Samantha Byron only had one thought as she stood at the starting line for Saturday’s first race at this year’s Reverse the Cycle Sprint Triathlon.

“I saw the little kids,” the 15-year-old from Harvest said. “I was like, ‘Aw, man, they’re gonna beat me.’”

She couldn’t be any more wrong.

Byron entered the pool in second but torpedoed past Will Shirey before getting out, crossing the line in 20:20 as the overall kids champ and girls winner.

Shirey finished just 12 seconds back to snag top honors for the boys.

The tykes took off at 7:30 a.m. from the Cullman Wellness and Aquatic Center and roughed out a 1-mile run, 2-mile bike ride and 50-yard swim. For those who didn’t notice, that’s in reverse order of the average triathlon, hence the event’s playful name.

There’s another hidden meaning, too. This one stands for the purpose of The Link of Cullman County, a non-profit, faith-based organization “trying to reverse the cycle of poverty.”

Based on Saturday’s turnout — there were just as many, if not more, volunteers and supporters as there were participants — mission accomplished.

Taking first place was Byron’s mission, and the 10th-grader with the Madison Swimming Association didn’t go home disappointed.

“This was my first triathlon, so it was fun,” she said. “I’m actually a competitive swimmer, so swimming was easy. But we’ve been running and biking a lot training for this.”

The kids must’ve used up all the drama in their race because James Aaron ensured there was none of it when the adults took center stage.

The lineman with the Cullman Electric Cooperative cruised through the 2-mile run, 8-mile bike ride and 200-yard swim in 40:34 to leave the field in the dust. Aaron built a huge early lead, was the only competitor on a bike for an extended stretch and had just enough in the tank to close strong in the pool.

Usually one of his fortes, Aaron said he actually “was about dead” when he got to swimming. Considering that’s usually what he tackles first, the fatigue made complete sense.

Aaron’s been taking on triathlons for two years. Over that time, he’s done a couple 70.3-mile Half Ironmans and several that span the Olympic distance of around 32 miles.

Saturday’s race served a tune-up for the Ironman Chattanooga on Sept. 27.

“This is the shortest one I’ve done, but it’s hometown,” Aaron said. “I really enjoyed it. It’s awesome.”

Aaron’s son, Logan, took part in the kids race and finished 13th. It just goes to show how accessible the sport is to all ages and boys, girls, men or women looking for a way to stay active.

“If I can do it, anybody can do it,” Aaron said. “It all just starts with one step. Doing something, running, swimming, anything, just working your way up.”

Sydney Nelson, a 14-year-old from Vestavia Hills, was the adult women’s winner in 49:19.

Colby Adams, Holly Shipp, Samantha Stomphorst, Michelle Morring, Deb Hoenig, Ed Hoenig, Karol Sornsin and Rick White were other local adult winners in their age divisions. White, 73, crossed the finish line in 1:01:44, a full five and a half minutes faster than last year’s time.

Collin Creel and Alec Von Thuelen joined Shirey as the local kids to beat in their respective age divisions.

The Urgency Care Center of Cullman was this year’s title sponsor.