Raising the Bar - Sanitarium Weet-Bix Kids TRYathlon

The summer of 2020/21 will kick off another Sanitarium Weet-Bix Kids TRYathlon series. In fact, 2021 will be the 29th year in which the largest under-16s triathlon in the world has run.

This year Toyota’s youngest ambassador and aspiring Olympian Olivia McTaggart will be mentoring kids in the lead-up to their events, with a motivational video.

Olivia has overcome barriers since she was forced to rethink gymnastics following a back injury around 2014. Inspired by a friend, Olivia tried pole vaulting – and the rest is history.

While Olivia transitioned through sports codes and dealt with her back injury, she made great progress through her new-found pole vaulting, winning a bronze medal in less than six months at the Australian Junior Athletics Championships’ under-16 event.

She has gone on to break records amidst injuries and setbacks. Her passion, perseverance and sheer determination will be used to by inspire young athletes to start their own impossible as they use the Weet-Bix Kids TRYathlon to set their own personal fitness goals through her motivational video.

The Weet-Bix Kids TRYathlon is a chance for kids of all abilities between the ages of six and 15 years to swim, cycle and run. Everyone receives a medal as they cross the finish line. The series will be held at 17 locations, from the Bay of Islands in the north to Dunedin in the south, with some of the bigger regions holding more than one event.

Start your impossible

Weet-Bix participants were given a card enclosed in their registration pack – with an inspirational message from Toyota Ambassador and Olympian Dame Valerie Adams to start to think about making goals and some key tips to start their own impossible goals.

It was then up to the Weet-Bix entrant to write down their goals and aspirations and then bring their completed entry form to their local event at the Toyota tent putting them in the draw to win a school visit from Toyota Ambassador and aspiring Olympian Olivia McTaggart.

Olivia recently visited Owairaka District School. Olivia’s visit was a prize won by Rita, a student from the school who from the previous Weet-Bix Kids TRYathlon rounds – where she submitted her impossible goals! You can view Olivia’s school visit here.

Some pretty cool Weet-Bix Kids TRYathlon stats from another record breaking series in 2020:

33,153 total entries over 17 events (prior to cancellations)

1,337 six-year-olds took part in the Splash & Dash across nine events

2,075.294 kms were Swum 

94,328 KM’s were Cycled 

33,763.5 KM’s were Run

Nearly 3,000 children completed TRY DIY in cities that had cancelled events due to COVID-19

More than 450,000 Kiwi kids have participated in Weet-Bix Kids
TRYathlons since they began in 1992 98 per cent of parents said the TRYathlon had had positive impacts on their children

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