Hamptons Youth Triathlon Returns After Two-Year Hiatus

After months of training, Mia Luna crossed the finish line as the first i-tri athlete of the Hamptons Youth Triathlon at Long Beach in Sag Harbor on Saturday morning. While still difficult, Luna said it was that training that helped push her over the line.

Luna, 12, of Sag Harbor, finished 12th overall in 43:06.08 in what was the first Hamptons Youth Triathlon in two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I think it helped me a lot because I couldn’t go really fast and I couldn’t keep going, so it definitely helped me a lot,” she said of her training. “It was fun. I would definitely do it again, maybe push myself a little harder next time.”

Close to 120 kids between the ages of 10 and 17 crossed the finish line of the 300-yard swim, 6-mile bike ride, and mile-and-a-half run. Matteo Somma, 15, of Malverne, was the overall champion in 31:07.70. Somma attends Valley Stream North High School in Nassau County and just competed in his first triathlon a few months ago.

“I was really happy with the swim. That was probably where I took off the most [time],” he said. “For the bike part, there was a cop leading us, which made it very easy to follow.”

Dylan Cashin, a 15-year-old from East Hampton, was the first female to finish, second overall, in 35:20.51. Liam Knight, 15, also from East Hampton, finished third in 36:19.60. Dylan Zucker, 14, and Edmar Gonzalez-Nateras, 15, both of Sag Harbor, rounded out the top five finishers in 37:04.68 and 37:15.38, respectively. Isabella Reda, 12, of Levittown finished second among girls in 40:12.93, while Maddie Merrick, 16, of Sag Harbor crossed the finish line in 40:18.83.

Full results can be found at elitefeats.com.

The main goal of i-tri is to promote confidence and high self-esteem in young girls and to let them know that anything is possible. The organization’s founder, Theresa Roden, thought the athletes were clearly ready.

“In their minds, in their bodies and in their spirits,” she said. “The thing about this race with kids is they have to face their fears. A triathlon is a scary sport. You get in that water, and it is really frightening, but they face their fear and do it anyway. Being on that bike course with cars passing, they are so brave and they do it and they have to dig deep and they do and they just cross [the finish line] transformed.”

Hamptons Youth Triathlon coordinator and i-tri athletic director Sharon McCobb has been working on setting up the event since December. After getting permits right around the new year, McCobb said there is a little bit of a lull before things really start to ramp up about a month before the race.

“I think it went great. It’s been a tough road back after those two years off from COVID,” McCobb said. “It was harder to get all of the kids going this year, but there were no incidents and that’s all that matters. We’re just really happy it’s back and it was nice to see a great turnout today. Just, normality is good.”

Roden agreed with McCobb that it was a tremendous turnout after a two-year layoff.

“I think it was our best ever. The conditions on the swim couldn’t have been better and every single biker got out and back safely and the run was spectacular,” she said.

Southampton Town Board member Tommy John Schiavoni kicked off the race with some encouragement for all of the athletes and Suffolk County Legislator Bridget Fleming was also on hand. Roden thanked the Town of Southampton for its support.

“The support that the town shows for its youth is commendable and we’re so grateful,” she said.

The i-tri athletes were appreciative of the efforts of Roden, McCobb and the rest of their coaches and leaders.

“I think I did pretty well. The running is not my best, but I did better than I thought I would do,” Luna said. “Yes, it was definitely worth it in the end.”