With permission from the Athlete, Jackson, and his parents. An essay he wrote for his English Class…

Tri

Triathlon is an event which consists of three sports, typically swimming, biking, and long distance running.

My Mom and I woke up at 7:30 in the morning to see my dad do a triathlon. It was at Craig Ranch. This was my first triathlon to ever even watch, I was so exhilarated. We got to the the triathlon at about 8:00 am, just in time to see my dad leap into the pool. If I remember correctly it was a 300 meter swim and a 25 meter pool so, my dad swam the length of the pool 12 times. That's quite a bit of swimming. My dad got passed a couple of times, but I thought he was doing incredible. When my dad got out of the pool I noticed something on his arm. At first I thought it was a tattoo, but I saw the same number on his bike. Then I realized it was his racing number. Next was the bike. I have no idea how long it was, but I do know my dad’s fast. Right then he zoomed down the monster hill toward the transition area. My Mom and I dashed over to the run out. Then I saw him sprinting our way. The run was a 10k, also known as 6 miles. As he came out of the transition I ran with him, but eventually I couldn’t keep up. We were waiting for what felt like forever. I saw my dad approach between the rustling leaves of the trees. He smiled when he saw me. I darted toward him, and dashed to the finish line with him. Some people at the finish gave my dad a medal, I was so proud of him.

My dad signed me up for triathlon training at Playtri and I was on my way to try outs. We had to run a mile, so I was super nervous. It turns out I can run a 7:45 minute mile. I swam 100 meters in 2:38 and that put me in the Silver team. My schedule was Monday swim, Tuesday bike, Wednesday run. I spent the next couple of months training with them. I asked my dad to sign me up for a triathlon so he did.

The night before my triathlon my dad and I went over the checklist. My mom woke me and I was up at 5:00 am. I was wide awake. I put my tri stuff on and headed to the race. After we setup the transition area, I headed to the start. When the race started, every person went into the pool 3 seconds apart. It was my turn and I heard my mom yelling “Go Jax!”. The swim was a 50 meter swim so I darted across the pool, passing people left and right. Next was a 3 mile bike. It was no sweat. I zipped down the road passing a lot of riders. Finally was the run. It was a 0.5 mile run. I came out super strong but then I got tired and people started passing me. Halfway, there was a water station that gave me energy. On the run back I kept a constant pace. The final stretch as I crossed the finish I felt like Superman. Then I noticed that my cousins Charles and Frankie brought donuts. I rushed over to them and asked “How many can I have?” After my triathlon my family went to eat at the Original Pancake House and celebrated.

It was an amazing day! Now I train with Playtri 2-3 times a week and I have four amazing coaches, Coach Morgan, Coach Darrel, Coach Erin, and Coach Eric.

There are three things that I have learned from triathlons.

First, never give up.

Second, hard work pays off.

Third, live a healthy life.