More than 200 children ages 5 to 15 competed in the Greater Palm Harbor YMCA’s annual Swim Bike Run for Freedom triathlon on Sunday, Aug. 23, before lightning forced organizers to halt the race for the oldest age group.

The event was held at the YMCA’s facility at 1600 16th St. in Palm Harbor, sending each child through three legs solo: a pool swim, a bike course and a footrace to the finish line. Around 200 athletes got through the course before storms shut down competition for the 11- to 15-year-old division, according to WFLA. It was not clear how many in that oldest group had yet to race.

Parents and grandparents lined the sidelines and crowded the finish line, ready to scoop up their young champions.

“We’re always nervous when they start. You wish you could do it for them, so when they’re pushing towards the end, there’s just a lot of pride,” said Graham Jankura, a father at the event.

James Hoofnagle, a Palm Harbor dad, said his kids trained with him four to five days a week in the final two to three weeks before the race. The priority was keeping it fun so they would want to come back. It worked.

The YMCA of the Suncoast stages the triathlon annually. The race raises money to fund youth athletic programs at the Palm Harbor branch, where many of the young competitors train year-round.

Christian Engle, president and CEO of the YMCA of the Suncoast, said the event gives parents and grandparents a chance to watch their children accomplish something remarkable and build confidence. He told Tampa Bay 28 the goal is getting kids off screens and showing them they can push through a quarter-mile or half-mile run on their own.

Nicole Klinger, a mother watching her son compete, told WFLA she was proud to see him take on something hard and finish knowing he can accomplish difficult things.

Fact-check results

The YMCA’s official event page confirms the Aug. 23 location, annual format and age divisions, but it contradicts two details in the original copy: entrants were ages 5 to 15, not “as young as 4,” and races began at 7:45 a.m., not 6:30 a.m. Registration closed at 7:15 a.m. and the opening ceremony began at 7:30 a.m.

WFLA reported that more than 200 young athletes attended and that lightning stopped the 11- to 15-year-old group after about 200 competitors had completed the course.