Bexley, Grandview Heights team up for end-of-summer youth triathlons
Bexley’s Splish, Splash & Dash Youth Triathlon marks its 10th anniversary this year.
The event includes running, cycling and swimming and is to be held 9 a.m. to noon Aug. 20 at Jeffrey Mansion and Park, 165 N. Parkview Ave.
“It’s all about promoting kids getting out and being active and completing challenges against themselves,” said Natalie Mullin, deputy director of the Bexley Recreation and Parks Department.
This year, Bexley and Grandview Heights have teamed up to cross-promote the Splish, Splash & Dash Youth Triathlon and a Tri-the-Heights in Grandview Heights that will take place Labor Day weekend.
The Grandview Heights event is scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m. Sept. 3 at the city’s municipal pool, Wyman Woods Park and surrounding streets.
The collaboration came about when Bexley and Grandview Heights officials realized their events drew participants from both communities, Mullin said.
Grandview Heights “started theirs because they had so many Grandview kids coming to Bexley,” Mullin said.
For Grandview Heights competitors, participating in Bexley’s Splish, Splash & Dash “gave our kiddos an extra practice before they got to ours,” said Taylor Tobias, Grandview Heights recreation superintendent. “It helped increase our numbers and just give those kids a little bit of boost of confidence before they came to our event.”
The Splish, Splash & Dash drew about 300 participants last year, following a modified version in 2020 in which youth completed events individually, on their own time, due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, Mullin said. This year’s event will follow the 2021 course.
The Splish, Splash & Dash will have staggered start times for different age groups: 6 and under, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12 and 13-14. Trophies will be distributed by age, ranging from 4 to 14. Cost is $30.
“We broke it out last year where we do awards per age, rather than age group,” Mullin said. “It gives kids that are 7 years old a chance to compete with other kids the same age.”
Tri-the-Heights has the same age divisions and will conclude with a party at the finish line.
“More than anything, that event itself, a triathlon itself, just gives kids the confidence level that they completed something that they didn’t know they could,” Tobias said. “Swimming, biking and running all together is exhausting and some of those kids never expected to do it. So just to see them finish it, even if they don’t finish on the (first place) podium, it’s a big achievement.”
Cost for the Tri-the-Heights is $45 for residents and $50 for nonresidents.
For registration and more information for the Splish, Splash & Dash Youth Triathlon, go to bexley.org/ssd. For more information about Tri-the-Heights, go to grandviewheights.gov/322/Tri-The-Heights.
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This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Bexley, Grandview Heights team up for end-of-summer youth triathlons
