Youngsters gear up for triathlon (From Somerset County Gazette)

Youngsters gear up for triathlon

9:00am Tuesday 15th September 2009

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FUTURE Olympic hopefuls will be showcasing their talents at the Taunton Deane Foot Anstey Junior Triathlon on Sunday, September 27.

The annual event is open to youngsters between the ages of eight and 16. It is a continuous race over various distances of both swimming and running.

Competitors race against the clock that starts as they enter the swimming pool and stops as they cross the finishing line after the run.

The competition has five different categories – eight years, nine and ten, 11 and 12, 13 and 14, 15 and 16 – and is broken down into distances that are suitable to their age group.

The 15 and 16yrs age category provides a natural progression for talented youngsters to go on from this competition to compete in the challenging Taunton Deane Foot Anstey Triathlon, that involves swimming, cycling and running.

The event is sponsored for the third year by Taunton solicitors Foot Anstey and organised by Somerset RC Tri, and Tone Leisure. The event is supported by the Somerset County Gazette, while Queens College will provide the venue.

Caroline Lewis from the Somerset RC Tri Club, and mother to two of the competitors, said; “No one should be shy of competing as the distances for swimming and running increase as the competitors get older.

“So an eight year old swims for 80yds, (four lengths of the Queen’s pool) and runs for 600m. We want to encourage children of all ages to be active and show them it can be fun and rewarding. All the youngsters put in a tremendous amount of effort and have a great time racing against their friends. Maybe we shall see one of them competing at the London Olympics in 2012”.

For more information and an entry form, visit www.tauntondeanetri.co.uk or contact 01823 273083.

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