Do Children Belong in Adult Races?

This is exactly how I encourage my kids to run. Make momma proud!

Tripping people is a child’s number one God-given gift. Their abilities to shoot a slingshot, creatively mock their siblings and even hold their own adorably bobbly head up may be latent but every baby is born knowing how to take an adult down. Take, for instance, my third son. We had just brought him home to a teeny tiny apartment where the only spot we could find to put him was in a pack-n-play right at the bottom of our bed thereby necessitating that one had to vault from the bed through the doorway (bonus points for a tuck-n-roll!) — he didn’t even have to be awake and he routinely caused my husband to land in a heap in the hallway! Not even 48 hours old and already had figured out how to keep dad from going to work! And his skills have only gotten better as he’s gotten older, smarter and perfected his primal scream.

It was this I first thought of when my sister first asked me what I thought of the newish trend of letting kids run (or bike or swim) in adult races. Sure I’ve run past a few pre-teen kiddos or babes in strollers during races but I didn’t realize that it was A Thing now. But my sister lives in the trendy Boulder area and when it comes to fitness they’re usually on the bleeding edge. “My friend’s 8-year-old just did a sprint triathlon with her mom,” she started and I didn’t hear the rest because my mind was blown. can’t even do a sprint tri. (Okay, that’s mostly because I hate the swimming part — not because I can’t swim but because I detest being wet and cold.) For those of who are unacquainted with the wide wonderful world of peeing in your wetsuit, “bricking” training (biking and then immediately running) and timing how long it takes you to put on shoes, a sprint tri distance is swimming less than a 1 mile, the bike is less than 15 miles and the run is less than 5 miles. The ones around here seem to average a 1/2 mile swim, 15 mile bike and 5K (3.1 mile) run. For most people it takes at least 1.5 – 2 hours if not more to complete.

That’s kind of a lot for an 8-year-old.

“Yeah,” my sister said, “poor kid was wiped all the time. But she seemed to have fun!” And my sister’s friend is not alone. According to USA Triathlon, the sport’s governing body, participation by children is up 36% from last year and involves over 40,000 kiddos. It’s not just tris that are seeing an insurgence of kids. My friend recently completed her first marathon– with the help of her dedicated training partner, her 12-year-old son who not only ran the full 26.2 with her but did all the training leading up to it as well.

Their are two perspectives to consider in deciding whether or not kids should be running adult races. First is that of the child. (And by “child” in this post I mean anyone under 13 but old enough to run under their own power. I’m definitely not talking about the high school cross-country stars who run 5-minute miles while having full conversations with their buddies as they pass me at least five times.) Is it safe for kids to do that much exercise in one go? And is it safe for them to do the necessary training?

In the AAP’s Journal of Pediatrics, a recent study on children in sports begins, “Overuse is one of the most common etiologic factors that lead to injuries in the pediatric and adolescent athlete. As more children are becoming involved in organized and recreational athletics, the incidence of overuse injuries is increasing. […] This overtraining can lead to burnout, which may have a detrimental effect on the child participating in sports as a lifelong healthy activity. One contributing factor to overtraining may be parental pressure to compete and succeed. ”

Of triathlons in particular Dr. Joel Brenner, director of the sports medicine program at Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters in Norfolk, Va. says, “The actual event might not be the harmful thing, but improper training could be. It’s all about moderation.”

On the other hand, Steven Kelly of USA Triathlon points out that a tri “combines three things kids like to do: swim, ride their bikes and run around.” However, he cautions, “We don’t want to push kids into it too early. As coaches and as a federation, we need to put the brakes on it a little bit.”

IronMan, the grandaddy of all tris, recently started IronKids, a series of races geared toward and scaled down for kids ages 6-15. Director Michelle Payete says, “I think kids’ triathlons could spread like wildfire — we’re on the brink of something big and extraordinary. This is the new generation. We need to start them young and get them involved in the sport.” Other tris allow kids as young as 3 to compete (one race director said she had to turn away an 18-month-old entrant). The Big Sur half marathon (13.1 miles) – another kids-only race – allows entrants as young as 5.

