August was a big month for Coco Diemar. Not only did the 11-year-old Naperville girl start sixth-grade at Crone Middle School, she won first place in her age division at the USA Triathlon Youth and Junior National Championships and was featured in Sports Illustrated magazine.
“My friends saw it (Sports Illustrated) and a lot of teachers knew about it and came up to me,” said Coco, who won the national event by .28 seconds.
Her mom, Jody, shared the sentiment.
“It was quite a way to start middle school, that’s for sure,” said the mom.
For Coco and her siblings, Jack, 9, and Hayley, 13, triathlons are a family affair.
“When they were younger, they did every sport known to man and they didn’t really love anything,” said the mom. “When we lived in Colorado, they started running outside and riding on the trails. Family bike rides became a regular thing for us.”
Diemar said her husband’s job took the family to Florida, and the kids added swimming to their activity list.
“They got into swimming because it is so hot in south Florida,” she said. “It really took off from there.”
They each started to compete in triathlons at the age of 6, and years later, they’re still at it.
“For the most part they train together and they are very supportive of each other,” said the mom, who runs and bikes with them regularly. “For being as close as they are in age (21 months apart) and as competitive as they are, I think they do really well.”
At the 2015 national championship, the Diemar kids supported each other,-through the highs and lows. Besides Coco’s win, Jack took first place in his age division. Hayley, who took third place last year, crashed during the bike portion but still finished the race.
“We try not to get caught up on the winning,” Diemar said. “Winning is important, but it’s not the goal at this point. The point is to get better and to be healthy.”
The triathlon season takes place April through September, but the “off season” doesn’t leave the Diemar kids without something to do. They all swim throughout the year, Jack plays Sabre youth hockey, and the girls are members of the women’s professional cycling junior team, Twenty16.
“Biking is my favorite,” Coco said.
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Hayley agreed.
“Definitely biking,” Hayley said.
The siblings are also members Multisport Madness Triathlon Club’s youth triathlon team.
“Many people don’t know that Illinois has one of the top youth triathlon teams in the country,” the mom said. “It’s been a great experience for them.”
Jane Donahue is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.