On August 22, families packed into Avalon Community Park — pool, track, and baseball field all pressed into service — for the first-ever Kids Tri North Boroughs: Avalon, presented by Keystone Physicians DPC in partnership with Bellevue Forward. It was a morning of swim caps, wobbly bike starts, and a whole lot of proud finish-line faces, and it capped off with an awards ceremony at the pool around noon.
Kids ages 6 to 12 rotated through three stations — swim, bike, and run — with distances scaled to age group, from a 25-meter swim and quarter-mile bike-and-run for the youngest racers to a 75-meter swim and three-quarter-mile bike-and-run for the oldest. Each age bracket started at a different station so no single point on the course ever got too crowded, and volunteers were stationed throughout to keep kids moving safely from one leg to the next.
We set a registration goal for this first year — and blew right past it. 80 kids registered, exceeding our goal by 30 registrations. For a brand-new event in its debut year, that’s the clearest signal we have that the North Boroughs wanted it.
What the Kids Said
We surveyed participants right after they crossed the finish line, and the response was almost unanimous: every single respondent said they felt safe out on the course and felt supported by the volunteers and helpers along the way. Asked how they felt at the finish, every single response was the same: “Super proud.”
Kids were split on which leg they liked best, which is exactly the kind of variety a triathlon is supposed to deliver. Swimming was the leg kids called hardest most often, with one participant admitting it “was a little scary because I wasn’t sure if I would be able to finish it” — right before adding that they’d absolutely do the race again.
Asked to sum up how they felt in one word, kids said:
- “Accomplished”
- “Fantastic”
- “Grateful”
That last one might be the best review this event could get.
What the Parents Said
Parent feedback backed it up. Every parent who filled out our survey rated the registration process a perfect 5 out of 5, and safety measures scored an average of 4.75 out of 5. Communication leading up to the event and the course layout/volunteer support at transitions both averaged above 4.3 out of 5 — strong marks for a first-year event.
The most common highlight parents named wasn’t a specific race moment…it was watching their kids’ faces. As one parent put it: “Seeing how happy my son was after the bike event.” Another wrote about “watching all of the kids” and “the kids cheering for each other.” A third called out the volunteers directly: “I was so impressed with how organized and well-run it was, especially given it was the first event!”
Parents were also generous with next-year suggestions, and we’re taking every one seriously:
- Timing accuracy — several families flagged that manual swim timing led to at least one misassigned placement, and asked for chip timing or more timekeepers going forward.
- Course length — a few parents felt the run segment could be a bit longer or better measured against the posted distance.
- Recognition for more finishers — requests for certificates or ribbons beyond just first place, so every kid gets something to take home.
- Bike start spacing — sending fewer riders out at once to smooth out those first wobbly pedal strokes.
- Snack truck options — more than one family asked for a coffee truck next time (noted, parents!).
One parent whose child aged out after this first year summed up the spirit of the morning best: they’d already recommended the event to their child’s running club.
Thank You
None of this happens without our presenting sponsor, Keystone Physicians DPC, and the full lineup of local businesses who supported the day, including: Home Granola Company, Bellevue Bicycles, Three Rivers Massage Therapy, Chads Mulliary Berkshire Hathaway Home Services, Borough of Avalon, Turo Family Chiropractic, Pittroe Business Services, First National Bank, Lucky Bites, Hidden Keys Travel, MyoWay Centers for Kids, The Lotus People, runwithitcreative, Bellevue Cigar, and Archer Frog Designs. Special thanks to The Lotus People yoga studio for leading the pre-race stretch that got everyone loose before the starting whistle.
As one of the event’s organizers and its presenting sponsor, Anna Owen, MD, Founding Physician at Keystone Physicians Direct Primary Care, put it:
“Watching these kids cross that finish line…swim cap still dripping, helmet still on…is exactly why we wanted to bring this event to Avalon. Health starts with movement, and it starts young. Eighty kids signed up for something that didn’t exist a year ago. That’s not just a good turnout, that’s a community telling us it wants more of this. We’re already looking forward to next year.”
And of course, thank you to every volunteer who staffed a station, every police officer and firefighter who kept New Brighton Road safe to cross, and every parent who got their kid to the park with a helmet, goggles, and closed-toe shoes in hand. You made the first Kids Tri North Boroughs one worth building on.
Looking Ahead
With 80 registrants blowing past our goal, and registration, safety, and course support already scoring so well in year one, next year’s focus is clear: tighten up timing accuracy, look at course measurement and run distance, add more recognition for finishers across the board, plan for a bigger field, and keep the community energy that had kids cheering for each other at every station.
If this is what a first year looks like, we can’t wait to see what North Boroughs Forward builds from here.
Want to be part of next year’s Kids Tri? Join our email list or reach out about volunteering — we’d love to have you.