The IRONKIDS participants show their competition numbers as they pose with the Sinulog queen on the eve of the event at The Mactan Newtown in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu.

Youngsters take center stage ahead of the iron-willed men of endurance racing as they clash for top honors in four age-group divisions in the IRONKIDS Philippines reeling off Saturday at The Mactan Newtown in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu.

A total cast of 222 sets out for the swim-bike-run competition over varying distances in each race category of the junior version of the IRONMAN, all eager and ready to get going after being sidelined for a long while due to pandemic.

The centerpiece 13-14 class drew 54 entries, including 37 boys, in a race set over over 400-m swim, 12-km bike and 3-km run.

The 6-8 group will be held over the 100m, 2km bike and 1km run distance; the 9-10 bracket will feature 200m swim, 6km bike and 1.5km run, and the 11-12 category is slated over the 400m swim, 6km bike and 2km run.

Action starts at 5 a.m. for the transition open and race briefing with the 13-14 category firing off at 6 a.m. to be followed by the 11-12 side at 6:40 a.m., the 9-10 group at 7:20 a.m. and the 6-8 division at 8 a.m., according to the organizing The IRONMAN Group/Sunrise Events, Inc.

The 11-12 side includes 25 boys and 20 girls while 40 participants mix it up for the 9-10 trophy, including 23 girls. The 6-8 field features 14 boys and 15 girls.

Meanwhile, over 2,000 entries from 46 nations are all primed for the Megaworld IRONMAN 70.3 Philippines presented by AIA Vitality unwrapping tomorrow, also at The Mactan Newtown, where the stakes are high and the test a lot tougher than past IM staging given a new, refreshed 1.9 km swim, 90km bike and 21k run racecourse.

That includes the bike route featuring the country’s newest longest bridge (the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway, an 8.9 km toll bridge freeway in Metro Cebu linking the city and Cordova.

Spicing up the weekend of fun and bonding in a shared experience is the IRONKIDS relay competition, which features the 6-10 category set over 100-m swim, 3-km bike and 1-m run, and the 11-14 age division to be disputed over 200-m swim, 6-km bike and 1.5-km run.

The 6-10 side has six teams while 12 squads are clashing for top honors in the 11-14 division of the event long considered as the spawning ground of triathlon talents.

The relay events will start at 7:20 a.m. with the awards rites set at 8:30 a.m.