Wholesome Sweeteners Sugar Tri Kidz Triathlon

Wholesome Sweetners waterbottles were given to all participants.

The first Saturday of fall brought together more than 350 Sugar Land, Texas area kids for a day of biking, swimming and running at the Wholesome Sweeteners 2009 Sugar Tri Kidz Triathlon. As the starter’s gun fired at 8 a.m., family and friends cheered on their favorite participants of the triathlon held at Sugar Creek Country Club.

“More than 350 kids registered for the event making it a sweet success!” says Nigel Willerton, CEO of Wholesome Sweeteners and IronMan Tri-athlete. Nigel competes in Iron Man events in the U.S. and U.K.

“Wholesome Sweeteners has a long tradition of community involvement and we’re pleased to have sponsored this inspiring event,” he said. “We’re parents too. We want our kids to be as healthy and active as they can be. Getting them up and outside was a great start to the day!”

Participants were divided into three age groups. Keeping the age of the participants in mind, the distances were adjusted accordingly:

• 5-7 year olds: 25 yard swim, 1-mile bike, 1/4 mile run
• 8-10 year olds: 50 yard swim, 2-mile bike, 1/2 mile run
• 11-12 year olds: 100 yard swim, 3-mile bike, 1 mile run

Nigel Willerton, CEO of Wholesome Sweeteners and IronMan Tri-athlete.

All athletes completing the race received a medal. Awards were given in each age group as well as to the top three boys and girls finishers. The kids’ race packets included a Wholesome Sweeteners re-usable water bottle printed especially for the occasion.

Before the kids competed on the course, they were competing for individual sponsorships. Each competitor asked friends and family to sponsor them in the race. The Sponsorship Grand Prize was a Mini Dell Notebook Computer, 2nd prize was an Apple iPod and third prize was a gift certificate to Academy Outdoor Sports. All proceeds from the kids’ individual sponsorships will go directly to the SnowDrop Foundation and the CDifferent Foundation.

The Snowdrop Foundation assists patients and families at Texas Children’s Cancer Center through funding for continued research to eliminate childhood cancer and scholarships for college-bound pediatric cancer patients and survivors.

The CDifferent Foundation creates opportunities for visually impaired athletes to participate in athletic events. The foundation’s goal is total integration — not separateness — for blind and visually impaired athletes for the benefit of society in all countries worldwide.