Your youngster’s participation in a kid-only triathlon can help children in Franklin.
The Boys and Girls Club of Franklin is hosting its annual Kids’ Triathlon on June 3.
Students will be asked to swim 25 yards, ride their bike for a mile and finish with a half-mile sprint at Franklin Community High School, 2600 Cumberland Drive.
The triathlon is a fundraiser for the agency that provides after-school care and programs for children in Franklin.
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Organizers would like to have 150 students participate, with the $32 participation fee going toward programming at the club, said Teresa McClure, executive director of the Boys and Girls Club of Franklin.
The club typically makes $7,000 to $8,000 after expenses are paid, McClure said.
That money goes back into the nonprofit agency and is used for whatever the club might need, including gym equipment, supplies for arts and crafts or STEM activities or game room equipment, McClure said.
The agency has organized a triathlon for kids ages 5 to 14 for five years. Exercise and wellness is a core value at the Boys and Girls Club of Franklin and organizing a triathlon is a way to drive home that value, McClure said.
McClure got the idea to organize the triathlon after the South Bend Parks and Recreation Department, where she formerly worked, conducted successful triathlon events, she said.
She wanted to bring a similar event to Franklin.
Any student in the age range can register, although all bikes must have two wheels and training wheels are not allowed, McClure said.
Students who are not strong swimmers can opt to enroll in the life jacket division and will be allowed to wear a life jacket during the swimming portion, she said.
All bikes must pass a safety inspection and students must also wear helmets while riding, McClure said.
The event starts at 8 a.m. and all participants are expected to finish by 10 a.m. All participants will receive a medal and additional prizes will be given to the top finishers in each division.
The event is family friendly, with some parents running alongside their child to the finish line, said McClure.
“It is just a good, family event,” she said.
For now, some students are training to make sure they are ready for event.
Kamdyn Stevens, a seventh-grader at Franklin Community Middle School, figures being on the diving team at school has already prepared her for the swimming portion.
Now she has been running with her brother to get ready for the half-mile they will have to run at the event.
Kellen Fellure, a second-grader at Northwood Elementary School, rides his bike daily and runs multiple times a week. Colten Stevens, a fourth-grader at Creekside Elementary School, runs laps in the gym and rides his bike with his dad to prepare.
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What: Boys and Girls Club of Franklin Fifth Annual Kids Triathlon
When: 8 a.m. June 3. Check-in begins at 7 a.m.
Where: Franklin Community High School, 2600 Cumberland Drive.
Cost: $32. Participants receive a T-shirt.
Register: Call 317-736-3695 to get a form. The deadline to register is May 26.
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