The University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) is sponsoring this year’s IRONKIDS Wales event on September 10 as part of its collaborative partnership with IRONMAN Wales.
The partnership, which also includes sponsorship of the IRONMAN Wales volunteer programme, will provide opportunities for students and staff to collaborate with IRONMAN on areas related to the University’s portfolio including sports, health and wellbeing, tourism, hospitality, events management as well as film and media. It will also provide opportunities for applied research including the possibility of undertaking impact studies and reports to inform IRONMAN Wales in its business planning and future strategy.
The IRONKIDS event offers young athletes the opportunity to feel the excitement of competition while enjoying the outdoors and promoting healthy living. The University is an integral part of its local community collaborating with partners to make a positive contribution to the region and its citizens in a variety of ways.
Professor Wendy Dearing, Dean of the Institute of Management and Health at UWTSD said: “The University is delighted to develop its collaboration with IRONMAN Wales, one of the world’s most prestigious triathlon brands, by sponsoring IRONKIDS Wales. The University recruits a large number of students from Pembrokeshire and this partnership will enable us to work with IRONMAN Wales to provide a range of educational opportunities in communities across the county.
“In anticipation of IRONMAN Wales’s 10th anniversary in 2022, which is the year we celebrate our bicentenary, we have integrated a range of activities across our portfolio to provide applied learning opportunities for our students.”
Rebecca Sutherland, IRONMAN Wales Race Director added: “We are very excited about the continued partnership with UWTSD and the opportunities that will come from working closer with the students and the community.”
IRONMAN Wales, which takes place on September 11, is renowned as much for its toughness as for its spectacular location with athletes competing in an endurance triathlon involving a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile cycle race around South Pembrokeshire and 26.2 mile run around Tenby.
Jacqui Jones, Programme Manager for International Events, Tourism and Leisure Resort Management programmes at UWTSD said: “We have been collaborating with IRONMAN Wales since its inception in 2011 to provide a wealth of experiences for our tourism and event students. As well as guest lectures this has already led to excellent internship and volunteer opportunities helping our students develop exciting careers in tourism and events. It’s wonderful to now develop the partnership to include IRONKIDS providing additional opportunities across the UWTSD Group for students and staff to further academic engagement with such an inspirational event.”
The partnership will also benefit from the University’s specialist High Performance Training facilities located at its Carmarthen campus. Staff and students who have competed in the event have also benefitted for training and exercise plans and assessment from the University academic staff including physiologist Dr Peter Herbert.
Gwilym Dyfri Jones, Provost of the University’s Carmarthen campus said: “The partnership with IRONMAN Wales aligns well with the expertise and disciplines offered on the campus in relation to the Wales Academy of Health and Physical Literacy, the Creative Industries as well as Sustainability within rural contexts. We look forward to developing the relationship over the coming years to provide opportunities for our own students and staff but also to the wider community”.
UWTSD is also supporting the first-ever stand-alone World Triathlon Para Series event in Swansea on Saturday, August 6, and the inaugural IRONMAN 70.3 Swansea triathlon, which will take place on Sunday, August 7.
