Special to Gulf Coast Newspapers

GULF SHORES - Margaret Lloyd, age 12, and Sarah Meehan, age 9, won their divisions at the Labor Day Triathlon organized by the Gulf Shores Swim Team.  Margaret swam 100 yards, biked 2.9 miles and ran 0.85 miles in a time of 17:51.  Sarah Meehan swam 50 yards, biked 1.8 miles and ran 0.40 miles in a time of 12:37. Sarah led the race the entire distance. Both girls live in Gulf Shores. 

The triathlon was held at the Recreation Department’s Bodenhamer Center in Gulf Shores on Labor Day morning. The event consisted of two races, one for children ages 10 to 14 and the second was contested by children 6 to 9 years of age.

These two races are the kick-off for the fall and winter swimming season. The children’s triathlons have been held for several years on Labor Day in Gulf Shores. Tacky Jack’s at Ft. Morgan provided the awards for the event.  This is the fourth race in a row that Tacky Jack’s has helped sponsor and organize. 

The second race of the day for the 6 to 9 year olds was a hotly contested event with places two through four in question until the end of the run.  Stephen Kichler, Joe Woodley and Emmie Smith battled throughout the bike portion of the race. Stephen Kichler was able to prevail on the run and finished in second place with a time of 13:44, a mere 11 seconds faster than Woodley. 

The Gulf Shores Swim Team organizes two triathlons each year as fund raisers for the purchase of swimming equipment. This year the team has established the goal of $7,000 to buy a new six line scoreboard. The board will replace the existing one line board that is currently in place. 

Monroe added, “We have planned several fundraising events this year in order to buy the scoreboard. We will host spaghetti dinners at the adult activity center several times during the winter.  We have an event planned in conjunction with the Recreation Department’s Halloween event on Saturday, Oct.24th.” 

The Gulf Shores Swim Team has established an Internet presence, www.gsswim.com.  The team is using the site to post their schedule, meet results, and information about the swim team.  For further information about all the aquatics programs offered by the City of Gulf Shores Recreation Department, contact Aquatics Director Brook Monroe at 968-1427.