WHO'S WORLD OF FANTASY WILL YOU DIVE INTO NEXT?

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The Sprint Battle #1, a race born out of the need for safe riding for kids aged between 2 and 16 years while evaluating the sprinting skills taught at the Academy by Duo-Bearings Africa.

Think about it this way: one race, many participants, two racers per heat, two lanes, one start line and one finish…all on a distance of not more than 100m!

Awesome, right? And in order to clinch the podium, one needs to dominate the field and set the shortest time in their category.

And that’s what they did.

At the race briefing, each participant was asked to select a racing card at random (just like when asked to collect a card from a deck) which would determine who their first opponent would be.

A structured warm up followed where they attempted the race against their chosen opponent in order to have an idea of what sprinting was and what they would have to do to get to the finish line first. Also, it would introduce the skill of sprinting to those who had no idea of what it was…

Then, it started朗.

The age categories (of the day) were 4-5 years, 6-8 years, 9-10 years, 11-12 years and 15-16 years. Between you and me, a race’s plan can change on the day of the race depending on the number of participants.

And thus, each participant would have at least two attempts out of which the shortest time taken would be taken as their official time. Oh, and being the first race of that kind ever, the shortest times in each category would set the course records. And indeed they were…

These were the times:
Lucky Kirira – (2-4 years) Boys – 24″.64
Zahra Moctar – (2-4 years) Girls – 15″.40
Ibrahim Moctar – (7-8 years) B – 14″.34
Anika Ouko – (7-8 years) G – 16″.18
Kibore Kairu – (9-10 years) B – 13″.41
Lisa Njoki – (9-10 years) G – 17″.81
Jairaj Pattni – (11-12 years) B – 14″.47
Kyla Muringo – (11-12 years) G – 13″.11
Sean Wachira – (15-16 years) B – 10″.44

The next Sprint Battle will be in June and the final race in September. And I think now you can guess why this one was dubbed #1.

As the race organiser, I was pleased with the turnout and how the event proceeded. Having started last year in September (2020), my team and I have been on a learning curve, and the race on Saturday was a glimpse of the fruits we’ve been toiling for.

The online registration, which was our first ever, made the entire event that much smoother, especially on the morning of registration.

Oh, and as a bonus, each participant who was punctual earned an extra 5 points thus giving them an even greater fighting chance for the Champion’s Title in September (at the close of our competitive season.

Our next race in the calendar is the KR-ITT Series on 18th April 2021 at Theta Hotel. It features both adults and children, and this year’s race series will have a little of a twist.

On behalf of my team, Duo-Bearings Africa, I would like to congratulate each and every participant who took part in the race as well as the parents who made time to either drop their children or accompany them to the race. In such an event, the participants are the most important persons as they make the race a reality. Without them, the race is nothing. At the same time, the support played by family and society in the sport cannot be downplayed, and thus I tip my hat to those who made the effort. Kudos.

Here are the final results of the day:
Seda Ouko – (2-4 years) B – DNR – 5 points

Lucky Kirira – (5-6 years) B – 24″.64 – 55 points

Zahra Moctar – (5-6 years) G – 15″.40 – 55 points

Amani Akama – (5-6 years) G – DNR

Ibrahim Moctar – (7-8 years) B – 14″.34 – 55 points

Marcus Munene – (7-8 years) B – 15″.40 – 45 points

Anika Ouko – (7-8 years) G – 16″.18 – 55 points

Hera Oluoch – (7-8 years) G – 16″.37 – 45 points

Shantall Oparanya – (7-8 years) G – 17″.82 – 30 points

Kibore Kairo – (9-10 years) B – 13″.41 – 55 points

Joe Kahungura – (9-10 years) B – 16″.85 – 45 points

Lisa Njoki – (9-10 years) G – 17″.81 – 55 points

Jairaj Pattni – (11-12 years) B – 14″.47 – 55 points

Kyla Muringo – (11-12 years) G – 13″.11 – 55 points

Sean Wachira – (15-16 years) B – 10″.44 – 55 points

Thuo Kairo – (15-16 years) B – 11″.56 – 45 points

Well done