Thunder in the Valley Kids

USAT membership will be required at registration or you can opt for a 1Day USAT race license.  
Thunder in the Valley Triathlon is 40 years old in 2025. Athletes will receive a Thunder in The Valley swim cap and a custom die cast 40th anniversary finisher medal.

Athletes can choose between a Triathlon or Duathlon. The recommended age for each event distance is listed below, but athletes may choose any race distance they wish. (We strongly recommend that athletes wishing to participate in the GREEN distance triathlon have prior triathlon or swim team experience). All athletes participating in a triathlon will be required to swim with an Open Water Swim Buoy, which will be provided on race day.

The triathlon will begin at 9am with a swim in the calm Hawthorn Lake. The duathlon will begin shortly after, with a fast out-and-back run near the lake. After a quick lakeside transition, athletes will head out for a smooth, fast bike course that will bring them back to the transition area.   Athletes will then run on a shaded, flat out and back course before returning to the finish line. The race course is completely closed to traffic with the bike course taking place on the Heritage Trail, and the run being on various trails in Hawthorn Park.

The RED, ORANGE, and YELLOW race categories are meant to be a fun and noncompetitive event for young athletes to “try a tri” and will therefore be untimed. Athletes participating in the GREEN triathlon or duathlon will have an overall time without splits, with awards for the top male and female for both triathlon and duathlon races.

Race Schedule
Transition will open at 8am and close at 8:50am. Parents are more than welcome to help athletes set up in the transition area during this time.
There will be a mandatory race briefing for parents and athletes at 8:50am near race start.
The RED distance races will begin at 9:00am, the following group, ORANGE, will start their race shortly after all athletes from the previous group have exited the water, followed by YELLOW, then GREEN.