St. Anthony’s Meek & Mighty Triathlon Named Only Florida Qualifier for 2014 Hy-Vee Kids Championship

March 11, 2014
St. Anthony’s Meek & Mighty Triathlon Named Only Florida Qualifier for 2014 Hy-Vee Kids Championship

20th Anniversary Triathlon Event Sponsored By Tampa Bay Parenting

St. Petersburg, FL (March 11, 2014) – St. Anthony’s Triathlon organizers are excited to announce that the 20th anniversary of the Meek & Mighty Race has just been named the only Florida qualifier for the 2014 Hy-Vee Kids Triathlon Championship. The Meek & Mighty Race, which is sponsored this year by Tampa Bay Parenting, will be held on Saturday, April 26.

The Meek & Mighty is just one of six regional triathlon competitions that will qualify children for the Hy-Vee Kids Triathlon Championship. The top 15 athletes in each age division can then go on to the Hy-Vee Kids Triathlon Championship which will be held in Des Moines, Iowa, on Aug. 30, 2014.

Children as young as 7 years old to novice adults in their 70’s have participated in the race in past years. The Meek & Mighty Triathlon is just one of the races slated for the St. Anthony’s Triathlon weekend, April 25-27.

The Meek & Mighty race starts at North Shore Pool, 901 North Shore Drive, in downtown St. Petersburg with the first swim wave at 7:30 a.m. Children ages 7 to 10, will participate in a course including a 100-yard swim, 3.6 miles of biking and half mile run. Children ages 11 to 14 and novice adults will compete with a 200-yard swim, 5.4 mile bike run and a one-mile run course.

Registration is $60. For more information on the races or to register online, visit www.satriathlon.com. 

The 2014 St. Anthony’s Triathlon weekend events and registration fees are:

Friday, April 25 – Saturday, April 26:          

Sports and Fitness Expo, Straub Park, 500 Beach Drive. 

Friday: Noon – 7 p.m.; Saturday: 9 a.m. – 7 p.m., Free. 

Saturday, April 26: 

Meek & Mighty Triathlon, North Shore Pool, 901 North Shore Drive.

Shorter distance race for youths ages 7 – 14 and novice adults. 7:30 a.m. start time. (Individuals registration fee: $60 by March 31, 2014.) 

Sunday, April 27: 

St. Anthony’s Triathlon, North Shore & Vinoy Park

International-distance race (1.5K swim, 40K bike and 10K run.) 6:50 a.m. start time. (Individuals registration fee: $170 by March 31, 2014.)

St. Anthony’s Sprint Distance race (750-meter swim, 12-mile bike, 5k run) Approx.

8:45 a.m. start time. (Individuals registration fee: $85 by March 31, 2014.)

The St. Anthony’s Triathlon race attracts high-caliber athletes from all over the world including Olympic athletes and Ironman world champions and is entering its fourth year as part of the World Triathlon Corporation’s (WTC) 5150 Triathlon Series. In addition to serving as a qualifier for the Hy-Vee 5150 U.S. Championship, the race also serves as the USA Triathlon Florida Regional Championship to qualify athletes for USAT Nationals. St. Anthony’s Triathlon celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2013 and approximately 3,500 athletes coming from more than 44 states and 23 countries participated in that event. The roster included 90 pros competing for a $65,000 prize purse. 

The St. Anthony’s Triathlon was recently selected to be the 2014 Paratriathlon Florida Regional Championship event by the USA Triathlon (USAT). The Florida Regional Championship race will host several Paralympic hopefuls looking to join Team USA as the sport of paratriathlon makes its debut at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympic Games in Brazil.

Race organizers invite all athletes to secure their spots at the starting line for the 2014 races. For registration for all the races, visit www.SATriathlon.com; or call (727) 953-9005.

For more details about the 2014 races, athletes can also visit St. Anthony’s Triathlon’s Facebook page: facebook.com/stanthonystriathlon.

About St. Anthony’s Hospital

St. Anthony’s Hospital is a 395-bed hospital founded in 1931 as a ministry of the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany and was the first faith-based hospital in Pinellas County. St. Anthony’s celebrated its 80th year in 2011, and the hospital continues its rich history dedicated to improving the health of the community by providing high-quality, innovative and compassionate care. St. Anthony’s has received the 2013 American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines Stroke Gold Plus Performance Achievement award.  St. Anthony’s Susan Sheppard McGillicuddy Breast Center has received accreditation from both the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers and the American College of Radiology. For more information on St. Anthony’s, call (727) 953-6993. 

About BayCare Health System

BayCare Health System is a leading community-based health system in the Tampa Bay area. Composed of a network of 11 not-for-profit hospitals, outpatient facilities and services such as imaging, lab, behavioral health and home health care, BayCare provides expert medical care throughout a patient’s lifetime. With more than 200 access points conveniently located throughout Tampa Bay, BayCare connects patients to a complete range of preventive, diagnostic and treatment services for any health care need.   BayCare’s family of hospitals are: Mease Countryside, Mease Dunedin, Morton Plant, Morton Plant North Bay, St. Anthony’s, St. Joseph’s, St. Joseph’s Children’s, St. Joseph’s Hospital-North, St. Joseph’s Women’s, South Florida Baptist, and Winter Haven. For more information, visit BayCare on the Web at www.BayCare.org.

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