‘Veterans’ sparkle in Kids TRYathlon

Athletes who have been in the Kids TRYathlon series for some time now dominated last Saturday’s edition of the event held at Marpi.

In the boys 10-14-year-old division, Lucas Knecht won his second straight Kids TRYathlon checking in with an overall time of 32:11.

The 11-year-old finished the four laps in the 50-meter Kan Pacific Swimming Pool in 3:15. He then pedaled a time of 19:20 in the 6-kilometer bike before coming up with a 12:59 in 2km run.

Despite a late-game charge 11-year-old Bradley Brostrom settled for second place after a time of 32:35. Brostrom was a full minute behind Knecht after the swim and was 32 seconds off in the bike (16:37). He, however, nearly made it all up in the run, logging a day’s best 11:43.

Third place went to Cooper Graf, who reached the finish line in 33:18. Graf had the best swim in the division, emerging from the water a full second better than Knecht (3:14). But the 12-year-old failed to sustain his effort in the bike (16:44) and had a little bit of trouble in the run (13:20).

Emma McCullough-Stearns, meanwhile, made her equally sports-minded parents proud after sailing away with the top finish in the girls division of the same age group.

The 11-year-old came in with a time of 40:45, a full minute and 23 seconds ahead of runner-up Chintana Troost. Stearns beat 12-year-old Troost in the swim (3:52 to 4:16) then extended her lead in the bike (19:29 to 19:45) before cementing her win in the run (17:24 to 18:07).

In the team event, 12-year-old Madison Smith and 9-year-old Zoe Jewel crossed the finish line in 39:56 to win the category by default.

Alois Troost (37:32) and Hunter Thorpe (38:19) also participated in the 10-14-year-old division of the Kids TRYathlon.

There was also a feeling of déjà vu in the boys 8-9 age group after Knecht’s little brother R.J. once again won the division. Knecht negotiated the 100m swim, 3km bike, and 1km run in a total time of 16:47.

The 9-year-old was second fastest in both the pool (1:51), and in two wheels (9:11). He finally won a leg after topping the run phase (16:47). Eight-year-old Clay McCullough-Stearns was runner-up after a third-best swim (2:02), a first-place bike (9:02), and second-place run (17:54).

Two boys finished tied at third. Both Jacob Jones and Andrew Johnson crossed the finish line in identical times of 20:25. Jones did the swim split in 3:23, the bike in 9:01 and the run in 8:01, while Johnson logged a 2:20 in the water, a 10:11 on the bike saddle, and 7:54 on the pavement.

Ilia Corella was tops in the girls 8-9-year-old division. The 9-year-old was the fastest overall in the swim (1:39), tied at fourth best in the bike (10:41), and trailed only Knecht in the run (5:57) for a total time of 18:17.

Eight-year-old Ashley Northern tried her best to keep up with Corella but wound up in second place with an overall time of 18:50. Northern had a 2:10 swim, a 10:41 bike, and a 5:59 run. Grace Brostrom finished in third place after crossing the finish line in 20:38 (2:11 in the swim, 11:15 in the bike, and 7:12 in the run).

Maxi Braig did well in his first ever Kids TRYathlon coming out on top in the boys 6-7-year-old division. Braig finished the course in 21:45 after swimming a 2:37, riding a 12:54, and running a 6:14. Second place went to Quintin Ramsey (21:52 overall, 3:14 swim, 12:26 bike, and 8:47 run). Misaki Cramer came in third (27:06, 3:05, 16:54, and 7:07).

Opal Northern paced the girls age group with an overall time of 21:20 (3:12 swim, 11:30 bike, and 6:38 run). She was followed by Gabrielle Race after clocking in at 21:52 (3:41, 11:48, and 6:23). Finishing in a time of 40 minutes and winning third place was Taylor Knecht (4:27, 21:49, and 13:44).

In the team competition, Dylan Ackerman and Colin Ramsey crossed the finish line in 24:43 to take pole position.

Other participants in the 6-9 age group were Tatiano Calvo (20:54), Amy Arenovski (21:17), Madea Troost (23:20), and Cody Race (24:06).

The next and final Kids TRYathlon of the year will take place on Nov. 20. For more information on the Kids TRYathlon please call Betty Johnson at 233-0324.