Wigan Schools Triathlon bigger and better!

In just its second year, the Wigan Schools Triathlon is proving to be a huge success, attracting Year 5 to Year 8 pupils from 44 schools across the Borough.

The triathlon, held at Leigh Sports Village last Thursday, 07 July, saw young triathletes participate in swimming at Leigh Indoor Sports Centre, cycle around the stadium and complete laps around the athletics track. Despite the poor weather conditions all participants performed excellently and finished the event. Standish St Wilfred's were the winners of the Primary Schools Triathlon, with St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High School winning the Year 7 event and Shevington High School finishing first in the Year 8 triathlon.

The event, organised by Wigan Tri Club in partnership with Wigan School Sport Partnership, has grown significantly since the inaugural competition in 2010, increasing from just a Year 7 triathlon to include Year 5 to 8, as a result of a successful funding bid from the Cultural Olympiad.

Speaking on the success of the event, Lesley McGreevy, Partnership Development Manager for Wigan School Sport Partnership said, "Everyone involved was keen to make the event a success and provided unrelenting support to accommodate the event requirements. We were able to introduce new schools to the triathlon and the facilities at Leigh Sports Village were perfect for this event. We now look forward to planning next year's event!"