Salem, Massachusetts greeted us with surprisingly chilly temperatures for an August morning. Wishing I had brought a jacket, I was glad that I was not the one who would soon be plunging into the Atlantic. No, that would be my 7-year old niece, Hannah. Although it wasn’t so much plunging as wading until forced to actually swim around a buoy. But, she did it! And even emerged with a smile on her face.

At the Haunted City Junior Triathlon, Hannah learned how to set up her transition area and I learned that bike racks aren’t needed when everyone has a kick stand.



Hannah bravely joined the other shivering children in the ocean and then laughed and chatted through most of the 100-meter swim/walk portion of the race.







She had a whole crew of family members sprinting up the beach to meet her at transition with cheers and encouragement, and then racing off again to catch photos on the 1.5-mile bike course.





Paul and I walked with Hannah a bit on the run course and she made it clear, with words and the look on her face, that this was hard.



But, like most athletes, she managed to find another gear when the finish line came into sight. She blazed down the straightaway, grinning from ear to ear, and claimed her finisher’s medal.





Although she didn’t get one of those trophies she wanted so badly, she definitely earned bragging rights.