After a 50-meter swim, 1-mile bike ride and half-mile run, Caleb Noonoo, 6, was the first triathlete across the finish line Saturday morning amid cheers from onlookers.
“I just finished a run,” he proudly said later. “It’s something fun that I like to do.”
More than 120 youngsters ages 5 through 14 competed in various age groups Saturday for the Big Time Youth Triathlon, presented by Academy Sports and Outdoors and organized by Rufus Racing, a local event management company.
“It’s a great way to get them (children) off the couch,” said race director Ruth Sawkins, who also asked parents to encourage their children to focus on having fun rather than winning.
Now in its fifth year, the event included for the second consecutive year a separate triathlon for children with autism. A portion of the proceeds from the weekend event go to the Ozark Center for Autism.
Caleb’s mother, Anna Noonoo, Pittsburg, Kan., said she enjoys watching her son and daughter, Emma, 9, race in the event.
“What kid doesn’t like to swim and bike and run?” she said. “It’s just a great thing to get kids out and doing different things. It’s a great way for them to stay in shape and have fun.”
Noonoo, also a triathlete and a member of Rufus Racing, said she enjoys triathlons because the focus is often on finishing rather than winning.
“It’s a great community,” she said. “You cheer for everybody, whether they’re the fastest or the last one, because we all know how great it is to get to the finish line.”
Gabbi Sands, 11, of Girard, Kan., said she felt relieved when she finally crossed the finish line after her 100-meter swim, 2-mile bike ride and 1-mile run.
“I like doing runs,” she said. “It’s one of my favorite sports to do with my mom and family.”
Sands competed with two of her cousins; her mother, Carla Sands, and two aunts planned to compete in the adults triathlon this morning, making the weekend a family affair.
“We’re all really busy,” Carla Sands said, “and this was an excuse for us to get together and spend some time together.”
Triathlons are also a big event for the Edwards family of Springfield. Zane, 10, and Dalton, 14, competed Saturday, and their father, Ken, who is originally from Carthage, races today.
“I started racing triathlons in 1987, and now it’s my boys who are doing it,” said Edwards, who jogged alongside his younger son during Saturday’s race. “A triathlon’s an individual sport against the clock, but for us it’s a family thing because we all get to race.”
Today’s Events
The Summer Roundup Triathlon for adults and teens older than 15 begins at 7 a.m. today at Scroggs Lake in Jasper. Participants will complete in either a sprint (a 500-meter swim, 15.3-mile bike ride and 5-kilometer run) or an Olympic triathlon (a 1,500-meter swim, 24.8-mile bike ride and 10-kilometer run).
Local News
Related Photos
-
Caleb Noonoo, 6, crosses the finish line to win first place in his age division at the Big Time Youth Triathlon on Saturday. GLOBE | ROGER NOMER
-
Buddies pose for a post-race picture at the finish line of the Big Time Youth Triathlon. Pictured (from left) are Lance Ward, 10, Joe Kennedy, 12, Nakoa Warren, 11, and Spencer King, 11. GLOBE | ROGER NOMER
-
Joe Fiorino gives his son Dawson, 6, some last-minute advice as he starts the cycling leg of the Big Time Youth Triathlon on Saturday. GLOBE | ROGER NOMER
-
Kathy Wrensch gives her daughter Dani, 10, a hug after learning her time in the Big Time Youth Triathlon on Saturday. GLOBE | ROGER NOMER
-
Parents and youths gather to check times from the Big Time Youth Triathlon on Saturday. GLOBE | ROGER NOMER
-
Rachelle Smith guides her daughter Taegan, 7, to the finish line at the Big Time Youth Triathlon on Saturday. GLOBE | ROGER NOMER
Discussion
Children compete in Big Time Youth Triathlon to help Ozark Center for Autism
Adults events set for Sunday
- Local News
-
-
Farmers Insurance teams up with Rebuild Joplin
Farmers Insurance announced Tuesday that the company will team up with Rebuild Joplin for an initiative to help the community complete its recovery efforts. The company already has placed one of its executives in Joplin, and it is pledging additional funds and volunteer hours by company workers to go toward the city’s recovery.
-
Crowder president to join MSSU staff
Alan Marble, who will retire as president of Crowder College in June, has been hired as special assistant to the president of Missouri Southern State University. “With his long experience in higher education administration and his intricate knowledge of the needs of students, we knew Dr. Marble would be a great fit at MSSU,” President Bruce Speck said in a statement that announced the transition.
-
Mike Pound: Husband helps pull off surprise for Carl Junction teacher
Keri Keckley said the key to pulling off the Sunday surprise was the deceptive minister.
Boy, if that isn’t a great opening line for a crime novel, I don’t know what is. But in this case, the line doesn’t belong in a crime novel. It belongs in this column. -
‘Letting Go Day’ planned to help clear the clutter
When Ann Leach lost most of her possessions in the tornado that struck Joplin on May 22, 2011, she realized that things don’t matter that much.
-
Arma mother facing murder charge in sleeping baby’s death
Heather Buckalew fell asleep on a couch with her 4-month-old baby after a night last summer drinking beer with her boyfriend. The boyfriend, Donald Harvey, got up to go to work a few hours later and spotted his son, lying face down on a pillow between the back of the couch and his sleeping mother.
-
Joplin residents lend a hand in Moore
Joplin is paying it forward. The day before the two-year anniversary of an EF-5 tornado leveling one-third of Joplin, pastors from Ignite Church in Joplin were in Moore, where an EF-5 spent 40 minutes on the ground on Monday.
-
Monetary donations cited as best help for Moore
Financial support for organizations providing shelter and supplies to Oklahoma tornado survivors is recommended for people who want to help. Otherwise, the word is to wait for requests.
-
Joplin man continues struggle to recover two years after tornado
As the Joplin tornado passed overhead, sweeping the house at 2430 S. Pennsylvania Ave. away in its wake, there was a moment of calm. Delbert Mcguirk was on his back in the basement, where he had sought shelter along with his wife, daughter and two grandchildren. In that moment of relative quiet, he stared up into the eye of the tornado.
-
Via Christi Health to cut up to 400 positions across state; Pittsburg impact uncertain
Via Christi Health announced Today that it would cut up to 400 positions within its system across the state of Kansas to compensate for financial challenges as a result of declining hospital and physician visits.
-
Globe reporter describes scene in Moore, Okla.
Joplin Globe Reporter Andra Stefanoni said the tornado-damaged town of Moore, Okla., is eerily reminiscent of Joplin on May 22, 2011.
- More Local News Headlines
-
