BETHEL — Cloudy skies and temperatures in the low 80s greeted 43 children participating in Saturday afternoon’s Maine State Kids’ Triathlon at Angevine Park.

They came from Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Colorado and Florida to swim 200 yards, bike 3 miles and run a mile for medals, fun and exercise.

The fifth annual untimed event was held by the Bethel Outing Club at Angevine Pond and North Road.

For some, like Ryanne Cox, 9, of Scarborough, it was a chance to redeem herself in her own eyes. Busting out a big grin, she said she didn’t do very well in last year’s debut attempt.

“What happened last year?” triathlete dad Kevin Cox of Scarborough asked.

“I cried,” Ryanne said.

“Why?” dad asked.

“Because we didn’t really train that much last year,” she said.

Equipment failure didn’t help.

“We had flat tires on the bike, so we weren’t prepared last year, but now that she’s done it in the past, we know what to expect for the kids’ triathlon,” said Kevin Cox, who won last year’s novice class in the adult Maine State Triathlon the following day.

“It’s a little different than the adults’ event, but it’s still a lot of fun and she’s looking forward to it this year,” he said.

In the companion event, which starts at 9 a.m. today at Songo Pond in Bethel, adults will compete in the much longer Maine State Triathlon.

Learning from last year, Ryanne said she trained for Saturday’s race for two months. Her 11-year-old sister, Madelyn Cox, was racing with her.

“She’s inspired, having watched her sister last year,” Kevin Cox said.

Cloe Dilworth, 9, of Falmouth, and her 8-year-old brother Chachi Dilworth, did stretching exercises in the parking lot before heading to the pond start.

“This is my first triathlon, but I’m not nervous,” Cloe said.

“I think it’s terrific for their confidence,” dad Tom Dilworth said.

Both youngsters said they’d trained for the event. Their father said the children enjoy running cross-country. Chachi has also competed for three years in motorcycle hill climbs in New Hampshire.

“He doesn’t do traditional sports,” his father said.

Mom Cristen Dilworth was thrilled about the event and couldn’t wait to cheer them on.

“I think it’s a wonderful opportunity to get kids involved in exercise,” she said.

After listening to pre-race instructions, children ages 12 to 14 lined up at one end of the man-made pond.

Race official Beth Clarke of Bethel gave them a countdown and off they ran through the shallows before diving in and swimming hard for the other side as parents, friends and relatives erupted in wild cheering along the bank.

While the older children ran to their towels and donned running shoes and raced to their bikes for the second leg, the 8- to 11-year-olds lined up at the pond start.

Two minutes later, in they went in one massive splash.

The cyclists headed east on North Road to the Bethel Regional Airport road and back, dropped off their bikes at the park and hit the road again for the run, people cheering them on most of the way.

Back at the park, as each racer crossed the finish line, they were handed a medal and helped themselves to donated snacks.

It was the first triathlon for Bridget Wood, 12, of Fryeburg.

“I think it was really fun,” she said. “I think the difficult part was the run because I was working so hard on the bike and the swim, so I didn’t have a lot of energy for the run.”

“I came in as the second girl, so I’m proud of myself for that,” she said.

And that’s what it’s all about, instilling self-confidence, Clarke said.

“It’s about feeling strong, having fun and doing something they never knew they could do before,” she said.

tkarkos@sunjournal.com