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By Ray Hamill — The Humboldt Tri-Kids Triathlon and Duathlon will make a welcome return to the North Coast for the first time in more than three years next month.

The longtime local annual event for kids aged 7-18 was put on hold for the past two summers because of the pandemic, but will return on Sept. 18 for the first time since 2019.

The event, which will also feature a fun run for kids aged 6, will take place at the Arcata Community Pool and at Arcata High.

“We traditionally have held the event in June but this year we pushed it back to September,” TriKids volunteer Beth Matsumoto said. “We think more folks will be around and not on vacation.”

The Humboldt Tri-Kids Triathlon has been a very popular event here on the North Coast ever since Mike Pigg was dominating in the sport back in the 1990s.

This year, Cal Poly Humboldt has added a women’s triathlon team, further showcasing the popularity of the sport locally.

This year’s Tri-Kids event will feature a few different options.

For athletes aged 11-18, there will be a 200-yard swim, a 7.1 mile bike ride and a one-mile run, while there will also be a junior course featuring a 100-yard swim, a 4.7 mike bike ride and a half-mile run.

There will also be a duathlon, which will feature a run-bike-run format, as well as a half-mile fun run for 6-year-olds.

For more information to to register, visit the Tri-Kids website.

A total of 150 participants signed up for the last Tr-Kids Triathlon in 2019.