Bettendorf triathlon is family affair

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By Nate Taylor | Saturday, June 28, 2008 10:14 PM CDT | () comments

Like a mini gallery at the Masters golf tournament, local parents stood shoulder to shoulder behind a rope.

They watched anxiously as their children were getting lined at the starting line. Many had cameras or camcorders as they looked to capture their kid swimming, cycling and running.

Then, the gun sounded. One by one, kids jumped into the pool at Splash Landing Waterpark in Bettendorf. You could hear cheers from the parents such as, “Go, Sam,” “Come on, David,” and “Good job, Emily.”

That was the atmosphere Saturday, as more than 150 kids participated in the third annual Bettendorf’s Kids Triathlon. With each kid crossing finish line, parents congratulated their child on their hard work.

One example of this was A.J. and Theresa Perisho. They watched their 8-year-old daughter, Brenna Perisho, race in her second triathlon. With Brenna finishing second in her age group, Theresa Perisho is excited to see the sport keep their family together on weekends.

“For us parents, it keeps our entire family involved,” she said. “This is a big family event for us.”

Brenna Perisho was happy to have her parents there to support her.

“It felt good to cross the finish line,” she said. “It was good to have people cheer for me.”

With all the parents being involved with triathlons and watching their kids, race director Jeff Castro says parents are the one’s who get their children into the sport.

“I think the parents who have kids in the sport are involved in triathlons themselves,” Castro said. “We’re trying to grow another generation of triathletes with races like this.”

One parent that agrees with Castro is Deb Brown. She had her 12-year-old daughter, Jennifer Brown and 11-year-old son Tim Brown, participate Saturday. Deb says the difference from triathlons to other sports make triathlons more fun for kids.

“It’s fun to see kids getting involved where they can do all three sports for the rest of their life,” she said. “It’s not like baseball where you only have nine players. Here, everybody gets to participate. That’s what makes it fun.”

Deb Brown said she trains with her two children and that the sport keeps everybody fit and together. Jennifer Brown said she enjoys swimming the most out of the three stages, but it’s those three stages that make it fun for her.

“I love this because you get to do all three different sports,” Jennifer Brown said. “You can train for all three, and that makes it fun.”

Whether parents are training along side their children or just watching them behind the rope, they know they are a part of the event. If it’s cheering or taking photos for memory, Theresa Perisho has an idea of how parents felt Saturday.

“I know there were many parents today that were happy to see their kids finish,” Theresa Perisho said. “I’m sure they are proud to see their kids go and be apart of something. I know I am.”

Nate Taylor can be contacted at (563) 383-2477 or ntaylor@qctimes.com Comment on this story at qctimes.com.