ZELIENOPLE — Zach Leachman was boys MVP of the Mars cross country team last fall and is a member of the Planets' swim team.

Might as well take it one step farther.

Leachman, 16, added bicycling to his athletic endeavors a few years ago and it has certainly paid off. A veteran member of the Get Fit Families youth triathlon team, he will be competing at the North America Camtri in Sarasota, Fla., Saturday as a member of the United States Junior Elite team.

“I joined the (Get Fit Families) team when I was 10 because I liked all three activities,” Leachman said of triathlon competition. “I do cross country in the fall, swimming in the winter and track in the spring.

“This is a great way to stay in shape for those sports.”

The Get Fit Families team is also taking 10 triathletes ages 11-14 to Sarasota for a Sunday race. They are competing for spots in the 2017 Youth National Championships Aug. 4 in West Chester, Ohio.

Leachman placed fifth in the 13-15 age category at nationals last year. That earned him one of 25 berths on the U.S. Junior Elite team for this weekend.

He will be competing against other triathletes ages 16-19 from the United States, Mexico and Canada. The Junior Elites will swim 750 meters, bike 20 kilometers and run five kilometers.

“I've never faced competition of this caliber before,” said Leachman, who has won local 5k events. “I'm looking forward to this.

“I just want to finish as high as I can. We train hard five days a week, so I feel like I'm ready.”

Joella Baker is the founder and coach of the Get Fit Families Youth Triathlon team. It is one of 35 high performance youth triathlon teams in the country.

The team trains at the Rose E. Schneider Family YMCA and Zelienople Community Park.

“It's my baby,” Baker said of the program. “I've been running triathlons for a lot of years and my son, Zac, ran his first one when he was 5.

“He absolutely loved it, the obstacles, swimming, biking ... I thought if he loved it that much, other kids might go for it, too. So I started the youth program”

Zac Baker, now 13, of Harmony is one of the youths on the team making the trip to Florida. Joining him are Maddie Gagnon, 13, Alaina Hicks, 12, and Owen Schessler, 12, of Mars, Joseph Harmanos, 12, of Harmony, 12-year-olds Eva and Bryn Carney of Cranberry Township, Ashley Haught, 14, and Layne Haught, 11, of Hampton, and Noah Peterson, 12, of Washington, Pa.

There are 17 youths on the team overall. Some are not making this trip due to financial reasons or school commitments.

“I'm driving 14 bikes down there on a trailer,” Baker said. “That cuts the cost of the flights down for the kids by almost a third.

“Our team trains with a combination of swimming, cycling, running, strength training and stretching.”

The Youth Elites will swim 350 meters, bike 10 kilometers and run 2.5 kilometers.

“We compete at youth nationals in Ohio every year,” Baker said. “We also travel to competitions in Richmond (Va.) in May, Wisconsin in June and Iowa in July.”

Baker said the team competes in six or seven local triathlons each season as well. She puts on a number of them herself and the team competes in triathlons hosted by North Park and South Park. They also travel to Meadville for a youth event there.

“This is a great way to keep the kids active and out of trouble,” Baker said.

Get Fit Families hosts youth summer camps along with youth triathlons during the summer. For more information, visit www.getfitfamilies.com.