 |
Hunter HoneycuttEighth Street Middle SchoolTifton, Georgia by Devis Burnam Photos courtesy of the Honeycutt family |
|
It’s not very often that you hear the words "triathlon" and "middle school" used in the same sentence, but Hunter Honeycutt, a 13-year-old eighth-grader from Tifton Georgia, has definitely bridged the gap. Hunter became involved with Tift County’s recreation department at the age of six, competing on the soccer, baseball, and football teams as well as participating in a roller hockey league during the winter. Labeled “phenomenal” in roller hockey by his father, Lee, both Honeycutts admit that Hunter was just your “average” athlete in other sports. After weighing the dangers of roller hockey, Hunter moved on to join the YMCA’s swim team with his sister, Madison, when he was 11. “We just wanted to stay in shape,” Hunter claims, but he had an immediate affinity for the sport. During his first year on the swim team, the young athlete advanced to compete in a Georgia Parks and Recreation state meet, held in his hometown of Tifton. Primarily a freestyle swimmer, Hunter competed in the individual medley, which consists of various swimming styles used together. After finishing in the Top 10, it was evident he had a gift. He also won the YMCA’s State Championship in the 100-yard freestyle for the 11-12 age group that summer. The same year, Hunter participated in Tifton’s local 5K Sweetheart Run and finished in just 21 minutes. “He didn’t really train that much,” says Lee, who is also a competitive runner. After finishing the Sweetheart Run with little effort, Hunter was persuaded by his dad to try triathlons. Hunter competed in his first triathlon in Cordele. “I did better than I thought I would,” he remembers. Hunter began participating in the Iron Kids series in 2006. His first competition was in Atlanta and he placed in his age group despite the lack of experience. After entering his second triathlon, Hunter became competitive and realized he needed to train. “I didn’t like losing,” he admits. In the seventh grade, Hunter also played baseball, but gave it up after deciding to pursue triathlons full time. He took honors for several races, including Tri4Kids in Clermont, FL (1st place age group, 2nd place overall), Splash-N-Dash in Orlando, FL (1st overall), 5K for Kids charity race in Valdosta (1st place age group, 4th overall), Baytree 8K Road Race in Valdosta (course record and 1st place age group), and Ironkids Atlanta (1s place age group, 2nd overall). Hunter is also a record-setting member of Eighth Street Middle School’s |
   |
track team, placing first in all meets and winning region honors this year, as well as setting a personal record of completing the mile in 5:04. He was also named the Middle School Cross Country Regional Champion for Southwest Georgia.
The triathlon season begins in late spring and Hunter’s first race this year, the Tri4kids Triathlon in Florida, was a success − he was 1st overall with a time of just over 23 minutes, and distanced himself from the entire field by over five minutes. More recently, he took 2nd place in the Rock ‘N’ Roll Sprint triathlon in the 19U age group. His time was 1 hour, 22 minutes, and he placed 10th overall out more than 160 adult males. This race was the longest distance he has raced to date and included a 750-meter swim, a 15-mile bike ride, and a 5K run. Swim and cross country training keeps Hunter busy year-round. His personal coach in Birmingham, Alabama sends him workouts for the sports he’s currently not competing in. His workouts vary between five and six days a week, allowing one or two days to rest. A nomination to the USAT Southeastern Regional Youth Elite Team has also earned Hunter an opportunity to go to professional triathlon camps in Alabama. Hunter attributes his success to his parents. “Mom organizes everything,” Hunter admits, and without his parents helping him to get ready on race, he laughs and says, “I’d probably forget a lot.” Winner of the Most Outstanding Student Athlete Award two years in a row, Hunter possesses tremendous academic skills as well. An all-A student, Hunter is proud of the student-athlete title. While he hasn’t made any definitive plans for college, Hunter’s current dream is to make it to the Olympics one day. In the upcoming school year, Hunter will be a freshman at Tift County High School, Northeast campus. His immediate goal is to continue to do triathlons, and according to his mother, Marci, “he’s built for it.” In August, Hunter will compete in the USAT Youth Elite National Championship in Colorado Springs, Colorado, which consists of a 350-meter swim, a 10K bike, and a 2.5K run. In just a few short years, Hunter has made a name for himself in the triathlon community in addition to local and statewide racing communities. After being labeled an “average” athlete, Hunter has found athletic capabilities that have exceeded everyone’s expectations and can be summed up with only one word: extraordinary. • August 2008 Update-- At the USAT Nationals in Colorado, Hunter was one of the youngest participants and ended up 7th in the nation. Five out of the six boys who finished ahead of him were older and will be moving up to the Junior Division this year, advancing Hunter to 2nd in the nation in his age group for the upcoming season. He had a great race in Colorado until the chain came off his bike at the beginning of the bike leg of the race. He lost about a minute and a half to repairs and tried to cut his losses during the remainder of the race. He was approximately in 25th place at the beginning of the run leg, but made up some time and impressively finished 7th. This year was exciting for Hunter — he is in great shape and stronger than ever. The sky is the limit provided he is able to stay healthy. | |