But in kids’ races the only adults on the course are the volunteers. My sister’s friend ran an adult race with her daughter. Explains Dr. Stephen Rice, MD, in Running Times “Children are not small adults. Their anatomy and physiology are developing and not fully mature.”

Of course the other side of this are what the adults think. (And by “adult” in this post I mean anyone who is over 18, paid a ridiculous amount of money to participate and is not the parent.) From a personal standpoint while I’ve seen plenty of babies and toddlers in strollers and smaller kids jogging/walking, I’ve never been bothered by any of them. But then I’m not all that fast. Anyone who’s ever been in that initial crush getting off the starting line knows how hard it is to carve enough space for yourself to run much less watch out for tiny ones. I’ve seen people run out of bounds, push, throw elbows and make a lot of noise to get around slower runners, including people with strollers or kids.

What do you think – is this a great way to encourage kids to get fit and love sports early on or is it too much pressure? How do you feel about kids and strollers in adult races? Should 5-year-olds be encouraged to run half marathons? What about just a 5K?

 

 

27 Comments

  1. My fiance’s son has done a couple of kid fun runs and has expressed in interested in going longer; he’s 8. If he wants to run a 5k, I will enter one and run it with him. With running, as with all of this sports, we encourage him to try the things he wants to do, but don’t push him.

    I think that if it’s the kid’s idea to do a race and their fitness level makes the feat reasonable and safe, I don’t see a problem. I think a half marathon may be excessive for kids (not including teens); it’s excessive for me!

    As for kids and strollers in races, I don’t have a problem as long as everyone lines up within their expected pace; if they don’t know their pace, they should line up in the back. I wish more races would emphasize race etiquette in their sign-up information and announce it at the start line.

    • Yeah, as a mom of kids it would be hard for me to tell them no if they really wanted to do a race with me! I mean, anything that gets them off the couch right? Although I’d probably look for a “family fun run” or some other race designed to be all-ages..

  2. Interesting post! Thanks!

    I can’t decide how I feel about this. On one hand, it’s great to be teaching kids an active healthy lifestyle at such a young age. And, the swimming, biking, running can become a family bonding event. But, on the other hand, children need rest, time to just play and just be kids. Will all that training interfere? For many kids I think it’s too much too soon. But, if the kid really wants to do it I think the shortened children’s races are a great idea.

  3. I think it depends on the child and on the event. The children I’ve noticed in races have all been in a situation that I don’t think is appropriate. Namely, they were in a hugely crowded race (where it’s VERY common to lose your running buddies and have trouble finding them after the race), wearing the race T-shirt (i.e. hard to spot), outrunning their parents, and darting precariously around people during the first crowded miles of the race.

    I think that a better fit would involve a smaller race, with a child who is wearing something distinctive and versed on race etiquette (i.e. people can’t see you as well as you can see them, so don’t step right in front of them. Wait until the race thins out to start going faster to make sure you don’t trip someone.) It’s also a good idea to set a meetup point in case you get separated during the race.

    • Safety is def. a concern! There’ve been races where I’ve been scared for my own life during that first mile, lol!

  4. I think if the parent and child are training together and cover all of the rules well it can be a good experience. I would just go over the expected behavior at the race and stick together or make sure he has his phone on him. (my son and I will never do this though because I like distance runs and he is a sprinter)

  5. I was a child athlete. I retired from synchronized swimming at 17 because of injuries. About half of the girls I knew in the sport had crhonic injuries. Most of the coaches had been child athletes as well and had joint problems and early arthritis. I loved the sport. I did not let my parents know if I had a problem. I have joint problems now as an adult.
    I can’t speak for all children . I just think parents and children need to go into this with their eyes open and they need to monitor the situation closely.
    I don’t regret my early years. It is one of the joys of my life, but I could have come out of it with fewer injuries.

    • Wow, I never thought that synchro swimming would be injury prone but I guess it’s as prone to overuse injuries any sport! And, I have to admit, I think it’s really freaking cool you were a synchronized swimmer. It looks SO FUN.

  6. As long as the kids start at a position that fits their pace – probably best in their own wave after the adults. Otherwise they just can’t help themselves and line up at the front with the elite runners. That is both dangerous for the kids and annoying for the faster runners who have to dodge them!

