BELLAIRE • MEMORIAL • RIVER OAKS • TANGLEWOOD • WEST UNIVERSITY

Triathlon challenge

By Michael Eubanks, age 8 | June 1, 2015

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Michael Eubanks, a third grader at Frostwood Elementary School, loves competing in triathlons. Most recently, he participated in the Houston Texans Kids Triathlon, which he completed in 19 minutes, 53 seconds. (Photo: Sports in Motion Photography)

Swim, bike, run. Twenty-one minutes of pure exertion and exercise, from jumping in the pool to the last seconds of the run. My favorite part is the biking and trying to pass people up while going as fast as you can manage. I think triathlons are thoroughly exciting, and they make you exert yourself the most. I started doing triathlons when my friends told me that they were doing them and I might enjoy doing them, and, boy, were they right!

I did my first triathlon, the Houston Kids Triathlon, at the University of Houston in April 2012. I trained at the YMCA in March until the actual event in April. The training prepared me for my first triathlon, as I didn’t know a thing about “transitions” before that.

My first triathlon was pretty much the only one that I trained properly for, and what I mean by that is that it was the only time I practiced biking and practicing transition. For other triathlons, I always practice running and biking and have generally been swimming. My dad gets me to run longer than the actual triathlon distances, and I always compare my training time or paces to the actual event times.

My first triathlon really freaked me out because I had to leave my parents for the whole thing, which can be pretty freaky for a 6 year old. So far I have done 12 or 13 triathlons, including two that were in Dallas.

You never know how the triathlon will turn out or how good the people who will be racing against you are or how challenging the race course will be. The run is always the toughest part for me because after swimming and biking you have to run another half mile to the finish line.

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