Yellowhead County’s first Bear Chase Youth Triathlon a success

Over seventy kids took part in the first ever mini-triathlon at Bear Lake in Yellowhead County.

The air at Bear Lake was filled with excitement and energy at the first ever Bear Chase Youth Triathlon as over seventy kids prepared for their age group heats to take off from the starting line in the lake. Although thunder could be heard in the background, the rain and any signs of lightning held off as the athletes put all their focus into the swimming, biking, and running event.

The triathlon consisted of five heats broken up into different age groups with age appropriate distances for each group. The age categories started at five and under and went up to thirteen years old. Photos from the event can be found on the Yellowhead County Facebook page and parents, and participating athletes can see their time results on the Yellowhead County Parks and Recreation Facebook page.

Although the triathlon was a noncompetitive event, the participants were noticeably serious about their participation in the triathlon with a few of the runners not wasting precious seconds to take off their bike helmets before taking off into the final running leg of the event.

The event was a great success and could not have happened without the numerous volunteers and parents who came out to support the kids and help behind the scenes. In addition to coordinating the entire event, the Yellowhead County Parks and Recreation Department also hosted a bouncy castle following the race and an outdoor movie at the campground later in the evening.

Advantage Towing was also out in full-force donating their barbeque equipment and time to cook up burgers and hot-dogs, and passing out fruit kebabs and hydration drinks to the exhausted mini athletes who visibly appreciated the fantastic food and drink donated by the local company.

With the high turnout and success of this event, it’s likely that the Yellowhead County Bear Chase Youth Triathlon will return for 2018.