LANGKAWI - A pair of twin boys were among the 133 young participants in today's Ironkids event, the curtain raiser to the Ironman Malaysia and Ironman Langkawi 70.3 Championships.
Elyaas Omar Mohd Irwan and his younger brother Mateen Omar, 11, from Selangor, who were making their second appearance in Ironkids, took three months to prepare for this year's competition.
"Almost every day, whether on our own or together with our father, we trained. Our routine typically involved running three kilometres (km) daily, taking about 30 minutes each time.
"On Fridays and Sundays, we would swim for about an hour. Our daily training routine did not interfere with our learning sessions as students at Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Bukit Jelutong, Selangor," Elyaas Omar told Bernama here today.
This year's Ironkids features aquathlon for two age categories - participants aged seven to 10 years and 11 to 15 years.
The aquathlon for the seven to 10 age group involves a 100-metre swim and a 1.8km run while that for the 11 to 15 years category involves a 200m swim and a 3.6km run.
The kids’ father, Mohd Irwan Ahmad Mustafa, said his children took up triathlon at the age of nine.
"I introduced them to sports from a young age because I wanted them to embrace an active lifestyle. Considering the tough competition nowadays, I wanted to give them a different experience by introducing them to this sport," said Mohd Irwan, who will be participating in Ironman Langkawi 70.3 for the third time.
The Ironman championships kick off at 7 am tomorrow, with Ironman Malaysia involving a 3.8km swim, 180km cycling and 42.2km run and Ironman Langkawi 70.3 involving a 1.9km swim, 90km cycling and 21.1km run. - BERNAMA
Elyaas Omar Mohd Irwan and his younger brother Mateen Omar, 11, from Selangor, who were making their second appearance in Ironkids, took three months to prepare for this year's competition.
"Almost every day, whether on our own or together with our father, we trained. Our routine typically involved running three kilometres (km) daily, taking about 30 minutes each time.
"On Fridays and Sundays, we would swim for about an hour. Our daily training routine did not interfere with our learning sessions as students at Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Bukit Jelutong, Selangor," Elyaas Omar told Bernama here today.
This year's Ironkids features aquathlon for two age categories - participants aged seven to 10 years and 11 to 15 years.
The aquathlon for the seven to 10 age group involves a 100-metre swim and a 1.8km run while that for the 11 to 15 years category involves a 200m swim and a 3.6km run.
The kids’ father, Mohd Irwan Ahmad Mustafa, said his children took up triathlon at the age of nine.
"I introduced them to sports from a young age because I wanted them to embrace an active lifestyle. Considering the tough competition nowadays, I wanted to give them a different experience by introducing them to this sport," said Mohd Irwan, who will be participating in Ironman Langkawi 70.3 for the third time.
The Ironman championships kick off at 7 am tomorrow, with Ironman Malaysia involving a 3.8km swim, 180km cycling and 42.2km run and Ironman Langkawi 70.3 involving a 1.9km swim, 90km cycling and 21.1km run. - BERNAMA