive on the Sunday prior to the event. Wendel and her grandchildren wake up at 6 a.m. to run, swim and bike, all while echoing the words “fun finish.”
“To us, having fun is more important than winning,” Wendel said. “I keep bringing them back because now that they’re started they want to (come back). If they didn’t, they’d be real disappointed and because it’s the best event. If I was to stop it, I think I’d have six kids that are very sad.”
Wendel’s grandchildren were only a handful of the around 130 young athletes between the ages of 5 and 13 who turned out for the triathlon. There were around 80 to 100 volunteers on hand to assist with what City of Gilroy Recreation Coordinator Veronica Torrez calls the department’s most important event of the year.
“We’re promoting health and fitness,” Torrez said. “It’s a big community event. There’s no way that the staff could do it by ourselves because there’s only a hand full of us. It is a community-wide event supporting the youth in our community—it’s amazing.”
The 11- to 13 year olds kicked off the event, tackling the course which consisted of a 100-meter swim, four-mile bike ride and one-mile run around the GHS track. Daniel Escamilla, 11, who was the first to cross the finish line said it was relatively easy. The triple athlete who swims with the Gilroy Gators, does track with the Brownell Bruins and plays football with the Gilroy Browns did say, however, one part of the course was particularly tricky.
“My dad and I would go on the levy and we’d go mountain biking on off trails (to train), but the biking (was hard) because it was really long,” he said.
Chloe Kurzenknabe, 13 of Gilroy, was the first female to finish the course and said it was great to win the triathlon in her final year of eligibility. While she didn’t do much training for it, she is a member of the Gilroy Gators and has been attending double-day practices four times a week this summer.
“It’s pretty awesome; I’ve never won the triathlon before,” Kurzenknabe said. “I’m a very competitive person. I really enjoy doing anything that I can to be competitive.”
The Gators were well represented in the winner’s circle as Amy Tupper, a 7-year-old who swims with the team, won the event for the 7- to 8-year-old girls. She didn’t spend much time celebrating however, as she quickly ran back to the track to cheer on her friends.
“(It was) fun to run with my friends,” Tupper said. “I want to do it again next year.”
Maria DeLeon, Recreation Department Director, also spent her time track side, cheering on athletes as they ran past her. The triathlon featured varying distances to accommodate the different age groups and skill levels. This year, the City provided each participant with ankle bracelet timers which DeLeon hopes will appeal to the more serious young triathletes.
“It’s grown and we actually have people from other cities coming as far as Sacramento and our neighboring cities,” she said. “There’s some kids that really take this seriously. They find out where there are (triathlons) and they go.
“This is serious business,” she continued with a laugh. “I love this. It’s important to know that kids know the importance of being fit and making good choices and staying healthy and staying active. The Recreation Department is very proud to be part of that.”
Breakout Box:
A triathlon for all
11- to 13-year-old course
Swim 100 meters, bike four miles, run one mile
9- to 10-year-old course
Swim 75 meters, bike three miles, run 3/4 of a mile
7- to 8-year-old course
Swim 50 meters, bike 3/4 of a mile, run half a mile
5- to 6-year-old course
Swim 25 meters, bike half a mile, run quarter of a mile
For the results, click here.
