The Swim for Smiles Youth Triathlon wouldn’t be The Swim for Smiles Youth Triathlon if it weren’t for the hard work friends, family, volunteers, community businesses, Chapel Hill and Carrboro town officials — and especially the kids — put into making this event an amazing success.

In all this celebrating, let’s not forget those that have helped spread the word about the triathlon — and even showed up to help us document all the fun and energy.

The Swim for Smiles Team would like to say thanks to all the news organizations that came out on Sunday to support us!

Here’s a snapshot of their coverage:

From News 14 Carolina

Huge thanks to News 14 Carolina’s Linnie Supall who captured the heart of the triathlon on video and wrote up a story on the event. Find the story and watch the video here.

From Chapel Hill Magazine

Chapel Hill Magazine featured the Swim for Smiles Youth Triathlon in the People & Places section of their publication. Thank you, Briana Brough for your spectacular photos of the event!

Also, check out how Chapel Hill Weekly “covered” the triathlon

From Chapelboro

If you haven’t had your fill of triathlon photos yet, Ran Northam of Chapelboro took about 30 photos at the Swim for Smiles Youth Triathlon.

We also greatly appreciated the Swim for Smiles PSA from WCHL that went out during the three days leading up Sunday’s triathlon.

Finally, Chapelboro blogger Sarah Shapard in her own way writes about how the triathlon serves as a compassionate example of people humbly giving back.

The Carrboro Citizen

Thanks for helping to spread the word about the Swim for Smiles Youth Triathlon in the days leading up to the event! We really appreciate the support!

Don't See Your Coverage?! Never fear!

Are you a news organization that covered the Swim for Smiles Youth Triathlon? Let us know! Email nc@swimforsmiles.org so that we can feature your news stories, too!

UPDATED 5/8/2012: In the Races & Events section, we now have COMPLETE race results: 

• Short Course Overall
• Long Course Overall
• Relay Results
• Short Course by Age Group
• Long Course by Age Group

Here are the first set of results from yesterday’s race. These include both the Long and Short Course Overall results as well as a separate listing of the results for the Relay Teams.

We are proud of each and every participant and remember, with the sport of triathlon, just finishing is a victory!

We hope you had as much fun watching the race as we did and hope you’ll bookmark May 18-19, 2013 as that’s the tentative date for our 2013 race!

Click here to view results from past races.

• Participants doing BOTH Short Course and Long Course races
• 2 minute break
• Short Course Racers
• 20 minute break
• Relay Participants (Teams)
• 2 minute break
• Long Course Racers

By Casey Brown

Swim for Smiles is excited to host a variety of race-day festivities. Be sure to visit our Finish Line Festival after the race (or during, if you’re waiting on a sibling or a later race) for some family fun!  We’ll have everything from BMX shows to a rock climbing wall to free ice cream.  It will basically be a kid’s paradise!

Look out for the following festivities, food and entertainment at the Finish Line Festival:

• Kid’s climbing area. Features a rock climbing wall, a super slide, an inflatable obstacle course, a bounce house and a mechanical bull

• UNC Children’s Hospital. Find out where your donations are going! Learn more about the Children’s Hospital.  They’ll also have pediatricians available for a special “ask the pediatrician” time.

• Kona Ice.  All-you-can-eat free Hawaiian shaved ice.  What more could you ask for?

• PARCycles. Bike lights for kids who place in the race!

• Juggle Boy.  You’ve probably seen him at the Streets of Southpoint, or at last year’s race.  He’ll be back to wow you with his juggling act where he balances and juggles pins, fire and more.

• GroWild.  Taste some all-natural, handmade granola.  A perfect after-race treat!

• New Balance & Fleet Feet.  Stop by and take a look at some of our prizes!

• Face paint and balloon animals. Enough said.

• King BMX.  Their bicycle performances feature high-flying aerial stunts, such as back flips and tail whips, and mind-boggling technical maneuvers executed on the ground and ramps. King BMX riders have competed at the X Games, Gravity Games and Dew Action Sports Tour, have been featured on Fox Sports and Monday Night Football.

• Mr. Bisher DJ. Music’s in the air

• TCBY. FREE ICE CREAM

We’re adding more festivities and surprises every day, so check back often for updates. On Twitter, on Facebook and of course right here at swimforsmiles.org

Thanks, WCHL, for helping us spread the word!

But just in case you want a listen before that happens, we’ve got it for you here!

Get excited, everyone! Only three more days until the race!

Don't forget your USA-T membership card!

Online registration for the youth triathlon is now closed, but this year we’ll still have a few spaces available that you can register for on-site at Packet Pick-Up, which will take place both Saturday afternoon at Fleet Feet in Carrboro (from 3 – 7 p.m.) and also early Sunday morning before the race near the club house at the Chapel Hill Country Club. We will have a few spaces for both long and short courses. Only individuals will be able to register on-site (no relay teams).

