SOUTHINGTON, Conn. (AP) - About 500 children from across Connecticut swam, bicycled and ran in the sixth annual statewide Race4Chase youth triathlon.

Saturday's event at the YMCA's Camp Sloper marked the finale of a summer fitness program founded by the family of a boy killed in the Sandy Hook shootings.

Seven-year-old Chase Kowalski had competed in his first youth triathlon just months before he was shot to death along with 25 others at the Connecticut elementary school in December 2012.

Rebecca Kowalski says she and her husband, Steve, started Race4Chase because they wanted to honor their son's memory with something that focused on families, health and wellness.

The program has expanded from three camps in 2013 to 27 sites in Connecticut, Rhode Island, South Carolina and Washington D.C.