Alaska ironkids kick off Camsur bash

PILI, Camarines Sur, Philippines  – The Alaska Ironkids Philippines, the children’s version of the prestigious Cobra Ironman 70.3 Philippines, will unfold today with 61 durable kids battling it out for honors.

Open to kids six up to 14 years old, the race will cover 100 meters of swimming, three kilometers of biking and one kilometer of running for the younger ones and 300m swim, 10K bike and 2K run for aspiring ironmen.

“It’s a very short race but doesn’t necessarily mean it’s easier,” said Ironkids race director Ani de Leon in yesterday’s press briefing attended by some of the participants.

“The kids really take it very seriously, they trained hard, even harder than some of the adults,” she added.

The Ironkids will cover portions of Lago del Rey, the CWC Cable Park and areas surrounding the complex that was built through the initiative of host Camarines Gov. L-Ray Villafuerte.

Some of the participants are siblings Ella, Donny, Hannah and Benjamin, children of celebrity parents Anthony Pangilinan and Maricel Laxa-Pangilinan.

Among the four, Benjamin, who had a heart surgery five years ago, could be in to an impressive result as he is coming off a win recently.

“Benjamin finished first before the Ironkids even though he had an open heart surgery five years ago,” said Benjamin’s mother Maricel. “He’s now active in triathlon and we’re very happy about it, his heart is good as new,” she added.