Stride, Ride and Slide event chance to ‘feel special’
THE smiles said it all.
Hundreds of young children were on the start line at Logan Park for the annual Stride, Ride and Slide minitriathlon yesterday.
The annual event aimed to encourage children aged 2 to 6 to get active and enjoy the experience, Sport Otago fundamental skills adviser Kerri Maclennan said.
And, if the smiles were anything to go by yesterday, it was mission accomplished.
Up to 300 children, divided into age categories, took part in a short run, bike ride and water slide — urged on by proud parents and older siblings.
‘‘It’s definitely up from the previous year, which is fantastic. It just keeps growing.
‘‘Everybody seems to come along and make a bit of a family fun day of it, which is quite good.’’
It was a chance for younger siblings to participate and ‘‘feel special’’, but also helped them get active in an increasingly digital age.
‘‘It’s definitely encouraging them to be active in a fun way, because with TV these days a lot more children are becoming more inactive, and especially from a younger age as well.
‘‘It’s really important that we provide these opportunities for kids to make it fun for them to get out and be active, especially where their family can get involved and be there as well.’’
The event would also be staged in Balclutha this weekend and Oamaru next month.