NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — An event has begun some truly great friendships in Middle Tennessee. Each new time it's held, more great friendships happen. We think you'll love what this day makes possible.
So, before one of those triathlons, what do people do to get prepared?
"Blink contest!" shouted Teddy, 10, furiously blinking. "You gotta blink as much as you can! That hurts sometimes."
Will, 9, joined in, quickly blinking his eyes.
For the past three years, the guys have done the Tri My Best Triathlon together. This go-round, the guys were being joined for the first time by a third, 9-year-old Hudson.
"So, what's the first race again?" Hudson asked.
"First, we're doing swimming. Second is biking. Third is running," Teddy explained.
This one's at Gaylord Opryland. It's an adaptive race series sponsored by the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt where kids of all abilities go in with buddies and an adult volunteer.
"It's just fantastic seeing them catch up every time they hang out," said Will and Teddy's adult volunteer, Alex Bruno.
The friendships formed from this event matter a lot to Will's mom, Jessica Sanders.
"Will was born with a muscular condition called titin myothopy," Jessica said. "It affects his skeletal muscle. He's a little delayed in walking and other gross motor activities. Teddy is just a ray of sunshine. We love him. We've loved him since the moment we met him. He and Will just hit it off right away. They're great friends all because of this."
"I thought he was really nice and thought we'd get along with each other," Will said.
"Uh huh. Same!" Teddy added.
It was go time. Will, Teddy, and Hudson leaped into a pool, beginning the triathlon.
"The kids just leave here feeling really proud of their accomplishment, and us as parents, we're equally as proud," Jessica said. "To see your child be involved in a race and to see the friendships that are formed over the years, it just really does something for your heart. When you have a child with a disability, you're not sure if they'll get to experience that. This is a way for them to be with peers and be competitive. It makes me proud as a mom."
The finish line for the triathlon in sight, Will was walking the home stretch with Teddy by his side.
"So, we met three years ago and now we're just friends forever," Teddy said. "Right, Will?"
"Yup."
There are more Tri My Best Triathlon event opportunities coming. For more information, visit here.
Fostering Hope provides Christmas for kids in foster care. I'm delighted to see Fostering Hope expand this year to expand their reach to now include kids in Foster care in metro AND foster kids in East TN hard hit by Helene.
-Bree Smith
