Objectives
Participation
Kids of Steel races, numerous independent races, and Triathlon Ontario’s KITCan series offer those as young as 3 years of age an opportunity to participate in triathlon. The emphasis is on fun and safety.
Development
The Ontario Youth Cup and Ontario Junior Cup race series offer youth (under 16) and junior (16-19) athletes a competitive race environment.
Kids of Steel (KOS) Series Races
KOS is a trademarked program owned by Triathlon Canada and is coordinated by Triathlon Ontario.
Kids In Triathlon (KITCan) Series Races
KITCan Series races are participation-based races for kids age 3-11. The focus is on participation and finishing rather than competition. KITCan Series races are presented by Triathlon Ontario as part of a national youth triathlon series.
Cup Series
The Triathlon Ontario Youth and Junior Cup Series are competitive race series for youth 12-19. These series provide progressively more competitive races in order to promote athlete development.
Youth Cup
The Ontario Youth Cup Series is an integral part of the Provincial Development Program. The objective of the non-draft legal, 12-13 age group race series is to introduce youth to a competitive, officiated race environment in order to transition from the participation-focused Kids of Steel or other youth race experience.
The objective of the draft-legal, 14-15 age group series is to provide youth athletes a primarily draft legal competitive race environment within Ontario.
Junior Cup
The objective of the Ontario Junior Cup Series is to provide Junior athletes (aged 16-19) a draft legal competitive race environment within the province.
Youth/Junior Guidelines & Requirements
Requirements
All participants of a Triathlon Ontario sanctioned event must be members of Triathlon Ontario or purchase a One Day Membership. The breakdown of membership prices and the various benefits of membership can be found here.
Age
Youth membership is for those aged 15 and under as of December 31st in the current year and Junior membership is for those aged 16-19 as of December 31st in the current year.
Cycling Cleat Rule for Youth Cup Series
Triathlon Ontario allows a deviance from the guidelines regarding cleat rules for the 12-13 division for the Youth Cup Series.
Previously, if under 14 years of age and using clipless pedals, only shoes that had a recessed cleat into the sole of the shoe were permitted or cycling shoes that had been altered to ensure the metal cleats did not touch the ground were legal.
As a result of the recent growth of youth club programming and youth coaching, along with the need to be consistent with draft legal certification, which is open to youth athletes and requires the ability to clip in and out of pedals to be certified, Triathlon Ontario is allowing the use of traditional cycling and triathlon style shoes and cleats in the 12-13 age group.
Contact
For any questions or for additional information, please contact Triathlon Ontario: [email protected].
Race Distance Guidelines
| Ages (as of Dec. 31) | Swim Distance | Cycle Distance | Run Distance | Approximate Time to Complete |
| Under 6 | 25m | 750m | 250m | 10-20 min |
| 6-7 | 50m | 1.5km | 500m | 10-20 min |
| 8-9 | 100m | 5km | 1km | 15-30 min |
| 10-11 | 200m | 5km | 2km | 20-40 min |
| 12-13 | 300m | 10km | 3km | 35-65 min |
| 14-15 | 500m | 10km | 4km | 40-70 min |
| 16-19 | 750m | 20km | 5km | 60-105 min |
How To Become Drafting Certified
Elite, U23, Junior and Youth athletes wishing to race in a non-Age Group draft legal event must possess valid draft legal certification prior to competing and must be current Triathlon Ontario members. Draft certification status is part of a member’s profile and printed on the electronic membership cards that are emailed to each member at the time of membership renewal.
Requirements for draft certification
- Be 12 years of age or older
- Been certified by Triathlon Ontario Provincial Development Coach
Draft legal certification status is valid for a period of three years. A drafting approved status will be renewed provided the athlete can demonstrate that he or she has raced in at least five draft legal events in the previous three year period. Failure to complete the minimum number of events will necessitate re-qualification.
The drafting certifications are free of charge and open to Triathlon Ontario members. Drafting certifications are required for any athlete interested in competing in the Cup Series, Ontario Summer Games, Canada Summer Games and any other national or international event outside of Age Group competitions. Drafting certification is not required for Age Groupers to compete in any draft legal competition and therefore, these certification are not intended for Age Groupers.
Certifications are not “learn to draft” clinics. The certifications are intended to be evaluations and therefore, athletes should be proficient in the skill sets tested prior to arrival, with proper equipment. All athletes are required to have road bikes with clipless pedals and cleats on their shoes in order to participate in all testing drills.
Draft Certifications
Certifications typically take place in April and May each year. They are free of charge but everyone musts be a Triathlon Ontario member. Other requirements include a road bike with cleats.
Triathlon Ontario strongly recommends that clubs and coaches prepare their athletes prior to a certification test by ensuring they are able to sufficiently complete all of the drills and skills within the drafting manual below.
Triathlon Ontario Drafting Certification Manual
Drafting Certification Checklist
2023 Draft Certifications
London – April 30th – RegisterOttawa – May 13th – RegisterMilton – May 14th – RegisterMilton – May 21st – Register