Kiwi Kids gather at Mount Maunganui for milestone Weet-Bix Kids TRYathlon

The Sanitarium Weet-Bix TRYathlon on Sunday in Mount Maunganui, hit a participant milestone of surpassing half a million participants. Photo / Sanitarium Weet-Bix Kids TRYathlon

The grey, damp weather didn’t stop the eager crowds of more than 1000 Kiwi kids ready to swim, bike and run.

The Sanitarium Weet-Bix TRYathlon, which took place on Sunday at a wet Arataki Park in Mount Maunganui, hit a significant milestone of surpassing half a million participants since 1992.

One of these was 11-year-old Milly Dove, a Weet-Bix TRYathlon ambassador for the Bay of Plenty region, who was participating for the first time.

The event, which was sponsored by The Hits Bay of Plenty, aimed to inspire children to get active and build their confidence in a fun, inclusive environment.

As one of the four ambassadors participating, Milly features on limited edition TRYathlon-branded packs of Weet-Bix sold in supermarkets around the country.

“I had to enter a competition and talk about overcoming my fear. I used to not like fitness, but this year I started to like it.

“Then I won the competition and only four people in New Zealand won,” Milly said.

She said that it’s funny seeing her face on the boxes and her mum takes lots of photos every time they see a box in stores.

After completing her first Weet-Bix TRYathlon in the rain, Milly said she was nervous at the start but it felt nice to be done when she crossed the finish line.

Milly Dove, 11, participated in the triathlon for the first time and is a TRYathlon ambassador featuring on Weet-Bix boxes in supermarkets. Photo / Kaitlyn Morrell

“I was most excited to run but my favourite part was definitely the end because I was so tired.

“Doing it in the rain was nice when you go hot, but at the start, it was freezing.”

Open to kids aged 6-15, the TRYathlon caters to all fitness levels, encouraging everyone to swim, bike and run at their own pace.

Ten-year-old Te Mateururoa Brock and his younger sister, 8-year-old Aniwaniwa Brock, travelled from Rotorua to compete in their third Weet-Bix TRYathlon.

Te Mateururoa said his favourite part was biking and swimming because he was “good at it”, and shared how he prepared and trained for the triathlon.

“For running, I did a 10km run. For biking, I’ve done lots of mountain biking and I do swimming practice three times a week.

He said after he crossed the finish line, he went back out and supported his sister.

“I like how people are really supportive of the triathlon, but after that I was smoked, I was gassed and I didn’t want to move.”

Fuelling himself after a successful third TRYathlon, Te Mateururoa dug into a well-earned toasted sandwich, some sushi and of course some Weet-Bix.

Te Mateururoa Brock, 10, and younger sister Aniwaniwa Brock, 8, were competing in the TRYathlon for the third time, travelling from Rotorua to participate. Photo / Kaitlyn Morrell

Younger sister, Aniwaniwa, said biking was one of the best parts of the TRYathlon because it was fun and you didn’t have to run.

“I was also excited about the swimming because I was like a speedboat. I only used my legs and I was on my back.

Aniwaniwa did a 10km run on her 8th birthday in preparation for the TRYathlon, lots of park runs and said she was feeling confident this year.

“I would’ve come first place. I was feeling confident before I even crossed the finish line.”

When asked if she would participate again next year, Aniwaniwa said she would do it “next year, the year after, and forever”.

With nearly 495,000 Kiwi kids having already participated over the years, the 2024/2025 season marked the 500,000th participant crossing the finish line, which Milly, Te Mateururoa and Aniwaniwa were a part of.

Kaitlyn Morrell is a multimedia journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has lived in the region for several years and studied journalism at Massey University.