    • Having kids, I have to say this is SO true: “Otherwise they just can’t help themselves and line up at the front with the elite runners.” THey just want to be in front all the time!

  7. That sign? That’s the reason I would use to run. Also, it reminds me of the movie REAL GENIUS when someone asks Val Kilmer if he runs and he replies, “Only when chased.”

  8. Kids running in local 5Ks for fun, particularly smaller ones, why not? Though I agree, as others have said, have them start in the back so they don’t get trampled. Our son (age 8) ran/walked a 5K with my husband, while I ran it earlier in the year and had a great time. I don’t feel like he overdid it and he really felt like he accomplished something.

    Husband and I have been doing 3 hour Adventure Races (canoe/run/bike) all year and had him join us for the Father’s Day race. That one was a little too close to the “eeeeeeh, maybe that’s a bit much” category. We ended up doing well, but I have to admit we had to push him a bit to keep up. Just like any endurance event, he enjoyed parts of the race, but at his age it is rare for a kid to “push past the pain.” Nor do I think they should.

    In my opinion, fitness/exercise should be all about the fun for kids. And as for overuse injuries, people who really care about the longevity of their HORSE’S health don’t start riding until they are at least two, and in most cases three or four. Why would we put our own CHILDREN at risk for overuse injuries and burnout by letting them do so much at a comparatively young age?

  9. If this is a trend that’s going to continue, I’d like to see more kid-specific and parent/child-specific races. Only for safety reasons. As others have pointed out, races can be extremely competitive and chaotic, and some participants simply don’t care if they cause someone else to get hurt, even a child.
    For the little ones, what about a Tri than includes REALLY fun stuff like relays, zip lines, and (my particular favorite) butt slides? (Sliding down a grass hill on one’s posterior.) Turning it into a big game can make it more fun and less taxing on their tiny joints.
    Of course, many adults would want to join in.
    Not that I can think of any specific person.
    Y’know, off the top of my head…(walks away, whistling)

  10. My son did his first triathlon this spring. Granted, he was in the 4-6 year old division, but he loved it and especially loved getting a medal. They had a sprint triathlon, a mini sprint and then the kids triathlon. In my son’s group parents were allowed to help in the transition area and it was held after the other events. My husband did the sprint so we spent most of the morning there. Hundreds of kids did the sprint and mini sprint. You had to be 7 to do either of them and be able to transition on your own. I found it inspiring that there were so many kids there, but I was just a spectator.

    Our former city (just moved) hosts a half marathon and 5k every winter. The only time I did the 5k instead of the half it was awful. There are several girls on the run programs that end with the 5k. There were kids everywhere. Kids who would dart in front of you and then stop. Over and over again. It was a big race, crowded race and it took forever to break free of the pack of kids.

    My kids have seen a superhero race advertising on tv and have asked to do it (the kids all dress up). We’re planning on letting them (6 and 4) do the 1k fun run. But we’re also still debating who gets to run the 5k and who gets to “run” with the kids.

    So to make a long post longer, medical issues aside, I think kids in races are awesome in theory, but a pain to participate in.

  11. I’m a pretty big fan of always separating kid stuff from adult stuff and there’s rarely an exception for me. Kids have their whole lives to be adults. I think kid/family races are fantastic, but until they are in high school I wouldn’t let my kid run an adult race. There’s a ton of other ways to be active that are more fun/natural for kids. Play cowboys and indians. No one does that anymore. And that’s where all of society’s problems stem from. Just kidding. But I think you probably know what I mean.

  12. I’ve seen a few kids in the tris I’ve done but not many. The lowest age I saw was 10, and for the Olympics/Halfs it’s definitely high school or adult age. I know I didn’t have patience for any of that crap when I was a kid, I wanted to sprint or dive or jump or flip. Doing any one thing for hours sounded awful. But, me as a kid is not all kids. 🙂

    However, if it’s the kid that wants to do it, and not the parent pushing them, and they know proper race etiquette and rules and are old enough to follow them, by all means, let them do their thing.

  13. My 11-year-old has done a couple of “novice” tri’s, which are even shorter than sprints. They’ve all done the kids races our city does over the 4th of July. My 11-year-old wants to do the 5k next summer, since he feels like he’s getting too old for the kids race.

