One of my favorite jobs as a professional triathlete and
coach is to promote the sport of triathlon. It has given me so much and I
love to give back in any way I can. I had the wonderful opportunity to do this by talking with
the kids from two Race4Chase YMCA programs this year. Race4Chase is a program that was developed in memory of Chase Kowalski who loved triathlon and was killed at the
Sandy Hook Tragedy. According to its mission:
The Race4Chase Kid’s Triathlon
program is a youth triathlon program aimed to provide kids aged 6 to 12 with a
safe, healthy non-competitive environment to discover the sport of
triathlon. It brings together kids from all different backgrounds and
educates them on how to adopt a healthy lifestyle, coaches them to develop a
foundation of athletic skills, and inspires them to aim high in sports and in
life.
Designed
as a six week goal oriented summer program, the program provides kids with
expert instruction in swimming, cycling, running, strength training and
flexibility, and also teaches them the fundamentals of good nutrition, under
the supportive guidance of coaches, lifeguards and instructors. Implementing a
custom-designed training program, the coaches provide the youth athletes with
all the equipment, knowledge, and one-on-one support they need to become
tri-athletes. At the culmination of the training camp, all the youth
athletes come together to compete in a USAT-sanctioned triathlon race.
In addition, this year the kids got a free entry to camp and
a free bike if they needed one.
Here is a video on the CMAK foundation which supports the Race4Chase Triathlon Program.
Here is a video on the CMAK foundation which supports the Race4Chase Triathlon Program.
One thing I really love about the camp is that it exposes
kids to triathlon at an early age which is so important to the growth of our
sport. If kids know about triathlon, learn how to train, and enjoy their
experience, they will want to continue to do it. This will only help the future
of triathlon!
For my part, I sat them down and talked about the typical
day of a professional triathlete including how much I sleep (9-12 hours a day),
how much I eat (lots), what I eat (healthy food like pasta, fruits, and vegetables),
and my daily workout routine (swim, bike, run, strength, rest). At the end of
my talk, I really emphasized the importance of consistency. If there is one
thing I know about triathlon, it’s that the more you train and race, the better
you get. There are going to be tough races and training days where you just don’t
want to swim, bike, or run, but if you keep showing up, you will be rewarded for
your hard work.
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| Training Day! Everyone wanted to touch my bike... |
To finish up, I ran them through my typical warm-up and
drills. We concluded with some fun relays which really fired up the kids. The
best relay was when they had to run backwards. It was hard enough for them just
to keep going, let alone race each other while doing so! The kids absolutely
loved it and I can’t wait to help out again next year!
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| Race Day! |
Thanks to the Soundview YMCA and Valley Shore YMCA for having me be a part of this great program!
For more information on Race4Chase and how you might contribute to the CMAK foundation, check out http://www.cmakfoundation.org/.
For more information on Race4Chase and how you might contribute to the CMAK foundation, check out http://www.cmakfoundation.org/.
