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perfect weekend
THe North shore weekend
12/14 – 12/15/13
For karena and ron, championships run in the family
We went to Cincinnati for the USA Triathlon national championships — which we’ve attended for a number of years — this past August. We picked everyone up at Banner Day Camp on Thursday and drove in our minivan. Xavier and Kaedon watched a movie in one row; Gunnar and Lauren, who are older and who would compete in Cincinnati, watched a DVD appropriate for their age in another row.
“It was absolutely thrilling that Lauren won the national title … she was beaming from ear to ear. And Gunnar’s points helped their team win the national championship.”
Karena and Ron Garriques of Lake Forest enjoy heading to Cincinnati each summer for the USA Triathlon national championships, where their children compete. They are resting under one of the quilts they make out of the T-shirts their kids get from races they compete in.
photography by joel lerner
Friday you get your bib, the timing chip — your bicycle is inspected. There are thousands of kids there — it’s high energy. When that’s done, it’s a fun day. We went to the Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal — the kids love it. We went to Kings Island to ride the rides to take their mind off the competition. When we’re down there we usually treat them to Graeter’s Ice Cream. The single most important thing Friday night is sleep. We stayed at the Cincinnatian Hotel — we like that kind of turn-ofthe-century look. On Saturday we woke them up the same time we would on Sunday. They have the same breakfast — they all have to have pickle juice, which is high in electrolytes and salt. Then we go to watch the elites race. It’s quite exciting. What’s really important is you can see where there are problems on the course. There was one spot where 10 kids went down on bikes — you wipe out going 30 mph in shorts, you’re done. Saturday for lunch we hit the Montgomery Inn — they’re the best ribs in the world. The rest of the day is relaxing, usually by the pool. Saturday night we’ll dine with the expanded team at a chain restaurant that can handle that kind of group. Sunday they go, oldest to youngest. Karena is from Cincinnati, so we get a big crowd watching. It was absolutely thrilling that Lauren won the national title for her age group. She was beaming from ear to ear. And Gunnar’s points helped their team win the national championship. Xavier is old enough to compete in 2014. And Kaedon is already riding a bike. Ron and Karena Garriques, as told to David Sweet ■