The Chile Harvest Youth Triathlon’s bike transition is fast-paced and hectic.
Courtesy photo

Socorro youngsters wanting to take on the challenge of a triathlon scaled down to their age and athletic ability will have the chance to do so on Aug. 4 at the New Mexico Tech Pool and Athletic Field.

The Chile Harvest Youth Triathlon is broken down into four age groups of athletes that will take part in a swim-bike-run event at 6 p.m., and it’s become an annual event sponsored by the Socorro Striders and Riders group and a kickoff to the adult event the next day.

“The Chile Harvest Youth Triathlon is designed to be extremely accessible for children. We have different distances for each of the four age groups. There’s are 7-8, 9-10, 11-12 and 13-14 set of age groups,” Beth Cadol said. Each of those age groups does a different length of swim. Some of them do the same bike (leg), but most of them do a gradually increased ride.”

With the adrenaline running, the races become highly competitive and somewhat hectic in the transitions.

“The 7-8 division is a very basic introductory distance, and it’s super fun. The kids get really excited about getting onto their bikes in the transition area. It’s kind of wild because, for many of them, it’s their first taste of a triathlon,” Cadol said.

For example, the 7-8 division features a 50-yard swim, a one-mile bike ride and a half-mile run. The event has become a family affair for Cadol.

“Both of my daughters are doing the youth triathlon, and then my oldest daughter is doing the adult triathlon as part of a team with her 13-year-old buddies. I know of a couple of other local kids who are doing the adult version as part of a team as well. That’s gratifying when they catch the bug,” Cadol said.

As a cross country and track and field coach, Cadol is always happy when it comes to an athlete taking up a running sport.

Registration for the Chile Harvest Youth Triathlon can be done online by following the links from www.chileharvesttri.com, and the cost is $20 per athlete. The entire youth event will be held on the NMT campus.

The 2023 Chile Harvest Triathlon has become a Socorro tradition and has been going on for more than 25 years.

The triathlon for adults is a challenging event with a 400-meter time trial swim, 20K bike, and 5K run, and it is part of the Great Southwest Triathlon Series. The adult event has individual ($80) and team entries ($125) available, and the registration deadline is set for Aug. 2.

The event will start and end at Sedillo Park, located at 1004 El Camino Real Street in Socorro.

“I cannot imagine a scenario where we would travel somewhere to do this, but because it’s here in Socorro, it’s this special opportunity that the kids get. It’s not a fundraiser for anything. The Socorro Striders and Riders put it on the youth event out of the goodness of their hearts. It does not make them any money. It’s a community service that is supported by the adult triathlon,” Cadol said.

Russell Huffman | Assistant Editor