OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — At the College of Saint Mary (CSM), you could hear cheers coming from the field, rallying support for the young girls competing in the free IronHawk Juniors Triathlon.
"I just feel like I ran. I ran and saved the world," Adlyn Marvel, who completed the event said.
The athletes, all between the ages of 7-14, swam up to 100 yards, biked up to three miles, and ran up to three-quarters of a mile.
Marvel was one of 170 girls who participated in the race and her mom was on the sidelines cheering her on the whole way.
"I come out here to empower little girls and to show them that they can do hard things and this is one of them," said Kristy Marvel.
Seven weeks of training led to this point. The girls met once a week at CSM where they would work on swimming, running, or biking. The best part, Erin Sullivan, organizer of the event, said it's all completely free.
"Triathlons tend to be exclusive. We wanted to make it available to anyone and everyone," said Sullivan.
It goes beyond the triathlon. Supporters said it's about building community.
"This is a wonderful program that teaches girls not only how to do a triathlon, but also how to make friends, how to empower each other, to be kind to one another," said Kristy Marvel.
The IronHawk Juniors Triathlon has been around since 2018.
Sullivan created the program with three other people because she wanted to share her love of triathlons. She said this program is here to stay.
"Oh, we're never going away," she said.
Download our apps today for all of our latest coverage.
Get the latest news and weather delivered straight to your inbox.
