12-year-old Jared Clark to compete in Oil Man Texas triathlon

May 12, 2012; San Diego, CA, USA; A group of runners led by Kyle Jones (CAN) and Simon De Cuy per (BEL) run past fans along the beach in the mens elite race of the ITU World Championship Series at Mission Bay Park. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /

12-year-old Jared Clark will participate in the 70.3-mile Oil Man Texas triathlon this weekend, reinforcing the notion the the kids of today just don’t have their priorities straight. When I was Clark’s age, I spent my weekends playing video games in my basement and then going to my buddy’s house to play video games in his basement. Clearly our society has crumbled since then.

According to his parents, Clark got into running at a young age:

"The year Jared turned 10, he saved his birthday and Christmas money to buy a trainer. He read in the USA Triathlon magazine about the Youth Skills Camp, and asked for permission to attend, even though he wasn’t old enough. They allowed him to go, and he has attended for three of the last four years. For his 11th birthday, he asked to attend the Houston Triathlon Summit with Andy Potts. He was the youngest participant by a few decades (Competitor.com)."

Clark’s run will also serve the purpose of raising money for Hannah’s Hop Fund. The non-profit organization funds research for Giant Axonal Neuropathy (or GAN), a disease that both Clark’s bother and sister have been diagnosed with.

We wish Clark the best of luck in his run.

[Source: Competitor.com]

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