No sweat for Weet-Bix TRYathlon kids

Tauranga's Matt and Kylie Potton were proud of their children Willow (left) and Heath who toiled through the heat to finish in yesterday's Weet-Bix Kids TRYathlon. Photo / George Novak

Blazing heat did nothing to diminish the pride and excitement felt by Heath and Willow Potton at completing the Weet-Bix Kids TRYathlon at Mount Maunganui, yesterday.

The Bellevue Primary School pupils were looking remarkably fresh when they received their medals from kiwi triathlon legend Cameron Brown at the finishing chute on Coronation Park.

"It's the excitment of doing a triathlon, giving it a go," 10-year-old Heath said. He was on his third TRYathlon.

The Sanitarium-sponsored event has been going for 23 years and parents who had themselves once taken part in the non-competitive event were now among those waiting to proudly greet their own children as they emerged with apples and gold medals.

Yesterday's triathlon was switched from its usual time in March so it tied in with the new Mount Festival of Multisport.

Heath said he did not really notice the heat but found the cycling leg was the hardest. "I was in the zone."

Willow, 8, said she ended up enjoying the triathlon even though she found the running leg tough because of a bad ankle. With obvious pride she said, "I did not stop running."

Heath plans to do his first competitive triathlon with his dad Matt in March next year when he will compete as a junior.

Mr Potton and wife Kylie liked the non-competitive environment of Weet-Bix TRYathlons. "It's all good fun," he said.

Eight hundred children took part, slightly down on last year because of the change of date and venue. The timing meant organisers noticed more out-of-town children.

Sanitarium's national marketing manager Mark Roper said the estimated 23,000 kids that will take part in this summer's 14 TRYathlons around New Zealand made it the largest event of its type in the world for children.

"It is part of the kiwi summer, it has become a generational thing. It's quite a challenge for the little ones. They all look pretty pleased with themselves once they get over the finishing line."

Yesterday's event coincided with another hugely busy day at Mount Maunganui. Mark Mills of Pacific Toyota, one of the TRYathlon sponsors, said the Mount was the busiest he had seen since everything went pear shaped after the Rena grounded - partly because the weather had not been as settled during the two previous Christmas-New Year holiday seasons.

St John attended to a steady stream of children coming in with minor injuries and irritations. The most common complaint was kids accidentally rubbing sun screen in their eyes. Hardly anyone came in suffering from the heat.