Four Ironman athletes visited the British School of Bahrain and met Junior and Senior students for an exciting session explaining the rigours of the Triathlon race scheduled to take place in Bahrain on December 7. The students, many of whom are BSB athletes, learnt about the race, which is made up of a 1.9km swim, followed by a 90km bike ride that includes the Bahrain International Circuit and ends up with a 21.1 km run course.
The four athletes were Daniela Ryf of Switzerland, a 4-time Ironman world champion and 5-time Ironman 70.3 world champion and Jan Frodeno from Germany, an Olympic triathlon gold medalist and 3x Ironman world champion. From Australia were Ashleigh Gentle, World #2 ranked ITU triathlete, and Chloe McCardel, winner of the fastest High Tide Swimmer and gold medal winner of the fastest swimmer in the world in 2016, amongst many other titles.
The students enjoyed the opportunity to ask the athletes questions like how old they were when they started, how many years it took them to get so fit, longest swim, years of training and other matters. Daniela told the students she’d been training for 20 years, every day once or twice or sometimes 3 times! Jan, said, “Every year we swim about 1100 km and cycle 15,000-20,000 km and run about 4500km.”
An important question was “How did you balance your sports career and school?” Daniela admitted that it was a bit difficult when she was young but then realised school is also important. When asked for advice, Jan told them to “Pick a dream” and Ashleigh said to always “enjoy what you are doing and keep working hard to achieve your goals”. Daniela agreed and told the children, “Don’t be afraid of big challenges…you might surprise yourself.”
The Triathlon Event is the Fifth IRONMAN event in the Middle East and the official IRONMAN 70.3 Middle East Championship, IRONMAN 70.3. This race offers 75 qualifying slots for the 2020 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Taupõ, New Zealand.
The British School of Bahrain (BSB) was established in 1995 and follows the English National curriculum. Over nearly a quarter-century it has evolved and grown considerably and today it is one of the most sought-after schools in Bahrain and a proud member of Inspired, a leading global premium schools group operating on five continents. The school’s credo is to place the student at the centre of their own education, as expressed in the school’s vision: Excellence, Responsibility, Individuality.