The first Corus Kids of Steel event in a summer long series took place at Plympton Pool last Sunday.

220 children from Plymouth schools aged between 8 and 13 turned up to try a triathlon, with many of them expressing interest in continuing their new found sport with the local Plymouth Junior Triathlon Club who are based at Ridgeway School.

The Corus Kids of Steel events aim to encourage kids to experience the sport of triathlon, and help them get active in a fun and safe environment. At a time when childhood obesity is at an all time high, Corus and British Triathlon are aiding the government’s Healthy School Programme through giving kids an opportunity to take up a new sport whilst learning about healthy living.

The Plympton event included a 60m swim, 2km cycle and a 800m run over a course around Harewood Park.

British Triathlon’s Development Director, Mark Barfield, said:
“The Corus Kids of Steel event in Plympton was a great success. I was bowled over by the enthusiasm the kids brought to the event. This series is a very exciting prospect for triathlon in Britain. Not only are we giving children an opportunity to try out a new sport and offering them advice on healthy living, we also hope to discover some young stars of the future.”

The series will now continue round the country, including stop offs in London, Birmingham, Sheffield, Middlesbrough, Salford, Livingstone, Crawley & Newport.

For further information on the Corus Kids of Steel series, please see www.corustriathlon.com or call:

British Triathlon Media Officer, Peter Holmes
Tel: +44 (0)1509 226188 / +44 (0)7795 415452

For information specific to the Plympton event, please contact:

Regional Development Officer, Julian Wills
Tel: +44 (0)7739 526561

NOTES

About the British Triathlon Federation

The British Triathlon Federation is the National Governing Body for triathlon, the UK’s fastest growing sport. At elite level Great Britain boasts a strong squad of world ranked triathletes and duathletes who regularly achieve international success, and has some outstanding young talent emerging from its youth programmes. Since becoming an Olympic sport in 2000, British Triathlon has seen large annual membership increases and now totals over 12,000 members throughout its Home Nation Associations. There are over 500 triathlon events conducted in Great Britain each year including the London Triathlon, the largest triathlon event in the World; and the BG Triathlon World Cup race in Salford, one of the leading international events.

About Corus

Corus  is  Europe’s  second largest steel producer with revenues in 2005 of £9.2  billion  (US$18  billion  and  crude steel production of 18.2 million tonnes,  primarily  in  the UK and the Netherlands. Combining international expertise  with  local customer service, the Corus brand represents quality and   strength,   providing   innovative  solutions  to  the  construction, automotive,  packaging, mechanical engineering and other markets worldwide. Corus  is  a subsidiary of Tata Steel, the world’s fifth largest and second most  global  steel  producer.  With  a  combined presence in 45 countries, including Corus, Tata Steel has 84,000 employees across four continents and a pro forma crude steel production of 27 million tonnes in 2007.