The All Abilities Kids Triathlon is all about giving kids of all ages and abilities the opportunity to take part in something that might otherwise seem out of reach.
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Organised by Forster Tri Club, the 2019 event will take place on Sunday, November 10 at Lake Street, Forster and is open to kids from kindergarten through to high school.
Forster Tri Club junior coordinator Bruce Hopper said one of the beauties of the event is that it does away with many of the barriers that often stop kids participating.
Adaptable to children with additional needs, the primary focus of the day is participation, which means if children need help to take part in a certain leg then parents or caregivers are allowed to get in and give them a hand.
"There's no competitiveness, there's no timing," Mr Hopper said.
"We're trying to help the primary and high school kids have a go."
With the swimming leg taking place at the Great Lakes Aquatic Centre, the running leg taking place on the oval adjacent to the Aquatic Centre, and the bike leg taking place in a designated bike lane that runs on Lake Street and Hadley Street, Mr Hopper said the course will be simple and safe while still providing a challenge.
"We want to help build self-confidence in a controlled and safe way," he said.
"When you've done things that are hard and safe it's amazing how your self-confidence builds."
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Now in its third year, Mr Hopper said the feedback from the previous two events had been great.
"The feedback, especially for kids with additional needs - the parents were just so grateful for their kids to be involved in something mainstream," he said.
He explained that the event doesn't follow the usual protocol of sorting participants into able-bodied and disabled divisions, but rather puts the kids all in together, categorising them by age only.
The event will kick off at 8:30am and kids can enter either online or on the day for $10.
All participants will receive a finishing medal and snacks at the conclusion of their race.
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