Round the Bays to help young Olympian hopefuls

AUCKLAND secondary students at lowdecile schools will have the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of Olympic Games triathlete Hayden Wilde through financial support from Ports of Auckland Round the Bays.

To mark its upcoming 50th anniversary, the iconic Kiwi fun run has created a youth sports fund of $50,000 – donating $10,000 for five years to enhance young people’s health and fitness ambitions.

Round the Bays has named Hillary Outdoors as its first recipient, and the $10,000 cash boost will be used to offer two low-decile Auckland schools the first step towards the North Island regionals of the Hillary Challenge through a two-day training camp for year 11 to 13 students. The fund will also cover the cost of entering the North Island regionals for the two teams of 20.

Two low-decile schools will be chosen by Hillary Outdoors, providing for eight competitors and two reserves in each team for a weekend boot camp that covers all facets of the national competition.

It is an event that can be transformational, says Wilde, pictured showing off his bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympic Games this year. At age 14, he was a member of the Trident High School team that made the national finals in 2012, and he competed again at Tongariro in 2014. ‘‘Hillary Outdoors cemented my love for racing,’’ Wilde says. ‘‘I hope it spurs on the participants as much as it did me.’’

Each regional event sees up to 240 students from year 11 to 13 competing as teams in running/trekking, mountainbiking and rogaining, as well as teamwork and problem-solving tasks.

‘‘People are empowered to do extraordinary things by growing through adventure and connecting through participation. So we are incredibly grateful to have been chosen to receive this first-ever fund,’’ Hillary Outdoors chief executive Hillary Campbell says. Round the

Bays is supported by Stuff Events, a division of Stuff, which also owns the Sunday News.