pre race smiles

My friend Madison recently decided she wanted to compete in a triathlon. Within a few hours, she’d decided to compete in the Ironkids tri, which was just three weeks away. Maddy is naturally talented in about 1,000 ways, one of which is swimming. The girl is a fish. She is also pretty awesome at running and basketball.

Go Madison

We talked transition details, what to expect, what to eat. I called her the night before and gave her my best Vince Lombardi speech, although I’m pretty sure it came out more like Donna Martin’s version. Regardless, the girl competed and it so fun to watch.

Into the water
she's off

Some 200 kids filled Kiwanis Park in Tempe last weekend to compete. It gave me goosebumps to see so many kids dedicated to the sport and out there having a blast. The youngest kids were tea-cup tiny and I am pretty sure I spotted a few bikes with streamers. (Note to self: get Ruby streamers. And a bell.)

swim to bike transitition
athlete in charge

There were also a ridiculous number of children who are in tri clubs and competed with thousand dollar bikes and specialized gear. Maddy and I are old school. Her pink two-piece bathing suit? So much better than any fancy tri shorts. Her multicolored helmet? She not only rocked the biking, but she did so with style. The run? The girl had the cutest braids and the biggest smile.

open wide
ripping through the finish line

Watch out world. Maddy is an Irongirl and I have a feeling she’s going to be conquering many more races soon!