South Africa’s future Ironman stars have shown their grit and spunk as they completed the Spur IRONKIDS aquathon on Saturday 1 April 2017 in Nelson Mandela Bay, Port Elizabeth. The Spur IRONKIDS is the largest aquathon in the world with over 1000 children from across South Africa finishing the specially designed course on Hobie Beach under the same banner as the Standard Bank IRONMAN African Championship triathletes who compete on 2 April 2017.
Spur IRONKIDS is open to children between the ages of 6 and 13 years old and takes place annually. The event started at the McArthur’s Pool and Leisure Centre, where participants in the 6-8 year old category swam 60m and ran 1.2km and the 9-13 year old category swam 100m and then completed the course by running 1.2km to the finish line.
Clare Rainey, Spur Brand Development Manager, “Today has been hugely successful and it was clear from the young athletes here today, that they have had a wonderful time. We’ve structured the race so that each participant can cross the same finish line as the Standard Bank IRONMAN African Championship triathletes on Hobie Beach.
The race is not about winning, but about participation in a relaxed, family friendly environment. Each child who came to take part in Spur IRONKIDS today left not only with a bag of goodies, but also with fantastic memories of the event and our hope is that it encourages them to keep participating in similar events. Next year we hope to see more children from across South Africa join us, this is a once in a lifetime experience not too be missed”.
No times were recorded as the focus was on participation, experiencing the sense of accomplishing a goal and having fun.
Every child was a winner, and received a Spur IRONKIDS swim cap, Spur IRONKIDS t-shirt, a great Spur and Pritt goodie bag, finisher medal and a certificate with their photo.
The event takes place annually and is followed by the Standard Bank IRONMAN African Championship on Sunday 2 April 2017. Both events are perfect for a family weekend offering the whole family an action packed weekend. Parents, siblings and friends came to support the young runners along the way and cheer them on as they completed this fantastic race.
