The annual Socorro Chile Harvest Triathlon is a week away and competitors from all over the Southwest have filled up the roster. Participants in the event must first swim 400 meters, then bike 20 kilometers, and finish with a 5 kilometer run. The race starts Saturday, Aug. 7, at 7 a.m. A children's race with shorter distances will be held the Friday night before at 6 p.m.

Competing in the race will be several Socorro triathletes and even a few Iron Men.

For some people triathlons are a family affair. The Napier family has three generations of triathletes competing in the event this year.

Leading the way is Matt Napier, who has qualified for the Iron Man World Championships race in Hawaii twice. Along with Matt, four of his children will also be competing; Alec, 14, Abigail, 12, Aiden, 10 and Audrey. 7, who said she is excited to run in the youth triathlon for the first time. Rounding out the Napier family is Lynette Napier, Matt's mother.

With three generations competing, the Socorro Chile Harvest Triathlon is really a family affair for the Napiers.

"It's a great thing for the kids, self satisfying," said Matt. "They look forward to it every year."

Matt competes in several triathlons each year, including full length Iron Man events. However, this is the only event that the kids compete in, which is no surprise, since each of the Napier children are busily involved in multiple sports.

Alec runs cross country and track for La Cueva High School, and Abigale runs cross country and track for Desert Ridge Middle School. Aiden plays football and baseball while Audrey plays soccer. And all of them swim in a Sundance swim league during the summer.

The family also enjoys training together. When Matt goes on his long runs to train for his Iron Man races the kids hop on their bikes and join him.

"Biking is always fun; when it's a big group they love it," said Matt.

Matt Napier got involved in triathalons in 2006, after he graduated from the University of Colorado. He ran track for Socorro High School and then went on to run track and cross country during college. After graduation he had some friends who got him interested in competing and training for triathlons.

"I got hooked and kept on doing it," said Matt.

Although he has qualified for Hawaii twice before, he is focused on qualifying again for the 2011 event and said he makes a bid for the world championship only once every other year.

"I made sure it didn't negatively affect the family," he said.

Matt, who trains 12-15 hours a week, keeps it low key for the kids. Getting them involved in athletics early on, he said, might get them interested in competing in triathlons later in life.

Meanwhile, another Napier is on his way up. Matt's youngest child, 4-year old Ashton, "is chomping at the bit to get ready to try it," he said.

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