Rising sixth-grader Clayton Bennett placed second in his age group at the Peachtree City Youth Triathlon on June 12.
"I was proud to win second place; it was indescribable," Bennett said. "I had hoped for first, but the first-place finisher was in my heat so I knew right after the race that at best I had second place. I had to wait for all of the heats to finish before I knew the results. That was a little nerve-wracking. My heart took a leap when I read them."
Bennett's first triathlon was the Tri for the Kids at Darlington in May 2009. "I thought it would be fun to participate a triathlon, since it was right at my school," he said. "I really like swimming and biking, too."
Bennett said he enjoys participating in triathlons and thinking of ways to improve his performance. "At the IronKids Triathlon in Alpharetta in November 2009, I didn’t save enough energy to do well in the run," he said. "At Peachtree City, I could have put more into the bike, because I had plenty of energy for the mile run at the end. Triathlons keep getting more fun for me."
His next event will be the Ironkids Triathlon in Alpharetta on Sept. 12. This event is a qualifying competition for the Nationals in St. Petersburg, Fla.
"It would really rock to go to Nationals," Bennett said.
He is the son of Beth and Clayton Bennett of Acworth, Ga.
