Triathlon - Info wanted on triathlons for beginners (kids)

I have a 13-year-old son who's wanting to get into triathlons, obviously at a beginning or junior level. If anybody has any info on how we should approach this, what fitness/ability level he should be at, equipment/clothing needed, etc., I'd appreciate it. Thanks!

Well, the fitness level question is probably the first to answer. Even a Sprint Triathlon(200-400 meter swim, 10-20 mile bike and 2-3 mile run) takes about an hour and a half. His first goal should be to finish and be happy. Which will probably require some pool time(I know this is the hardest part for a lot of people because 400 meters of swimming is about 5-10 minutes), some biking and some running. He should try and keep it balanced. But it will probably require a fair amount of time. I guess I would check out active.com which has triathlon beginners workout plans. I did a lot of bike rides to the pool where my friend who was a lifeguard watched my bike while I swam and then rode home.
As far as equipment/clothing goes this can vary a lot. Training for my first tri I used soccer shorts for swimming, biking and running and a nike dri-fit. I don't know what he has for a bike but this is one of the most intimidating parts of doing a tri. When you have a $100 bike and the guy next to you has $100 water bottle system it feels intimidating. For you as a parent it's even harder because a bike for a 13 year old may fit for only one year if he sprouts. What I might suggest is an old 12 speed steel road bike. They usually function pretty well and have features like drop handlebars and skinnier tires but you can usually find one around town for less than $40(I got a Centurion 12 speed for $1 from the town bike auction and I only had to replace the rear derailleur ). Things like a new seat, handlebar tape and tires really do a lot for an older bike.

I have seen a few this young compete in open tris. More are starting to have races for kids. Some splash and dash and some that is all 3 legs just much shorter.

Well, he has an Argon 18 right now, which seems to suit him well for the time being, but you're right--he'll probably shoot up in the next year or two, so I'll keep my eyes open for bike deals. He has sort of a head start on the swimming, because he's already on the local Y swim team, but the most he's ever done is 200 meters, and that wore him to a frazzle. So possibly the next step during the fall season is to have his coach put him in more 200-meter events to build up his endurance. Then maybe by next spring, he'll be ready to "tri" it out. :) (His running is already superb. He's the fastest kid in his whole grade and leaves everybody in the dust during PE.)

Well to be quite honest, it sounds like hes quite ready, he just needs to put everything together. Just keep him at it because starting something is always the hardest part.