Numbers swell at TRYathlon
One overeager action mid-race led Thomas McKerchar to a heartracing, drawn out search for his helmet.
‘‘I pushed my bike out and forgot my helmet, when I went back to get it I couldn’t find my bucket,’’ the 10-year-old, who participated in the Sanitarium Weet-Bix Kids TRYathlon, said.
‘‘It took me like 20 minutes to find it...or like 10 or five minutes.’’
Thomas was one of 1830 Taranaki kids to participate in the annual event at Ngamotu Beach in New Plymouth on Wednesday.
It was the Norfolk School boy’s third consecutive year taking part in the event, which this year saw him complete a course including a 100 metre swim, six kilometre bike and a one kilometre run.
Despite weather reports forecasting a miserable day, the rain held off and all of the wet weather gear Thomas’s mum had packed for him went unused.
Following his race, he and his dad, Simon McKerchar, were hanging around to support 11-yearold brother, Ethan who was off racing.
Simon said Ethan was only a week out of an arm cast and was ‘‘taking it easy’’.
Once Ethan finished his race, Thomas planned to down his third bowl of weet-bix for the day, the fuel which he reckoned was driving him.
Sanitarium product development manager Chris Stanbridge said the event had gone off without a hitch.
In fact, this year’s race was very much a success as it kept on growing and once again boasted recorded numbers, she said.
The event, which sold out four weeks ago, was up 80 participants on last year’s 1750 and involved 42 schools from around the region.
‘‘It’s our 25th year this year and we’re getting those numbers through and getting those kids out there training and getting fit,’’ she said.
At the finish line ready to present the kids with a medal was netball great Irene van Dyk and professional triathlete Andrea Hewitt.
van Dyk has been involved with the event for four years and said seeing the children give it their all kept her coming back.
‘‘I just love seeing the kids crossing the line in whatever shape they come across because some don’t come across looking that well and others do backflips,’’ she said.