Ross Thompson, left, and Randy Biever, pictured at the 2016 ATB Financial Kids of Steel Triathlon are core members of the organizing committee for this year’s event on June 17. Geoff Lee File Photo
The clock is counting down again to the start of the 7th annual ATB Financial Kids of Steel Triathlon in Lloydminster after pausing two years ago for COVID-19.
Registration is underway this month for students aged 6-16 at Lloydminster public and Catholic schools for the swim, bike and run competition, set for June 17 at Bud Miller All Seasons Park.
Anthony Bender, vice-president of Ecole St. Thomas who heads up the event, expects hundreds of student athletes will start the summer with triathlon steel in their veins.
“I think the last year we had it, we had 857, and depending on the categories, we can equip about 800,” said Bender.
“We’re shooting for that number to ensure safety on all levels.”
The event is a partnership with the City of Lloydminster that operates the venues at Bud Miller and sits on the organizing committee.
Registration is online or at the Servus Sports Centre until April 30 with one notable change from previous years.
“This year, we’ve decided all team members have to be registered at the same time,” said Bender, as a way to get a better handle on the number of participants.
The event distances are unchanged, with individual-age-category swimming from 50 to 300m, cycling from 1km to 8km and running from 500m to 2km.
Teams swim from 100 to 300m, bike from 2km to 8km and run from 1 to 3km.
The cost to enter is just $25 a person, which Bender says just pays for medals and T-shirts including participation medals and gold, silver and bronze medals for the top three finishers in each category.
“We don’t make money on this, we never do. It’s about activity for kids,” said Bender, who also toots a horn for the volunteers who make it happen.
“We have our same people who support our events whether their kids are in it or not. We’ve run a group of core people that just know the process and they are very on board,” he said.
“It’s a really successful event because of the people involved and just because of the reason—we just want kids to be active.”
Bender says many kids enter the triathlon in shape following school track meets, noting Grade 3 and 4 students in Catholic schools also take spring swim lessons.
He says biking is pretty much done on their own.
“A lot of the activities we’ve done, transfer well into the event, so that’s why we do it,” Bender said.
He says when students are involved with other people in this activity, they learn so much from being part of a team and become confident enough to do it on their own.
“In the end, our ultimate goal is they enjoy life-long activities,” said Bender.
There will be an optional orientation for participants and their parents on the evening of June 15 at Bud Miller, but Bender says he’s noticed in the past a lot of parents helped their kids go through the paces the week before the competition.
“That’s been a spinoff that we never really expected; just families spending time in the park with their kids active, so really a bonus,” he said.
Bender also acknowledges additional sponsorship support from Grindin Gears Bikes n’ Boards, Moorhead Chartered Professional Accountant, Clements & Smith and Canadian Natural.
