Kept out of the roads and waters the past two years, the future of Philippine triathlon finally gets the chance to showcase their wares in pursuit of honors in the IRONKIDS Philippines which unwraps Aug. 6 at The Mactan Newtown in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu.
One hundred and sixty eight youngsters aged 6-to-14 are all primed for a test of speed and endurance in their side of the swim-bike-run battle ahead of the Megaworld IRONMAN 70.3 Philippines presented by AIA Vitality on Aug. 7 at the country’s newest, world-class triathlon hub.
Events on tap are the 6-8, 9-10, 11-12 and 13-14 age divisions with titles to be disputed over varying distances in each race category of the junior version of the IRONMAN, which also features swimming, bike and run events.
“The long wait has only made these kids eager and hungrier for recognition and the IRONMAN Group/Sunrise Events, Inc. is proud to have taken the cudgels for the future stars of Philippine triathlon,” said The IRONMAN Group general manager Princess Galura.
Listup is ongoing and will end on race week. For details, or visit http://ironkidsphil.com/site/ or social media accounts ironkidsphil on Facebook and Instagram.
The 6-8 group, a non-competition for beginners, will be held over the 100m, 2km bike and 1km run distance; the 9-10 will feature 200m swim, 6km bike and 1.5km run; the 11-12 is slated over the 400m swim, 6km bike and 2km run; while the premier 13-14 title will be contested over 400m swim, 8km bike and 2.5km run.
Thirty one entries are set to slug it out for the 13-14 crown while the 11-12 and 9-10 categories drew 26 and 25 participants, respectively.
Spicing up the weekend of fun and bonding in a shared experience is the relay competition featuring the 6-10 and 11-14 age categories.
The IRONKIDS has served as a side event to the IRONMAN series for years with the event not only contributing to the growth of the sport but also ensuring the steady flow of talents.
It has also encouraged the children to have an active lifestyle and develop values like discipline, sportsmanship and respect for others and at the same time preventing gadget addiction among them.
Some actually took part in the virtual run in 2020 at the height of the pandemic, a 10-weekend run date that gave participants the chance to start slow, train, build up and surpass their own records in a three-month period.