Bright future as 2019 IronKids race draws banner field | Inquirer Sports

Bright future as 2019 IronKids race draws banner field

By: - Reporter / @BLozadaINQ
/ 07:12 PM June 01, 2019

The IronKids waiting for gunstart. Photos by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

SUBIC, Zambales—The sun hadn’t fully risen yet on one Saturday morning here in Subic but a massive throng of young athletes had already converged at Remy Field.

More than 800 kids aged six to 14-years-old participated in the annual Alaska IronKids swim/run race in this coastal city where a couple of up and coming young stars ruled the event.

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Zedrick Borja ruled the 13 to 14-year-old boys’ division clocking in at 18:21.9, nearly 20 seconds faster than the silver medal winner, while Samantha Corpuz conquered the 13 to 14-year-old girls’ division, finishing the course at 19:01.4, more than three minutes ahead of the second-fastest female.

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Coach Ani De Leon-Brown, one of the organizers and pioneers of the sport, said seeing nearly a thousand kids get up before the crack of dawn and go through a physical adventure speaks volumes of what the future holds for the younger generation.

De Leon-Brown said kids who started as early as possible in any sporting endeavor already set the foundation of a healthy lifestyle for years to come.

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“If you can encourage your kids, even if they’re not competitive, even if they’re not racing Ironkids for example, it’s really a good time to teach that skill [swimming]… it’s easier to establish that fitness routine because later on it would be harder to start,” said De Leon-Brown.

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“If they’re used to that, their bodies are used to activity, it’s a healthy habit they can take on to adulthood.”

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Setting children up for an early start in any sport could very well pave the way for a potential career especially in the current landscape of triathlon where the sport has fully entrenched itself in the public’s consciousness.

The two-time World Championships qualifier said they didn’t have a role model in the Philippines but with so many other personalities thriving in the sport, she’s positive the younger athletes have someone to look up to.

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“Everyone has their own specific path but personally when I was starting we didn’t have that many role models,” said De Leon-Brown. “It’s really great that kids can realize ‘oh this is what we can become, we can be similar to that person.’”

“They know what’s possible and that’s great.”

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TAGS: Alaska Ironkids, Ani de Leon-Brown, Sports

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