I saw this in the paper this morning. So cool!

Here's the snippet from the article, since you have to register to read the article online (note: I'm a big fan of the bugmenot website, through which you can search for generic usernames/passwords so that you can go on to sites like the one that has posted this article...but I digress):

A first, maybe not last, triathlon
Nearly 1,000 children participated Sunday in swimming, biking and running events. The organizers' message? Make exercise fun so kids will make it a lifelong habit.
By Pamela Martineau -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:01 am PDT Monday, August 14, 2006

Wearing a pink polka dotted bathing suit as she gripped her purple bicycle adorned with princesses, Reese Oliver anxiously waited her turn to start the mid-section of the California Kids Triathlon on Sunday. With her Batman training wheels steadying her, 5-year-old Reese steered her way through the cycling section of the nation's largest children's triathlon, which was held on the University of California, Davis, campus.

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The event, open to children ages 4 to 17, is intended to expose kids to exercise and healthy lifestyles early in life so they will carry those habits into adulthood.
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"Once they do it, they're hooked," he added.

The California Kids Triathlon is in its fifth year of existence and boasts a 95 percent return rate each year by its participants, Miramontes said. The distances for running, swimming and biking are age-appropriate.

For instance, kids participating in the 15-17 age group swam 200 yards, biked four miles and ran two miles. Kids in the 6 and under age group swam 25 yards, biked one mile and ran one quarter of a mile. About 35 percent of the kids who participated are from Davis. The others came from throughout Northern California.
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