Local Youths Gain Life Lessons in Triathlons
The Virginia Home for Boys and Girls and Endorphin Fitness use their 'Youth Triathlon' to help serve the needs of kids and their families.
By: Nan Turner
Nearing the second transition station, the young triathlete turns the final corner of the bike course. Exhausted, he stops and hands his bike to a course marshal, training wheels and all, as he gets ready to embark on the half-mile running course. This is a scene straight from the Virginia Home for Boys and Girls (VHBG) Youth Triathlon for children ages 5-14. The center is taking a unique approach to making sure their kids embrace a healthy and active lifestyle, and with the help of Endorphin Fitness, the VHBG is gearing up to hold the triathlon for the second year in a row.
Originally the idea came to be when Endorphin Fitness started using the grounds at the VHBG for a training team. Endorphin’s founder, Michael Harlow, then realized that by being located at the VHBG they had the means to offer the same training to residents.
“Michael from Endorphin asked us, ‘Would your homes and parents like to be involved and do the training with us?’” said John Dougherty, Senior Vice President and CAO of the VHBG. “It was great, and then the idea to do the race was to give back to the community and the children at our home and it just naturally evolved. For us, we were looking at the needs of our kids and families that we serve. Just as much of their health is physical as it is their emotional well-being.”
As some of the kids started working out, Dougherty and others began to wonder how they could get everyone to be more active. Holding a youth triathlon seemed like a way to help kids at the VHBG, and within the community, become familiar with a sport they may otherwise not get a chance to participate in.
“We did the first triathlon and had a fantastic time. What was really neat to see was how intrigued they were by the sport of triathlon,” Dougherty said. “Almost every kid was involved in some way or another on race day. We had some holding up the finish line…and some were on water stops or working with staff on transitions.”
Young triathletes receiving final instructions
One resident didn’t know how to swim prior to training. The Endorphin staff put in extra time and used the VHBG's on-site pool to help her learn. In the same week, she finished her first triathlon. It’s examples such as this that showed Dougherty, a triathlete himself, and other staff just how beneficial daily physical activity is to the youth they help serve.
Since the first triathlon Endorphin has continued to offer quarterly workshops at the VHBG. The sessions revolve around healthy eating and exercises residents can do on their own, and concludes with games that usually have a more competitive nature.
The VHBG is now implementing other programs to promote activity with Virtual World Race, an online system that tracks various participants as they try to complete 25,000 miles of activity through daily exercise. Online users can see a virtual world course that shows them where they are in their journey. Each of the group homes will get to draft a staff member to be on their team.
As training starts for the second-annual Youth Triathlon, participants will run obstacle courses and do scavenger hunts. According to Dougherty, the second year of the program has been driven by the homes and their families.
“It was a special event for kids coming through foster care to know that someone is supporting them as they walk, run, swim, or bike,” Dougherty said.
Some of the kids at VHBG have their own bikes, and members of the community have donated equipment as well. Endorphin has also worked to fill in the gaps as needed with their own equipment. Overall the event will be very similar to the first year.
“We’re pretty much following the same model as last year because it was such a successful event,” Dougherty said. “It helped build a sense of community and gives the kids an opportunity to give back. One thing we realized was that our kids are always being taken care of, and they enjoy being meaningful, relevant contributors.”
The swimming portion of the Youth Triathlon
Last year five kids from the VHBG participated as athletes in the triathlon, and there were a total of 78 registrants. This year they would like to see a growth to 120-150 kids.
“We see it as an opportunity to have a super positive experience in a safe environment to introduce people to the sport of triathlon,” Dougherty said. “The swim is in our pool; we have a long cul-de-sac driveway that we do the bike portion on, and a baseball field area that we make into the running course. We’re dedicated to kids and the experience.”
The race offers two distances. For children ages 5-9 there is a 40-yard swim, a 1.5-mile bike ride, and a half-mile run. For those ages 10-14 there is an 80-yard swim, three-mile bike ride, and one-mile run. Dougherty hopes to get families from around the area more involved this year.
“What’s so fun is that last year we had five-year olds racing and kids on bikes with training wheels. It’s really cute,” Dougherty said. “We want to use this as an opportunity across the region. It’s a safe, fun, family-friendly environment. We had a bouncy house last year, and Martin’s is donating post-race snacks. It’s just about giving our kids the opportunity to be active and supported in the sport of triathlon. It’s a fun and healthy day. We’re just encouraging them to be active in their community.”
Dougherty has a busy schedule himself; he recently dedicated himself to triathlons and has since completed seven. In August he will participate in his first Iron Man in Canada. He plans to wear his VHBG jersey, along with a group of athletes also from Richmond.
“The key part that we want to teach our kids at VHBG is the importance of transferable skills,” Dougherty said. “As a triathlete sometimes I run to deal with other things that may be going on; that’s my outlet. It’s important to show that to kids.”
This year’s tri will take place on August 14 from 6:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. For more information on the VHBG Youth Triathlon visit http://vhbg.org/2013/05/vhbg-youth-triathlon-presented-by-endorphin-fitness/.