Jason crossing the starting line of Ironkids. — Photos: Ironman Malaysia
“JIAYOU, jiayou!” Despite the deafening cheer from onlookers lining the final stretch of Ironkids Desaru Coast 2023 last month, all 12-year-old Jason Nurtanio had in mind was ice cream.
“He had been chanting ‘ice cream, ice cream’ non-stop for the second half of the 1.9km run course, and when he refused to run, I had to pull and remind him about the ice cream that was supposedly waiting for him at the finish line,” says his mother, Endang Irawati.
The 41-year-old mother-of-two from Surabaya, Indonesia was the only parent allowed to run with her child. Born with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Jason was the only special needs participant in the race, part of the 2023 Desaru Coast Multisport Festival held in Desaru Coast, Johor.
“He has the mind of a 10-year-old,” says Endang who has been living in Johor Baru for the past eight years with husband Mario Johan Nurtanio and their 15-year-old daughter.
Ironkids saw almost 100 children aged seven to 15 participating in the non-competitive kid’s version of Ironman, where these young triathletes swim, bike and run in kid-friendly distances.
Jason receiving his medal and cold drink from event volunteers, with his mother Endang.
Ice cream and medal
Jason has taken part in running events with his mother, the latter taking up running as a way to keep up with Jason’s hyperactive nature and impulsiveness. “He enjoys the festivities but what he loves the most are the medals and goodie bags,” she adds.
Since Jason is capable of all three disciplines, Endang decided it was time to enrol him for a triathlon.
They missed the cut-off date last year so this year, she made it a point to register early but only told Jason about it on race day.
“I did not want him to get too excited since he loves going out. So, I briefed him on the day’s plans and told him that he would swim, cycle and run and get a medal and a goodie bag for his efforts,” she says.
Of the three disciplines, Jason loves swimming the most, so much so that he refused to get out of the water when he reached the finish line. Unfortunately, he was refused to complete the cycling leg as Endang forgot to bring his helmet.
“Jason may not excel academically but I hope with him participating in these races, he can be an inspiration not only to other special needs kids but to their parents too,” Endang concludes.
Loh and wife Vong with their young triathletes Ivan (left) and Jayvan. — LOH CHEE SENG
Triathlon trio
Before Loh Chee Seng, 47 could race his second triathlon at the Ironman 70.3, his two sons – Ivan, 12 and Jayvan, eight – beat him to it when they crossed the finish line of Ironkids held two days earlier.
What made it an even sweeter celebration for the family was that it was the boys’ first Ironkids and Ivan’s fourth triathlon.
“It was my wife’s idea to get the boys into triathlon even though she has never participated in any,” says Loh, adding that his 46-year-old wife, Vong Chwee Chin is a casual runner.
“The boys were excited as it would be their first Ironkids, but anxious knowing that there would be more crowd,” he adds.
Thankfully, their sports-loving engineer parents have made running and swimming as family activities while the boys cycle on their own around their home in Cyberjaya.
First-time Ironkid Jayvan sprinting towards his first open sea swim.
While regular exercises prepared the boys for the race, Loh and Vong prepared them mentally by encouraging and giving pointers on the do’s and don'ts.
“This is especially for swimming as it's done in the open sea with current and waves. We were nervous for Jayvan as it was his first open sea swim but he managed to push through despite initial hiccups,” he says.
Loh says the brothers compared results but they’re aware that they raced in different categories. "They were both happy with their achievements and of course with the medals and souvenirs,” Loh says, adding that they want to join more races in future.
Shahariz and wife Dr Nur Yazmin with daughters Sarah (left) and Sofia. — SHAHARIZ AZIZ
All in the family
Teen triathlete Sarah Shahariz, 17 was a constant face cheering participants of three races held during the festival.
She cheered her younger sister Sofia, 10 racing in the Ironkids, for her mother, Dr Nur Yazmin Yaacob for the 5150 Triathlon and for her father Shahariz Aziz, who completed Ironman 70.3.
“I thought it would be fun to have the family involved and since the races were held on different days, we could take turns cheering each other on together with Sarah,” says Shahariz.
The family's interest in triathlon started when the 48-year-old banker started to dabble in the sport with his 47-year-old radiologist wife a few years ago.
He began to instil the interest in his young daughters for them to pick up grit, perseverance and determination. “Sarah did the Putrajaya Triathlon six years ago, and now we got Sofia involved too,” he says.
Sofia Shahariz pushing through the race despite an injured wrist.
To prepare her, Sofia had a combination of structured training on technical aspects by a triathlon coaching company combined with her parents’ coaching for all three disciplines.
“She found it intimidating at first. It was not easy to wake up at 6am on Sunday for the classes, but we found ways to motivate her and once the classes started, her motivation went up,” Shahariz says.
Sofia, he adds, really enjoyed the race experience – crossing the finish line, hearing her name being called, earning her medal and posing for victory pictures.
“But we could not have been prouder of her when she picked herself up immediately after a fall in the bike leg that injured her right wrist, and carried on the rest of the race with true determination,” says Shahariz.
“The training session could be gruelling, but the thrilling experience the race gives makes it worthwhile,” says Shahariz, hoping that Sofia continues to enjoy the sport.
