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With Cormac, a recent Joel Barlow High School graduate, heading to Brown University in the fall, the Cummiskeys realize time may be short to continue racing as a family.
“As time goes by, there are limited opportunities to do things together,’’ Paul said. “Unless you seize them, you look up sometimes and say, ‘I wish I had done them.’ As a parent, you have to recognize those signals when they appear. With Cormac going to college, who knows if he’ll be working next summer or have an internship. We’re trying to pay attention to life as it happens. Plus, it’s another photo opportunity for us.”
Paul completes the first two legs of the triathlon, a 1.5-kilometer (0.9-mile) swim and a 40-kilometer (24.8-mile) bike ride. Cormac completes the closing 10k- (6.2-mile) run. The race benefits Kids In Crisis in Cos Cob.
“It’s a whole lot of fun,’’ said Cormac, who ran track and cross country for Joel Barlow. “It’s a great atmosphere on race day. It’s an opportunity to get some quality training in. At the same time, I can feel good about the effort because it all goes to a worthy cause. I’ve missed the past two years because of injuries. We’ve been able to pull everything together this year, and we’re looking forward to doing it again.”
Paul Cummiskey supported the original team that helped to bring the race to town. With the race now in its sixth year, he’s as surprised as anyone that the event has become so popular within the triathlon community. The event sold out again this year, and an accompanying kids triathlon started in 2011. “Our younger son Declan raced in the first two kids triathlons and had a blast,’’ Paul said.
“I’ve been delighted with how it has been received by the community,’’ he said. “There were some people early on who put in a lot of effort to get it launched. That first year was the big push. Now it’s a question of improving of it. It has become a mainstay of KIC’s fundraising efforts, and it has been great to see it grow.“
Cormac enjoys an envious spot as the closing leg for the relay team. Since most of the triathletes have already competed in the swim and ride, he is able to pass a lot of his competitors. “I ran track this spring, took a break to recover and now I’m getting back into training,’’ he said. “I certainly want to beat my splits from 2010, and I think that’s manageable. I just want to have a good, hard effort.”
The race is less competitive for Paul, who simply wants to share the experience with his son and support a worthy cause.
“I think the connection with children resonates with both of us,’’ Paul said. “Kids In Crisis has touched a nerve and we wanted to respond to that. The race is the fun part, and it’s fun to team up. It’s also fun to hear my colleagues complain about how I bring in a ringer.”
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