The cost for registration is $100, which includes a t-shirt, magnet, water bottle and SFS sticker.

All racers must also be a member of USA-T, the organization which provides insurance for our race. If your racer is a current member of USA-T, you MUST bring your USA-T memberhsip card or proof of membership that has both the membership number and the expiration date visible. If your racer is not a current member, or forgets this membership card, you will have to renew the membership on-site, which is $15, and is good for one year. USA-T requires us to be sticklers about this, so please don’t forget!

You can pay for the registration and the USA-T membership with cash, check or via credit card (which will be processed through the SFS website). We will also need a registration form filled out, that includes a waiver. The waiver must be signed by a parent or guardian of the racer (unless he/she is 18 or over).

Packet Pick-Up will take place on Saturday, May 5th at Fleet Feet in Carrboro from 3 – 7 pm, or Sunday before the race starting at 6:15 am and closes at 7:30 am. It is highly recommended that you come to do on-site registration at the Saturday packet pick-up at Fleet Feet.

If you do come Sunday to do on-site registration, come as early as possible so we have time to process your paperwork and let you get set up before the race.

For more information about the race on Sunday–including course information, participant emails and more, click here.

The 2011 event was the largest children’s triathlon in the United States, and readers of Durham-based Endurance Magazine voted it the “Best Kid’s Race in North Carolina” for the past two years.

The Swim for Smiles Foundation is a nonprofit organization run entirely by volunteers. One hundred percent of the proceeds of the events run by Swim for Smiles are donated to the North Carolina Children’s Hospital.

This local event, which draws 70 percent of its participants from the Chapel Hill and Carrboro communities, has raised more than $200,000 for the N.C. Children’s Hospital.

This year’s event features a grant that will allow 40 kids who would otherwise be unable to participate to take part in the competition.

Three of the winners from the 2011 Youth Triathlon medaled at the Youth Triathlon Nationals, but they won’t be the only stars there. Both Chapel Hill Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt and Carrboro Mayor Mark Chilton will be in attendance, and the King BMX Stunt Show will perform throughout the event.

The race features two courses, a short course for novice competitors and a longer course for more advanced competitors.  The short course race will begin promptly at 8:05 a.m., and the long course race will start at approximately 9:10 a.m.

Sponsors of the triathlon include South Fine Gifts & Furnishings, TCBY, Le Bleu, Fleet Feet Sports Carrboro, The Michael & Laura Brader-Araje Foundation, Triangle Multisport, Caribou Coffee and New Balance.

A complete schedule of events, course maps, prize details and other important race day information can be found at www.swimforsmiles.org.

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For more information about the event, please contact Emily Urquhart at emilysurquhart@gmail.com

We’re excited to announce that the King BMX Stunt Show will be performing all day during the 6th Annual Swim for Smiles Youth Triathlon! Their bicycle performances feature high-flying aerial stunts, such as back flips and tail whips, and mind-boggling technical maneuvers executed on the ground and ramps. King BMX riders have competed at the X Games, Gravity Games and Dew Action Sports Tour, have been featured on Fox Sports and Monday Night Football.

Here’s what you’re gonna see:

Today we posted both the Long Course and Short Course Race Packets to the website.

These packets are basically an all-you-need-to-know document for race day. In addition to course maps, they include a schedule of events, prize details, transition area information, a packet pick-up schedule, tips for race day swim, bike and run and some details on the Finish Line Festival that will include ALL the special events from the 2011 race as well as a few more surprises.

So, if you haven’t already seen the race packet in your inbox, go here and download it!

The youth clinic will meet on Wednesdays (4:00-5:00 p.m.) starting April 4 and ending on May 2. The cost is $100 and is limited to 20 participants so sign up today!

Monette Williams, a USA Triathlon coach, along with other coaches, will demonstrate, motivate, and teach the youth the steps and skills needed to finish a triathlon. The youth will have opportunities to practice the distances as well as learn how to transition from the swim to the bike to the run while having fun!

Equipment needed throughout the clinic: swim suit (goggles recommended), bike and helmet (no helmet- no riding), and athletic sneakers. Kids will learn how to go through each discipline by practicing each week with the group. All levels of youth participants are welcome as the race course is considered an easy triathlon. However, we do ask that kids are able to swim a length of the pool and that their bike is in good condition for safety purposes.

What to bring to the first class: swim suit (goggles recommended), athletic shoes, helmet and race outfit or appropriate training clothes to practice transitions. No bike is needed for the first class.

http://uncwellness.com/

EVENT INFORMATION

EVENT CONTACT INFORMATION