Newton Citizen

Special Photo Jordan Beam placed third in the recent Atlanta Kids Triathlon and earned another trophy to add to his collection.

COVINGTON -- At age 10, Jordan Beam is already a triathlete.

Jordan has competed in about a dozen triathlons, most recently placing third in the junior division of the Atlanta Kids Triathlon held Aug. 26 at the West Gwinnett Aquatic Center in Norcross. More than 800 kids participated in the triathlon, in both junior and senior divisions. Jordan competed in the age 6 to 10 junior division, which had 560 athletes. He completed a 100 yard swim, 3 mile bike ride and half mile run in 18 minutes and 18 seconds, just three seconds behind the second place finisher.

Jordan was inspired to compete in triathlons by his father, Shane, himself a triathlete.

Jordan took home second place in his very first triathlon, when he was 7. He also took second place at his first Iron Kids triathlon, which draws competitors from all over the Southeast, and went on to place 12th in the nation in 2010. Last year, he placed fifth in the Southeast Iron Kids event.

"Triathlons are a lot of fun and I like to do them because they push me and make me work harder," said Jordan, who favors the biking and running portions of the event.

Jordan competes with the Kids4Kids triathlon team, which raises money for Camp Twin Lakes, serving children with serious illnesses, disabilities and other challenges.

He's also a member of the Covington Family YMCA's swim team, which has helped him double his speed in the water, and he's on the Y's Galaxy Soccer Team. "That gets my running in, my stamina," he said.

A fourth-grader at Piedmont Academy, Jordan would like to be a professional soccer player when he grows up, but if that doesn't pan out, he's also interested in architecture.

He typically competes in four or five triathlons a year; next up is the Iron Kids event on Sept. 16.

Jordan and his family live in Newton County and are active members of the Covington YMCA. His younger brother Tanner also plays for the Galaxy soccer team and dad Shane is a volunteer coach. Mom Kharmin is also a Y volunteer with youth sports programs and was instrumental in fundraising for field lights at the Y's Outdoor Center.