Inspired by their grandma, two Williams Lake siblings put their mettle to the test recently at two Ironkids triathlons.
Modelled after popular Ironman triathlons — a 3.8-kilometre swim, a 18-kilometre bike ride and a 42-kilometre marathon run to finish it up — Ironkids events are toned down versions of the gruelling race.
Sydney Mason, 9, and her brother, Wyatt Mason, 10, got bitten by the “tri bug,” as they call it, while cheering on their grandma Susie Boyd Brown (nee Grinstead), formerly of Williams Lake.
A runner for 38 years, Boyd Brown qualified for the World Championship Ironman in Kona, Hawaii, on Oct. 9 after earning a spot this past July at an ironman event in Whistler.
Joining her as her cheering squad, but also competitors in the kids’ versions of the events, were Sydney and Mason.
Once Boyd Brown finished fourth in Whistler and, subsequently, qualified for the worlds, Sydney and Mason knew they wanted to be there to cheer her on and, also, to compete themselves in the Ironkids event.
In the Ironkids event at Whistler, athletes raced a 50-metre swim, a one-kilometre bike ride and a two-kilometre run. In Hawaii, the Sydney and Mason did a 1.5 kilometre run.
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In Hawaii, Boyd Brown finished ninth out of 22 in her age group, 65-70.
Sydney and Wyatt, meanwhile, finished in the top five in Whistler — racing in 38C heat — and joined tens of thousands of people in Hawaii for the popular event, dubbed the Keiki Dip-N-Dash.
In Hawaii, however, the swimming portion of the kids’ race was forced to be cancelled due lightning.
“I just enjoy running,” Sydney said of what she liked about Ironkids events, noting both her and Wyatt trained with their cross-country running group at Nesika elementary prior to the event.
“I like it because it’s fun, and I like racing, and really like doing competitive things,” Wyatt added.
Both, also, were awarded special event medals depicting each Ironkids triathlon.
Asked whether they plan on continuing to follow in their grandma’s footsteps, both said they are continuing to train in preparation for two upcoming Ironkids events: the first in Ashcroft and the second coming up later in 2019 in Kelowna.
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