By JOSEPH KELLARD
Kerner found this quote in a book on running and hoped it would be equally inspiring to the kids, ages 9 to 14, who were about to dive into the park's pool to signal the start of Dr. Jay's 8th Annual Youth Triathlon on July 23.
Fifty triathletes from Westchester to Suffolk counties turned out for the event, and a few Oceanside kids took the top spots in the race that once again called for the 7 and 8 year-olds to swim 50 yards, ride their bikes one mile and run a half-mile, while the nine to 14 year-olds had to swim 150 yards, pedal two miles and dash a mile. Oceanside's Sean Moran, 10, took first place in the boys' 9-10 category with a time of 22:39.9, and fellow Oceansider Kelly Anser, 8, clocked in at 13.48.0 to take first in the girls' 7-8 category.
This year, the triathlon held team races, and Oceansiders took the two top spots in the 7-8 and 9-10 categories. Marissa Salem, 8, Risa Zucker, 7, and Matthew Zucker, 8, all from Oceanside, won in the 7-8 category at 14:26.0, while Oceansiders Jeremy Hirsch, 7, Joseph Glickman, 7, and Eiden Hen, 7, placed at 15:27.8. James Hamilton, 9, of Oceanside, was part of the 9-10 team, which included Kimberly McCann, 9, of East Rockaway and Billy Powers, 9, of Rockville Centre, that took first at 25:12.4.
Kerner included team races this year to get more kids to participate, particularly since they could play off one another's strengths and weaknesses. "For whatever the reasons, the team concept just didn't generate the interest we thought we would have," Kerner said. "I think we would have had more if the weather report were better."
Awards went to the top three finishers in each category, and for raffle prizes Home Appliance in Oceanside provided a 27-inch color TV for the second consecutive year, and Sunrise Cyclery in Massapequa has put up a mountain bike since the very first race. A newcomer to this event, Bear Naked, a Connecticut-based cereal company, set up a tent to offer free snacks to the triathletes and spectators. While these companies certainly add to the triathlon's appeal, the success of the race has a lot to do with Oceanside's Department of Community Activities (DOCA).
"Nancy Baxter and the whole DOCA put a lot of time and effort into putting on this race and are really very important in all this," Kerner said.
Kerner is an Oceanside native, a Rockville Centre resident and Baldwin-based podiatrist who established his triathlon as a fund-raiser for the Long Island branch of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF). His longtime friends, Mitch and Debbie Simon, have a son with the disease. "Cystic fibrosis is one of those charities where the funds go directly into research," said Kerner, whose triathlon raises an average of $2,000 annually for CFF.
Kerner believes he established one of the first local youth triathlons, and that since its inception eight years ago, similar races have popped up in and around the New York area. "Now there are kids' triathlons all over the place," he said. "Many of the large adult races were also pairing with kids' races. So it is catching on. There's a race in Connecticut that closes off at 200 kids. There's the Seaford-Oyster Bay race that they cap at 150 kids. I'm really hoping to see at least 100 in our race."
To support the fight against cystic fibrosis, call the Long Island branch of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation at 827-1290, or call Dr. Mitch Simon at 377-1818.
Comments about this article? JKellard@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 287.
Photos by Janine Bily/Herald
