When Tara Melville and her husband, Brad started the TRi KiDS triathlon series, they were hoping it would give kids the chance to get active, get outdoors and, most importantly, have fun.
Five years later, the series has expanded from Ontario to British Columbia, adding three new races, including the first-ever Burnaby TRi KiDS triathlon Sunday, June 9.
Melville said they were looking to add a second race in the Lower Mainland - the other is Langley - and discovered that Burnaby had exactly what they needed to host the race.
"In order to find the perfect venue we need to find lots of real estate around a community centre," Melville said. "We actually traveled out to B.C. twice looking for a venue and found the C.G. (Brown) Memorial pool."
The race, which will be held at the C.G. Brown Memorial pool and Burnaby Lake Sports Complex, is a mini-triathlon for kids aged three to 15. Beginning with swimming, the kids then hop out of the pool and onto their bikes, before finishing the race on foot. The distances are much shorter than a full triathlon. The longest run, which is for kids 14 to 15 years old, is only three kilometres, while the shortest swim, at 20 metres, is for ages three to five.
"We make it very non-competitive," she said. "(Kids are) just swimming, biking and running - three of the sports (kids) love to do anyways - we're just combining them."
Kiona Foley, 12, participated in the event last year in Langley, and she liked it so much, she's registered for both the Langley and Burnaby events this June.
"It was really fun," she said. "All the people there were good at helping, and it was a really good experience."
Foley is no stranger to triathlons. She's a member of the Semiahmoo triathlon club in Surrey and has raced in numerous other kid orientated triathlons around the city.
But TRi KiDS is different, instead of competition, the focus is on accomplishment and having fun, she said.
"There's more people that support you," she said. "If you need direction to your transition, they'll help you figure it out."
The goal of the event is not to rank the children but rather, Melville said, to encourage them to have fun and get active.
"We don't do awards," she said. Melville said that instead, each child is timed and their results are posted after the race, in alphabetical order, so as not to discourage anyone.
Many of this year's events in Ontario are already sold out and last year the Langley race - the first-ever in the Lower Mainland - had about 300 kids.
Melville said the races in B.C. have been slower to grow than those in Ontario, but she expects that the pace to pick up as interest in the races grows.
"We've noticed that kids (who) are signing up for the Langley race that they did last year, are now signing up for Langley and Burnaby," she said.
But it may only be the repeat participants from Langley that have registered for the event. Melville said that as of April 3 only 30 kids had registered for the Burnaby race. She said she's remaining hopeful the number will improve as the race day draws near.
"We anticipate about 200 kids, and hopefully that 200 kids will turn into 400 kids next year," she said.
Parents can register their children online at www.trikidstriathlon.com/ registration.html. There are discounts available for families with more than one child participating. Online registration is open until the Wednesday before the event (June 9), but they do accept drop-in registration on orientation day June 8. For more information visit www.trikidstriathlon.com.
