On a windy afternoon, 10-year-old Kailani Miante pedals a blue road bike along Coronado’s Spreckels Park to the Bayshore Bikeway and then home, completing about a 6-mile ride with her nana.
The next day, Kailani chooses between swimming with her sister, running, or biking with her parents while she listens to Taylor Swift. Such is the schedule, three or four times a week, for an All-American youth triathlete.
The 5th grader at Silver Strand Elementary School has combined her former sports skills – running after a soccer ball and swimming in water polo – with the joy of cycling for an entirely different athletic challenge.
“I enjoy doing all three,” said Kailani. “When I get tired, I tell myself, ‘You got this.’ During the run, sometimes my goal isn’t to go fast but it is just not to walk.”
Kailani competed in her first triathlon – The Spring Sprint – on May 5 in San Diego, which featured a 200-meter swim, 6-mile bike ride and 1.5-mile run. Since then, she has been busy participating in two additional triathlons, said her mother, Darcy Miante.
“There’s a different face when she races,” added Darcy. “She sets goals for herself and it’s fun to see a kid do that.”
This year, Kailani received All-American status as a USA Triathlon member who completed a minimum of three triathlons and ranked in the top 10 percent in her age group, which according to its website means she will be listed in the USA Triathlon Magazine spring issue.
Now she continues working on goals like pacing and new personal records as she prepares for future triathlons.
“I’m really competitive, so I don’t really like to lose,” said Kailani. “I tell myself ‘If I give up, I’ll never be able to do this.’”
Family support
Kailani has her family’s unwavering support, from ensuring successful early morning setups to cheering as she competes.
“She enjoys it. She trains for it,” said Anne Wasson, Kailani’s grandmother and cycling companion when she visits Coronado. “She’s a self-motivator.”
Kailani got started in triathlons when she realized her potential across other sports.
“I used to do soccer, and I noticed that I was really fast, and I also did water polo and I was really fast at swimming and sprinting for the ball. And I enjoy biking around. So I decided to combine the three,” said Kailani.
Kailani is on the younger end of her age group, so she’ll race with the 11-year-olds for another year. She said it is her goal is to take the No. 1 position in her age group since the girl who currently holds it is moving up.
Kailani’s youth group usually completes a 200-meter swim segment, followed by a 5-7K bike ride and over a mile run, according to usatriathlon.org.
“Every time there’s someone cheering me on it’s like in Mario Kart, it’s like a mushroom that speeds me up,” said Kailani.
