7-year-old shines in her first triathlon

After watching her dad compete for so long, Calli Brockett wanted her turn. She got it in St. Petersburg and finished a remarkable third in the 7-10 age division.

By ANTONYA ENGLISH

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 16, 2000

Nearly all her life, Calli Brockett has watched her father compete in triathlons.

Eventually, Calli wasn't content just to watch. She wanted to join in. So, for the past two years, she had been asking her parents, Bob and Claudia Brockett, to allow her to participate in a triathlon.

Last month, they consented. The wait was worth it for Calli.

In her first triathlon, the 7-year-old earned third place in the Meek and Mighty Spring Triathlon, the children's version of the St. Anthony's Triathlon in St. Petersburg.

"It was fun, but I was very, very, very, very tired," Calli said of the race.

The Meek and Mighty Triathlon is open to children ages 7-14 and novice adults. The event generally attracts about 500 competitors and is unique for its non-traditional run, bike, pool-swim format.

Calli competed in the age 7-10 division. When she arrived at the race, she was surprised by the number of older -- and bigger -- participants.

"I was thinking, "Wow, there are a lot of 10-year-olds here, and I don't think I can handle this'," Calli said. "I think I'm going to get trampled."

She didn't get trampled. In fact, she more than held her own.

The race began with a 0.9-mile run, followed by a 3.6-mile bike ride and a 100-yard swim.

"When I got off my bike I felt kind of weird," Calli said. "My legs weren't used to riding a bike (that fast). Then there were a lot of people in the pool, and it was crowded so I had to swim really fast to get a space of my own."

Bob Brockett has been competing in triathlons for nearly a decade, but he was extremely impressed with Calli's first effort, particularly the swimming event.

"She was so brave," Brockett said. "There were a lot of kids in the water and she jumped right in and swam arm over arm like she was taught. She never held on to the ropes. It was a pool swim where they zig-zag down the pool. There were lifeguards all over the place, but nobody offered to help her. She didn't need any help."

Brockett said he was concerned about allowing Calli to compete too soon. He made it clear before the race that the decision was up to his daughter, a second-grader at Seven Rivers Christian School.

"My dad said if you don't want to do it or if you're halfway done and you don't want to do it anymore you don't have to," Calli said. "He said it was only if I wanted to."

On the eve of the race, she went to bed early in a St. Petersburg hotel near the race site, but had trouble sleeping.

"I was used to going to bed at one time but there was still light outside so I couldn't go to sleep," she said. "I was thinking about how it would feel, how long it would be and how scared I would be. It took me a little while to go to sleep."

On the morning of the race, Calli and Bob Brockett shared a drink of Gatorade made from powder concentrate, then Calli had her power breakfast: a bowl of Very Berry Kix cereal.

"I had my bathing suit on and my number on and I was ready," she said.

Calli admits to being terribly nervous before the race started, but once she got going, things went smoothly. When she crossed the finish line, her parents were relieved.

"It was a huge weight off of me because I was really concerned for her," Bob Brockett said. "She's not a very tall 7-year-old and there were a lot of very big kids in this large group. She had been asking me for a couple of years to do this, but I knew when she started she would be young and small. But I'm not surprised (that she completed the race). She plays on the basketball team and she's a real aggressive, energetic player."

Claudia Brockett's biggest hope was that Calli would have a good time, but she admitted to being surprised that she did so well.

"I was very surprised," she said. "It's not like she trained for it or anything. We just kind of showed up. But she's very athletic."

For her efforts, Calli earned a plaque that she keeps in a special place in her bedroom. Her mother hopes she has earned much more.

"I want my girls to be physically fit," Claudia Brockett said. "I don't want them to grow up depending on how they look to fit in. I want them to have some accomplishments and some self-confidence that's based on things they can do."

It looks as if this might be something Calli can do. Asked if she plans to compete in another triathlon, she replied with a smile: "Oh yeah."

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