September 7, 2013 is a day I will remember forever. It was the day my mom and I did our first triathlon together. We have been preparing for this day for quite awhile and everything went like clockwork. We had to get up very early, around 5am, in order to get there in time and set up our area. We had to take two cars because we had so much equipment: 2 bikes, a trailer/stroller, inflatable raft, kayak, helmets, and lots of bags of "stuff" we needed for the race. When we got there we had to park sort of far away because the lots were getting full- that made it tricky to get all of our gear where we needed it. Luckily, many generous people were willing to help out.
Our babysitter, Kasey, came to help take care of Liam, Addy and Me at the race. She fed me some breakfast so I had some good energy. She also helped Liam, Addy and our friends Hillevi and Katelynn, make signs for all of us doing the race. Mom and Dad were racing around trying to get everything ready because we were a bit behind. Our friends Sean Braney and his daughter, Julia, raced with us also. Julia has CP like me.
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| The spectators |
Our race plan was to go first, before all of the other racers, so we could clear the area before lots of people started coming. When it was time, we all headed to the water for some quick pictures and the send off. My dad paddled in a kayak next to us while my mom was pulling me in an inflatable raft. It was pretty wavy that day, but I didn't get too wet. My mom said there were lots of jellyfish, and one was right by her face! Luckily, the swim was pretty short, only .25 mile. When we got to the beach lots of people were cheering for me. My mom ran ahead to get ready for the bike and Dad carried me up the beach. I was laughing and yelling with excitement!
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| Sean, Julia, Me (Kai) and Mom (Steph) before the race |
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| Can you see me? I'm in the red life jacket! |
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| There's Mom, pulling me along |
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| Coming out of the water |
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| Almost there! |
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| Dad carrying me to the transition |
When we got to the transition area, it was time to get ready for the 10 mile bike portion. I have a trailer that hooks to my mom's bike. Her bike has very skinny tires and can go pretty fast. Her shoes clip into the pedals also. My dad rode with us so he could monitor how I was doing and also let Mom know when there were hazards. He had no problem keeping up since mom had to go pretty slow to pull me along; this gave him a chance to take some pictures and videos while we were riding. Since we were the first people to start the race we got to see all of the elite competitors pass us. They ride REALLY fast!
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| Ready to Ride! |
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| Let's Roll |
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| Nice long hill |
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| Dad got bored, had to ride ahead :-) |
We came back to the transition area to prepare for the final leg of the race, the 3.5 mile run. Mom changed her shoes and helmet while Dad turned my trailer into a jogging stroller. I had a few bites of food and a quick sip and then we were off and running. This was probably the easiest part for Mom because she likes to run. We got to see lots of our friends during the run and passed a few people too!
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| Off we go! |
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| One leg left! |
The end of the race was a bit tricky because there was about 100 feet of sand to run through to the finish line. My stroller doesn't roll very well in the sand so Mom opted to take me out and carry me to the end. Luckily, Dad was there to catch the stroller and help get me out (because Mom was really tired at this point). Right before we got to the line, Mom let me take a few steps of my own to cross the finish line. There were lots of cheers and I was so happy!
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| Crossing the Finish Line |
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| I did it! |
Our final time was about 1:35, we think (timing got a bit messed up). We are still waiting to get the professional pictures of me crossing the finish line, and we also have more video to show- so stay tuned!
A shout out to our fans...
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| Liam, Addy, Katelynn and Hillevi |
Thanks also to the
Cape Cod Triathlon Team for moving our boats after the swim and helping us get ready for this race!
