A slightly overcast July 4 morning didn’t dampen the spirits of the more than 70 energetic kids who participated in the second annual Palisades/Malibu YMCA Youth Triathlon. Competitors ranging in age from 6 to 15 completed the three-stage event, which included a 5K bike ride, a 1.1-mile run to Temescal Canyon Gateway Park and a 150-yard swim in the Y pool. ‘We had 84 kids register for training clinics and the race,’ said USA Youth Triathlon Executive Director Deborah Hafford, who also directed last year’s inaugural race. ‘The event was an even bigger success this year, thanks to so many people in the Palisades.’ Parents volunteered to help out on the course and cheered the kids on, along with coaches, organizers and volunteers, many from the L.A. Triathlon Club. Both volunteers and entrants wore navy blue T-shirts that said ‘Bike Run Swim’ on the front, with icons for the three events, and ‘Every Finisher Is a Winner’ on the back. ‘The most important thing at the start is to be safe,’ Hafford’s husband, Doug, told participants as they waited eagerly on their bikes for the race to begin. ‘If you get past the start, you’re probably fine.’ Escorted by two policemen, the group followed the rabbit, Evan Bartelheim, a L.A. Tri Club volunteer who helped out last year by accompanying the last place winner. This year, ‘Those kids were nipping at my heels the whole way,’ he told the Post. With their race numbers written in black on their arms and legs, some of the leading athletes could be seen running up the Temescal Canyon dirt hill towards the pool at about the 16-minute mark. Among them were winners Starr Hathaway, who finished the triathlon in 23:21, and Courtney Knapp (23:30). Palisadian Hathaway, 12, said he trained for the triathlon by riding his bike every other day, going to the Y clinics and practicing the course. ‘An amazing genetic athlete,’ according to Deborah Hafford, Hathaway swims, runs track and plays basketball at St. Matthew’s School, where he will be a 7th grader this fall. He said that the swimming was the most challenging of the three stages for him because he was ‘really tired’ when he got into the pool. ‘It was the hardest six laps I’ve ever done.’ Hathaway ran the Palisades-Will Rogers 5K last year. Knapp, who just turned 14, beat her own winning time of 25:29 from last year’s triathlon. ‘The biking was the hardest because I’m used to swimming and running,’ said Knapp, a junior lifeguard who runs track and cross country and has run several 5K and 10K races. ‘I had adrenaline as soon as I got into the pool, and my close friends and family were cheering me on.’ ‘She’s a competitor,’ said Knapp’s mother, who was yelling, ‘Kick!’ as she watched her daughter swim. Knapp graduated from and graduated from Calvary Christian School and will attend Oaks Christian this fall. Several triathletes completed the event after running the 5K earlier that morning. Among them were Palisadian girls Catherine Price, 13, and Dylan Blakely, 12, who attend Calvary, and Carolyn Windler, 10, a Paul Revere student. Blakely (24:27) finished third in the Girls 12 and Above age group, and Windler (29:56) won Girls 10 to 11. Siblings like Isabella and Alexander Porter competed in the triathlon together. Both Isabella, 7, and Alexander, 9, enjoy playing sports at Crossroads School. Sisters Kennedy and Courtney Corrin, Marina del Rey residents and students at Curtis School, completed their first triathlon with mom, dad and their little brother cheering them on. ‘We’re just happy they finished,’ said mom T.C. Corrin, a personal trainer who teaches aerobics at the YMCA and chairs the Little Dolphins sports committee in Temescal Canyon. She is also a mountain biker and former American Gladiator. Dad Michael is a former collegiate track and field athlete. Kennedy, 8, and Courtney, 6, attended three of the Y clinics and trained with their parents for four weeks prior to the triathlon by swimming, biking and running on the beach in Venice. The girls, who enjoy gymnastics, soccer and basketball, among other sports, both said the swimming was the hardest part. After completing the triathlon, Kennedy stood poolside near her mom to support Courtney, the final finisher in Sunday’s event and recipient of the Best Effort Award. A special distinction also went to Palisadian Evan Shaner, 11, who took first place in the Boys 10 to 11 age group at 24:28, and was recognized with the Best Sportsmanship Award. Nicole Lotte (24:00) and Blakely finished second and third overall behind Knapp for the girls while Hathaway was followed by William MacMiller (23:31) and Igor Burks (24:15) in the overall boys standings. ‘I would like to encourage all the kids who participated to come back again next year and bring a friend,’ said Hafford, who is recruiting one parent representative from each local school to help promote this event next year. Interested parents can contact Hafford at info@usayt.com. Race results and photos will be posted on the Web site at www.usayt.com in the next week.
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