When Elijah Barker walks the halls of Central Bucks High School West, no one points, no one whispers, there’s rarely even a knowing nod.

That’s because only his closest friends know he’s an All-America triathlete.

“Even my track coaches and my teammates weren’t aware,’’ says the sophomore, a distance runner on the CB West track and cross country teams, and a member of the school’s swim team.

Barker achieved All-America status for his age group (15 and under) after competing in the sprint category of several triathlons, including taking a first in last summer’s Steelman Triathlon at Nockamixon State Park and a sixth-place finish in the Islandman Triathlon in Avalon, N.J.

Triathlon competition is divided into three categories: Ironman, Olympic and Sprint. Not yet 16, Barker competed in the sprint division, which encompasses a half-mile swim, 13.3-mile bike and a 3.1 mile run. The Steelman triathlon took place in Lake Nockamixon and on the hills of Route 563. Barker placed first despite using his mother’s bike (his was broken) and her wetsuit (he didn’t have one at the time.)

Lucky for him, both parents compete in Ironmans. One of four kids in his family, Elijah entered his first triathlon at the Jersey Shore, when he was eight. “My dad saw a sign for a kids' triathlon,’’ he says. He asked my brother and me, ‘Do you want to do it?’ And we were like, ‘Sure… What’s a triathlon?’

“I had to finish the swim with a buoy.’’

Things sure have changed. Since then, he has added to his training, which includes a no-frills nutritious diet. Besides track and cross country, Barker, who is 6-foot, 145 pounds,  is on the school’s swim team, competing in the 500-meter and 200-meter events. School sports help kickstart his training, but he must supplement them on his own. In the winter that means adding more running; in the spring, swimming and biking.

All this on top of school.

“I run Monday through Friday with a long run on Saturday, and then I'll probably bike on Sunday, Wednesday and probably Monday, and then do a little swimming in between there as well.’’

On the immediate horizon, Barker would like to win the Steelman Triathlon again, improve on his sixth in the Islandman Triathlon and perhaps place in or win a few other sprint triathlons.

“Honestly, the goal is just to keep getting better,’’ he says. He would like to move up to half-Ironman by 18, and compete in a full Ironman by 19. That entails a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike and a 26.2-mile run --  raced in that order. “My goal is just to win Ironman World Championships,’’ he says. “Honestly, I'm thinking more of a long-term goal, 10 and 15 years from now, and not exactly, you know what I'm doing next week.’’

He also hopes to grow awareness for a sport he has come to love. In the meantime, though, he notices cracks in his anonymity among classmates. Well, a little anyway. “They’re like, we had no idea you were doing this stuff,” he says, “Keep going.’’