Petrillo off to St. Louis for IronKids® Triathlon
By Dick Sparrer
There's a lot to see in St. Louis... the spectacular Gateway Arch, the powerful Mark McGwire, the majestic Mississippi River.
But Matthew Petrillo won't be in St. Louis this weekend to take in the sights. The Los Gatos 12-year-old will be visiting the Midwestern city to compete in the IronKids® Bread Triathlon National Championships.
Petrillo, a county champion last spring for track team at Fisher Middle School, didn't stop running when the school year ended last June. He romped to an eighth-place finish at the National Junior Olympics, then backed that up with a first-place finish at the regional triathlon championships held in August in Roseville.
It was that effort in Roseville that earned Petrillo his place in the national championships coming up Sept. 30 in St. Louis.
Young athletes, ages 7-14, will compete in the triathlon that includes swimming, bicycling and running. Petrillo will enter the senior division (ages 11-14) where athletes battle through a 200-yard swim, a 6.2-mile bike ride and a 1.2-mile run.
The event in Roseville marked Petrillo's fifth IronKids® Triathlon. He had medaled in each of his first four events, then this year won it all, finishing ahead of the 13- and 14-year-old competitors in the age group.
At the nationals, Petrillo will go up against regional winners from San Antonio, Texas; Memphis, Tenn.; Panama City, Fla.; Florence, S.C.; Denver, Colo.; and Minneapolis, Minn.
The regional championship for Petrillo came just a week after he competed in the National Junior Olympics. He won his heat in the 3,000 meters, but the top placers were not determined by a championship final, but rather by the times recorded in the heat races.
Petrillo's time was the eighth best of the day, still good enough to earn him All-American honors.
Displaying his gold medal at the regional triathlon competition is Matthew Petrillo of Los Gatos.
Petrillo was also 14th in the 1,500 meters and 22nd in the 800 at the Junior Olympics.
Despite his busy summer, Petrillo also found time to compete in the rugged Los Gatos Dammit Run, and he finished second in the boys' 13-and-under age group, covering the 5-mile course in 36:26.59.
But Matthew wasn't the only member of the Petrillo family to have a successful summer. His sister, Stephanie, finished third in the junior division at the IronKids® Triathlon regional championships.
Stephanie, 10, and a fifth-grader at Blossom Hill Elementary School, won her fourth straight IronKids® medal. Competitors in her age group were involved in a 100-yard swim, 3.1-mile bike ride and .6-mile run.
|
Los Gatos, California Since 1881
