“It’s to create an opportunity for them to also participate in something like this, where quite often people might think that they just can’t participate,” Sport Whanganui active recreation lead Quinn Hemingway said.
It will be followed by the Tough Teen event on Thursday afternoon.
Teens will run the same course, followed by a tug-of-war competition.
On Friday, the Tough Kid will see students race against each other by age group from 10am to 2pm.
“It’s good to be able to see kids from all different abilities ... whether they’re competitive and want to win, or just getting out and giving it a go, is pretty special for us,” Mitre 10 Mega Whanganui co-owner Hayden Gibson said.
Kids were able to sign up via their schools. About 39 schools from across Whanganui will be participating.
Whichever school has the highest total points based on their students’ finishes at the end of the day will be awarded the toughest school award.
“I think it’s pretty special for the town,” Gibson said.
After the youth racing is completed, parents and teachers will have the opportunity to run the course themselves.
Said Hemingway: “Our whole community comes together to have a fun day out.”
