Run Baby Run

Do you have a budding athlete in your home? Or maybe you’d like to encourage a fondness for fitness, foster the pursuit of excellence, or share your love of running with your wee ones. In response to all of these impulses, the event you’ve been looking for is here—the Westboro Beach Kids Triathlon, Duathlon and FunDu on August 14.

Yes, you read that correctly—this is a triathlon for kids as young as age 6 (and yes, there is a swimming component). Organized by Ottawa Kids Triathlon, this event has something for nearly everyone in the family, except perhaps infants and toddlers—but it does offer duathlons for kids aged 3 to 5.

For the slightly older set (six and up), the triathlon includes an open-water swim in the Ottawa River. The 6 to 12 year-olds will swim parallel to the shore in chest-deep water and will be grouped according to age (i.e. ages 6 and 7 race together). 

The bike course winds along the westbound Ottawa River Parkway, which will be closed to traffic from 8 am until noon. The run is planned along paths near the river. If the beach is closed due to water quality issues that weekend, the triathlon will become a duathlon instead.

The FunDu, for children ages 3 to 5, involves a 150-metre run followed by a 200-metre bike (or trike!) and then a final 150-metre run. Helmets are mandatory—even for the run—and training wheels are welcome. As its name suggests, the FunDu is just for fun, with no winners, losers, timers or prizes. Parents can run with their kids if necessary, and help them off and on bicycles.

All participants receive medals. Race entry is online, and numbers are limited. Mini-athletes (except for FunDu participants) and their parents must attend a pre-race meeting, and organizers recommend that families pick up their bibs at the pre-race check-in on the Friday evening before the event at Dovercourt Recreation Centre.

To get the most out of the day, take some time to get familiar with the routes, distances, turns, transitions and loops by printing out the maps available online, and look at them with your kids before the event.

What could be cuter than your 3 year-old racing down the parkway on his or her tricycle in mid-duathlon? It could be the start of something big!