    I think as long as I stay with him to make sure he doesn’t get trampled at the beginning he’ll be fine. Of course, that means I can’t get a PR (unless he ends up being faster than me, which is a possibility).

  14. These damn kids!

    Every week I get my tail handed to me on the bike race by some little whipper snapper who’s passing me without breaking a sweat. But then again, many adults do the same thing.

    I’m 50/50. After all, my Taekwon-Do classes are all ages and things are fine. I guess that if their safety is compromised then we need to visit the issue. Other wise it’s a family bonding event.

  15. Not sure exactly how I feel. I can see both sides. Although I think the developed world has bigger problems with kids being inactive then overactive. Obviously though there needs to be limits and safety would be a big concern for me. Special kids only races or family fun races seem like better ideas.

  16. OMGOSH. I CANNOT STAND KIDS AT RACES. Who can PR when runts are EVERYWHERE?! And parents dress their kids up in the most inane costumes. It’s just ridiculous. I kind of understand taking them to a mile race or a 5K, but for all that is good in the world, PLEASE KEEP THEM OUT OF THE REST OF THE RACES. The end.

  17. I’ve never heard of this trend but I’ve never run in a race aside from a teeny tiny 5k put on by my old gym 5 years ago. I’m inclined to say no kids allowed unless its a kid or parent/kid designated race.

  18. We have a big race in Sydney called the City to Surf – it’s 14km. It is entered by everyone from the serious runners down to the toddlers in strollers. Some people do it in costume (you’d love it – glittery tutus everywhere !). The organisers are really strict about who goes up front. When you fill out your registration you have to give them details about your experience etc. Then they figure out who is going to go in the first wave (serious runners only); second wave (pretty good runners) down to the last waves – people with kids and people who are going to walk usually go in the later starts. I think this is a good way to do it because the kids can still run but the serious runners have generally finished and are walking back before the kids start *lol* Then if a kid is pretty good the next year they might be moved up in the starting times. I’ve only ever done it once but it’s a fantastic race with around 80,000 people “running” (and all variations thereof). I just looked it up on wikipedia and is the largest timed race in the world who knew !

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City2Surf_(Sydney)

    Maybe if kids start attending in greater numbers the organisers could look at implementing a similar solution.

  19. I worked at a Spartan Race this past weekend and I saw an older gentlemen come through with a young boy. I’m assuming it was a father/son team although I can’t be 100% positive. The kid looked to be somewhere around 10. I was really impressed because the course was 10 miles and 75 obstacles. I can’t imagine any kid going through all of that and still running by one of the last obstacles if he didn’t want to. To run a mile if you hate it is one thing, for a 10 year old to complete a 10 mile obstacle course is another. I assumed he wanted to. What I was most impressed by was that they did the obstacles together. Rather than the son completing the obstacles and the father doing them as well, they did each obstacle side by side as a team so the dad was holding his son’s hand the whole way (literally and figuratively.) I think in that sort of environment it’s healthy – with an adult there every second for support and guidance. If I saw a little boy on his own at this event though I probably would have gone all wide-eyed and asked where his guardian was.

  20. Personally, I don’t have issues with people pushing strollers, simply because it is not the child doing the work. As for children doing a walk/jog with their parents (and possibly other sibs), If it’s a 5k, I don’t see an issue with it, since there are a lot of newbies to the 5k scenes as well (as long as mom and dad aren’t pushing them to compete, it could be a very fun way to get your kids interested in exercise and become a good tradition, esp. charity races). It’s when you get into half marathons and full marathons and anything beyond that (tri’s included) that I think it becomes an inappropriate place to have your kids tag along (again, strollers being the exception to that rule, since the kid isn’t “working”). Kids tri’s could be a good idea, as long as it is scaled down and rules are set (age, etc). It could be a VERY good way of getting kids even more interested in exercise.

  21. your sister lives in BOULDER? omg that;s where i live!!!!
    … sorry, i had a moment there…

  22. I do 5Ks with my 9-year-old all the time, to the point where I consider her “experienced” in race etiquette. It’s a good distance and like someone else said, there’s lots of newbies around.