Two young 麻豆社国产athletes are heading to the Sunshine State after an impressive day of racing in Seattle.
Charlotte Ross and Eli Chappell placed first and second in their age groups respectively on Sunday (Aug. 29) at the IronKids triathlon race in Seattle. Their strong showings also qualified them both for the National Championships in St. Petersburg, Florida on Oct. 3.
Ross, 7, swam 50 yards, biked two miles and ran 500 yards in 13:16.9 while Chappell, 11, swam 150 yards, biked four miles and ran one mile in 22:29 to qualify.
According to her father Alex Ross, Charlotte became interested in triathlons after competing in the 麻豆社国产Youth Triathlon this May.
"After she did the 麻豆社国产one she wanted to do another," he said of his daughter. "She finished second here in 麻豆社国产and then won races in Victoria, Vancouver and Bellingham."
He said her daughter's swimming, which was her weakness, has really improved since joining the 麻豆社国产Pirates swim team.
Charlotte was elated to win in Seattle and her father said she's been walking around with a huge smile on her face ever since.
"She had a pretty big smile after winning," he said. "After winning the race on Sunday [Aug. 29] she wanted to wake up early and tell everyone."
But despite the fact that she will be in Florida close to attractions like Disneyworld, he said his daughter seems focused on the race.
"I told her that we're close to Disneyworld and lots of fun things will be close by but all she seems to talk about is the race," he said.
Just like Charlotte, Eli Chappell is extremely focused on competing and racing to the best of his abilities said his mother Lynn Chappell.
"He's an interesting boy," she said. "He's very stoic and focused whenever he's racing. He really truly enjoys everything about triathlons."
Like Charlotte, Eli is a member of the Pirates swim team as well as track at school and has been interested in athletics from a young age.
"In grade three he signed himself up for cross country while we were out of town," Lynn said of the 11-year-old. "He's always been a natural athlete and has competed in triathlons all over including Squamish, Whistler and Kelowna."
She mentioned that his experience with the Kids of Steel triathlons in Whistler was "amazing" and served as a great learning tool.
Her son is eager to compete in Florida.
"He's very excited and looking forward to it," she said, adding that the entire family may make the trek and create a family vacation out of the qualification.
The IronKids National Championship will feature the top five qualified times from each age group at the 11 different races held throughout the United States this summer. The race will take place on Sunday, Oct. 3 in the afternoon.
For more information and full race results, visit www.ironkids.com.
