COEUR d'ALENE - Triathlons come naturally to them. After all, kids like to swim, ride bikes and run around.

Nearly 300 youngsters competed Sunday in the 19th annual Coeur d'Alene Youth Triathlon at City Beach and Park.

Eydie Kendall, race coordinator, said the event is organized for kids to have fun, but also introduce them to the sport.

"We have a wide range of intensities and abilities," Kendall said.

Kids from age 5 to 14 competed in four different age categories.

Jose Winton, 12, raced away with a victory in the 10-12 year olds category.

"He loves triathlons," said his dad, David Winton, of Coeur d'Alene.

Jose races in about four triathlons per year, goes to triathlon camps, and wants to grow up to be an Ironman.

"I like seeing how I am compared with other kids," Jose said.

Jose said he just got a new road bike, which helped improve his speed on the bike course.

"Now I can't even keep up with him" on family rides, said David Winton.

Another young Ironman in the making, 10-year-old Ireland Laskey of Coeur d'Alene, came out strong this year. She got a side ache during last year's competition in the final stage, the run.

Her grandmother, Claudia Laskey, said, "She didn't like not feeling good and being in the top (of her group) last year."

Ireland trained harder for the event this year to make sure a side ache didn't sneak up on her again.

"I think she's more motivated than all of us," Claudia Laskey said. "She's really athletic and competitive. She's made of stronger stuff than I am."

Some kids just think the triathlon is a cool sport, and are out for the fun of it.

Noah Ewing, 10, saw a triathlon once in Liberty Lake, thought it looked fun, and decided to try one. He was hooked after that.

As fun as the sport is to take part in, and as fun as it is to collect T-shirts from the races he's been in, Noah's favorite part is understandable to non-competitors.

"The best part is finishing," Noah said. Hugs from mom and dad at the finish line are good, too.

Brad Brandt was out watching two of his kids in the triathlon.

"It gets them out moving," Brad Brandt said. "There's nothing formal" in the way of training.

"They're kids, so they like to swim and ride bikes; so there's two of them down," he said.

Brandt, a triathlete himself, said he thinks his kids will stick with the sport.

"I don't think it's their last triathlon, that's for sure," Brandt said.

Tashawn Lovett, of Post Falls, said her son Ridge, 9, and daughter Dylan, 7, love sports and competition. So triathlons were just added to the mix of sports they compete in during the year.

Both Ridge and Dylan were in Sunday's triathlon.

"I started doing them (triathlons), but then it wasn't for me - mom's not a swimmer," Lovett said.

Dylan, though, quickly took off from where her mom left off. Sunday was Dylan's third Coeur d'Alene Youth Triathlon.

"This is what she wants to do," Lovett said. "Given a choice, she would choose this over anything. I think that she likes it enough that this will be something she will choose to do for a while."