MEDIA RELEASE

The county Department of Parks and Recreation and the Hawaii Isle Police Activities League (HI-PAL) hosts the 3rd Annual Keiki Triathlon as part of the Mayor’s Health Fest 2014 on Saturday, Oct. 18, at Kailua Park in Kailua-Kona.

Children ages 7 to 14 years old are invited to swim, bike and run in a miniature version of the Ironman World Triathlon Championship that will be held one week earlier.

A 100-yard swim, 3.2-mile bicycle race and a mile-long run will comprise the triathlon course. The 7- and 8-year-old children will race half those distances.

The entrance fee is $5 per child. Registration will end Friday, Oct. 3.

Registration forms are available at all County swimming pools, gymnasiums and other staffed recreational sites.

Forms also may be downloaded from the Department’s website: www.hawaiicounty.gov/parks-and-recreation/

Completed forms should be sent to the Recreation Office located within Aunty Sally Kaleohano’s Luau Hale at 799 Piilani Street in Hilo, 96720.

To ensure the athletes’ safety, enrollment will be limited to the first 30 children who sign up in each of the four age-group divisions or a maximum 120 total racers. All participants must supply their own bicycle, helmet, swim goggles and other equipment. Also, this year’s course will utilize public roads, which will be closed during the triathlon.

Racers must check in by 7:30 a.m. Oct. 18.

The youngest children will start the triathlon by entering the Kona Community Aquatics Center pool, located near the entrance to Kailua Park, promptly at 8 a.m.

They will be followed by the older age-group divisions.

The Keiki Triathlon will be part of the Mayor’s 2014 Health Fest, which will be held from 9 a.m. until noon October 18 at Kekuaokalani Gymnasium.

Designed to promote public health and wellness, the free event will feature health screenings, live demonstrations, informational booths, and keiki activities.

Kailua Park, including the athletic fields, Kekuaokalani Gymnasium, and the Kona Community Aquatic Center, will be closed while the triathlon is occurring.

The Department of Parks and Recreation thanks park users and the general public for their patience and understanding while the temporary closure is implemented to ensure the safety of the keiki athletes.