Sports photography Muskoka Kids Tri photos kids triathlon

Here is the sixth and final part of the Muskoka Kids Tri photos. In the photo above, the youngest boys group in the triathlon take to the water for their swimming race in Mary Lake, Port Sydney. The boys loved splashing their way through the swim course and each boy had his own special technique for the race. One boy even tried to complete the entire swimming course without getting his t-shirt wet! He lifted his shirt higher and higher as he waded deeper into the water. One might assume that effort would be futile but he somehow managed to come out at the other end of the swim course with most of his shirt remaining perfectly dry. That’s a very special triathlon talent! I have to call it a Super Power! 🙂

The previous posts and pictures from the 2018 Port Sydney Muskoka Kids triathlon can be found here:

The dozen photos below tell a story that sums up what I saw at the Muskoka Kids Tri and what the event means to the participants. Here I witnessed race buddies in a friendly competition within the overall competition. In the first photo, as the younger kids from group “A” lined up to swim, two boys from group “B”, friends who raced together, test the water while waiting for their swim race. About fifteen minutes later, after the group B swim, these same boys rushed into the transition area to get ready for their bike race.

Still wet from the swim some of the boys struggled to get into their dry socks and shirts. In their tremendous rush many got themselves tangled in sleeves, or had shirts going on inside-out, backwards and upside down. One of the boys quickly won the battle with his orange shirt and then moved on to his bike helmet. Once clipped in to the helmet he looked across the transition area to see his friend still mightily fighting with his shirt. The boy in the orange shirt seemed surprised, let out a great laugh and beamed with satisfaction. It clearly gave him a big burst of motivation to see that he had taken the lead in the speed-dressing competition. He grabbed his bike, stepped on the gas and raced toward the start of the bike course…(continued below).

The look of determination on the boy’s face said it all as he rushed his bike out of the transition area. He was on a mission and nothing was going to get in his way now! Later on in the race, after I moved over to the running course, I watched this same triathlete put everything he had into his run. Again, his expression said it all – with the end of the triathlon in sight he gave all the effort he had to make a tremendous burst for the finish line.

Immediately after the race I saw the same best friends once again side by side as they had been at the start – this time loaded up with their medals, cold drinks, frozen treats and great smiles. I have no idea which of the boys finished ahead of the other, and I didn’t want to check the results to find out. It was perfect to see them having so much fun from start to finish, and even having enjoyment with some extra competition within the race.

Watching activity like this going on all day is what made the Muskoka Kids Tri such a special event to witness and photograph. It is a perfect mix of challenge and competition and all done in the spirit of pure fun and friendship. It’s no wonder the event has been so successful and popular, and always has a long waiting list to get in!

Taking photographs for the Muskoka Kids Tri was a pleasure and all the activity kept me running for hours. The age groups began their races at five minute intervals, beginning with the swim course. The younger groups, on a shortened course, completed all stages in their triathlon in under fifteen minutes! I knew at that hectic pace there would be no way to photograph every single swimmer, biker and runner in the triathlon. Instead I had to try keeping up with some of the groups so there would be a good collection of photos depicting swimming, biking and running. This meant some age groups and participants got good photo coverage at the triathlon and others didn’t get photographed at all. Of course, it would have been nice if it had been possible to photograph everyone in all stages of the triathlon but there is no way one photographer could keep up with the quick and efficient pace of the races to get everyone and everything fully covered. To put it more plainly, I kept to my preferred working method of trying to create quality work rather than simply trying to generate a ridiculous quantity of mediocre photos.

As I was volunteering my work for the day, and all the time that has since been put into editing and processing images and creating gallery pages here, I wanted to be sure that at least some participants and groups ended up with nice photos. As mentioned below each gallery – this wasn’t a hired photo session. All this work was my gift to you and the Muskoka Kids Tri. I would love to come back and do this again next year – if there is interest please let me know!

For those who did get photos I hope you have been pleased to see this collection of six posts. Please let me know what you think! Your feedback will be a great help so please take a moment to leave a comment, testimonial, review or rating.

Thank you to all who have shared posts to help other Muskoka Kids Tri participants find their photos. Thank you too for all the comments, feedback, testimonials, ratings and reviews. All that input helps improve the visibility of the site so local families can discover that I’m here and available to cover events and sports for them too. I’m relatively new in Muskoka (moved to rural Gravenhurst-Bracebridge area 4 years ago) and appreciate anything that helps local people know I’m here! Thank you!

a little boy runs with his bicycle to the start line in the bike race in the Muskoka Kids Tri

Muskoka Kids Tri boys swim race Port Sydney triathlon

Muskoka Kids Tri boys swimming race Port Sydney triathlon

a boy walks out of the triathlon transition area to the start of the swimming course in Muskoka Kids Tri

Muskoka Kids Tri Port Sydney, families enjoy an exciting swim race

kids jumping from the dock on Mary Lake Port Sydney

little boys bike race in Muskoka Kids Tri Port Sydney

long exposure photo of a boy riding his bike

Muskoka Kids Tri boys prepare for next stage in triathlon race

Muskoka Kids Tri boy runs with bicycle to begin his bike race in Port Sydney triathlon

Muskoka Kids Tri boy sprints through bike transition area to reach running stage in triathlon race

Muskoka Kids Tri boy sprints for finish line

Muskoka Kids Tri boy running for finish line

Muskoka Kids Tri participant cooling off after his triathlon

Muskoka Kids Tri race volunteer helps guide boys with bicycles onto triathlon bike course

Muskoka Kids Tri race volunteers help guide a boy with his bicycle onto triathlon bike course

Muskoka Kids Tri runners head out on triathlon running course

Muskoka Kids Tri boy runs with bicycle into bike transition area

Muskoka Kids Tri Port Sydney, little boy volunteer

Muskoka Kids Tri swimmers line up at triathlon swim course

play time in Port Sydney during the Muskoka Kids triathlon

small boy begins his triathlon bike race in Muskoka Kids Tri

small boys bike race in Muskoka Kids Tri Port Sydney

boys line up for their swim race at Muskoka Kids triathlon

Muskoka Kids Tri boys race to prepare for bike ride

small boys splash in water at start of Muskoka Kids triathlon swim race

little boys swim race in Muskoka Kids triathlon Port Sydney

little boys swimming race in Muskoka Kids Tri Port Sydney

Port Sydney triathlon, boy returning from bike race, Muskoka Kids Tri

Port Sydney Triathlon, boys head out with bicycles on bike course in Muskoka Kids Tri

Port Sydney triathlon, boys race for their bicycles in Muskoka Kids Tri bike transition area

Muskoka Kids Tri Port Sydney, kids gather for awards

Muskoka Kids Tri Port Sydney, kids gather for draw prizes

Each photo is marked in a corner with a file number which helps identify the image in the event anyone would like to request a large copy for printing. In the Muskoka Kids Tri galleries I have not disabled downloading of pictures or covered photos with watermarks to inhibit their use. The work was created for Muskoka Kids Tri participants to enjoy, share and use free of charge. This was not a paid shoot but an entirely voluntary effort to create some nice work for you.

If you enjoy the photos and would like to show appreciation please go to the Contribute page to see how you can help support my work.

I’ve also added a “create your own review” button below, and a new testimonials page where you can leave a rating and review. I will greatly appreciate some input as it may help other local families and groups notice the site and become aware of the photography and service available to them. Thank you! – Boyd Otter

The thumbnail grid below repeats all the same photographs seen in the gallery section on the page, and is included here for those needing an alternate way to download and save their photos.