As of Monday 23rd May, 49 triathletes walked the XLIS corridors. 25 students from M1 – DP, 23 members of staff and 1 P6 student (who’s mother is a teacher and complete it with him) all achieved this magnificent feat. A triathlon is a race that consists of a swim then cycling and finishes off with a run – all with no breaks.
* These distances represent the official Ironkids distances, selected by Ironman who is the largest triathlon organization in the world.
On the morning of the student triathlon, there was a clear mix of excitement and nerves among the athletes but all the hard work had been done, it was time to race. It was evident from the swim times the coaching during PE classes this semester had been paying off. So much so that some of the athletes decided to extend their swim to 500-600m.
When the athletes finished the swim, it was on to the bike section of the race. Half of the athletes cycled indoors using our ‘spin bikes’ in our mini studio with the other half cycling outdoors. The course was a 1.1km loop of our campus, a fitting backdrop of such an event. As students finished their cycle, they transitioned to the run. The athletes showed incredible resilience under the ever-warming Xi’an sun but despite the heat, everyone successfully completed their race.
Two days later, it was the XLIS staff’s turn. Distances ranged from sprint distances to half Ironman distances and we even had 3 relay teams.
The first participants started at 05:30 with the final participant finishing their run at 15:00. The atmosphere was electric and the event was designed to promote inclusion with athletes again cycling both indoors in the fitness room and outdoors around the river.
These events were an indication of the value XLIS places on keeping its community members healthy and connected especially through these challenging times.
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Author:
Kevin McGarry (MYP Physical and Health Education Teacher, CAS Coordinator, High School Lead Teacher)
