EDWARDSBURG — It will not be surprising to see adults of all ages racing into the water at the Eagle Lake Triathlon on Aug. 3.

What spectators might not be expecting is a group of 40 children following the adults’ lead, competing in triathlons of their own.

For the past eight years, the Eagle Lake triathlon has offered a kids’ triathlon for kids 6 to 12 years old. The race consists of a 25-yard swim, three-quarter-mile bike and half-mile run and was added because the sanctioning body of triathlons continuously discussed the importance of promoting the sport among youth, said Roger Antoniu, the event organizer.

“Getting the next generation to start exercising seemed like a great idea,” Roger said.

Eight years ago, Roger, along with his son Alex, had no idea how much interest the children’s competition would attract. Last year, Eagle Lake had 65 children compete in competitive and non-competitive triathlon.

“It was definitely more last year than we had anticipated from year after year,” Alex said. “Usually we are at about 40 kids, so it was a big jump last year to have that many.”

The kids’ triathlon was not always competitive, the father and son duo said. The first year, only a non-competitive triathlon was offered. Eventually, parents and their children wanted to know their times.

“We could tell from some of the parents and some of the kids that they wanted to know how fast they were doing it in,” Alex said.

The organizers decided to add a competitive race, but kept the distances the same. Eventually, a high number of children who registered wanted to do the timed race instead of the non-competitive. Organizers ultimately decided to keep running both races, as youth experience differs.

“We still wanted to give less experienced kids the opportunity to do a triathlon where they can wear a life jacket, and get help from their parents throughout the whole thing,” Alex said.

The competitive race does not allow floatation devices or any parental assistance. Neither race allows training wheels.

At 9:30 a.m. on the day of the race, there will be a mandatory pre-race meeting for all kid competitors, located at the kids’ transition area. At this meeting, each stage of the race will be walked through and explained by race organizers. As a group, participants will walk down to Eagle Lake to begin the race.

Lifeguards will also be in the waste deep water to watch as the children swim the 25 yards, beginning in a time trial fashion.

Overall, organizers think the kids’ triathlon can be one of the best parts of the day since it promotes family participation.

“It’s really a family event because this triathlon has a distance that’s good for people who are both experienced triathletes and also beginner triathletes,” Roger said. “This is a way to get their kids involved as well. It makes [Eagle Lake] a real family event that everyone can come out and do together.”