Teaching your child how to ride a bike is a classic, almost romanticised part of parenthood - and once they've started, it's very difficult to get them to stop! Add into this mix kids' natural love of running around and suddenly duathlons for children make perfect sense.
Each of these events has been adapted to accommodate children, including keeping the entire course inside the event venue to avoid roads. All the individual sections are multi-lapped, allowing parents to keep on eye on their kids throughout the entire duathlon.
The distances are designed to accommodate different age categories, too. For example, according to UK Triathlon, 6-9 year olds will complete a 200m run, 1K cycle and final 500m run; 12-15 year olds, will complete a 400m run, 4K cycle and 2K run.
An option that's available for many duathlons is competing as part of a relay team, where three competitors divide the sections between them. So if you have one child who can't stop running and another who loves cycling, this is the right option!
In terms of kit, there are fewer necessities for a kids duathlon than an adult version, but some equipment is still required:
- A bike (they won't get far without one)
- A helmet (they won't be allowed compete otherwise)
- Trainers (just make sure they are comfortable and have been run in before)
