Hundreds of people swam, biked, and ran through the Heritage neighborhood in Wake Forest Sunday for the BASF Smile Train Triathlon.

It was the first triathlon ever held in the town, and the first triathlon in the world to benefit The Smile Train, a New York-based organization that helps repair cleft lips and cleft palettes in children in underdeveloped countries.

"It hits home because I'm a parent, and I can't imagine if I looked at my kids everyday and thought, 'I can't help you.'," said Rebecca Warriner, Wake Forest resident and organizer of the event.

"Some races might raise $500. We're raising almost twenty-thousand. And that's huge."

Jonathan Park, a representative from The Smile Train, said the surgeries the money will fund change families' lives.

"She's going to provide surgeries for about 60 kids, which is quite a staggering number considering this is one person that decided she wanted to help," Park said of Warriner's efforts.

Because of support from corporate sponsor and other donations, one hundred percent of the registration fees for the event go directly to the charity, Warriner said.

Warriner, who is training to compete in the August's Ironman Triathlon in Louisville, said she was also excited about the prospect of sharing the sport she loves with her community.

She chose to make the BASF Smile Train Triathlon a sprint-length event so that athletes of all levels could participate. It included a 250 yard pool swim, a 12-mile bike ride, and 5K run.

"I think probably about half of the race are first time triathletes," she said. "So to have them come out and have this be their first experience, I was so stressed about making sure it was a positive first experience."

Related Links

1. The Smile Train