Racing With Kids

Age Group Nationals, Burlington, VT

I admit I probably do too many triathlons per year but I LOVE it! I did 14 this year: 12 in the Virginia Triathlon Series, 1 in South Carolina, and the Age Group National Championship in Burlington, VT. We try to include the kids in the process and make every event fun for them. Did you know the average number of races older athletes do per year (in the last 12 months) is 4.2 (http://www.usatriathlon.org/about-multisport/demographics.aspx) with sprint being the most popular? Also, the average triathlete age is 38! I will be one age group statistic racing as a 38 year old next season! I do so many because I love racing and love travelling on the weekends to see and do new things.

I homeschool so I incorporate school into my race weekends and I don’t have to worry about sending tired kids off to a public or private school after a long race weekend! We are a bit crazy. If a race is within 3 ½ hours it is easier to drive there the morning of the race than it is to get a hotel room. It seems like we take almost EVERYTHING with us except for the kitchen sink when we get a room and it is just too much to pack up in the morning. If we leave at 1:30 or 2 AM we can get to bed at a reasonable time and just put the kids in the car and go. I will say there have been TOO many times that the route planner said it would take longer to get there and you find yourself on site BEFORE the race crew is there. Nothing like being the FIRST one in the transition area A LOT!

Ready to go early in the morning!

The kids get excited about race weekends! I have really tried to make sure we do something REALLY fun after a race so the kids feel like they are getting a “mini” vacation. We try to seek out Children's Museums and Richmond, VA is one of our favorite places because they have some really great Children’s Museums and a huge Science and Art Museum. 

Richmond Children's Museum

Children's Museum in South Carolina
At this race we got to visit with our cousins!

Children's Museum in South Carolina

When we have gone to races in Northern Virginia we have toured various Civil War Battle Grounds and incorporated that into our school curriculum. 

Manassas Battlefield

Confederate Cemetery 

The site of the McClean home which the Confederacy used as their headquarters in the beginning of the Civil War. The McClean family moved to Appomattox where their parlor was used by Lee to surrender to Grant. Lula McClain was 7 and she had left her doll in the parlor but someone took the doll as a war prize. The doll is referred to as the "silent witness". It was kept on a mantle until 1992 when it was donated back to the Appomattox Courthouse. 

We followed the trail of Lula from Appomattox to Manassas. We had to drive to an obscure 

CVS Pharmacy to find this former site which is now a parking lot!!

And after some touring and playing with the kids we head home on the same day! It really makes for a fun day! My 7 year old daughter gave a me a big hug one day and thanked me for taking them on the trips and she said she LOVES getting up in the middle of the night to go! At this point in their lives it is exciting and we try to keep it fun!

Sacked out after a fun race day - On the way home

This year we centered our family vacation around the Age Group National Championship in Burlington, Vermont. While I didn’t get the time to even see the race route before the race and barely got on my bike the week of the race, we did see a ton of kid friendly sites and found it to be a GREAT vacation spot for our family!

The Vermont Teddy Bear Factory

Ben and Jerry's - Vermont

Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, Vermont
This is one amazing museum worth seeing!!

ECHO Science Museum - Burlington, VT

ECHO Science Museum - Burlington, VT

Hershey's Chocolate World, Hershey, Pennsylvania 

None of this would be possible without my pit crew: A very supportive husband and mother. My husband does the driving for me and both he and my mother take care of the kids while I set up and race. It would never be possible without their help! So here is looking forward to more good times and race travels in 2013!