Saturday in the annual Ironkids event.

The race is Bermuda's oldest junior triathlon and in previous years has attracted as many as 180 children. Race director Charlie Duffy and sponsors Gibbons Company have been planning the event for months and are hoping for a record entry.

While competition for age group titles will be fierce, the emphasis remains on participation. Seven to 10 year olds will compete over a 100 metre swim, 2.5 mile cycle and half mile run while the 10-14 year-olds will swim 200 metres, cycle five miles and run one mile.

An added highlight this year will be a tiny tots race for ages three to six and an adult race for beginners, both over short distances.

Leading the way among the older juniors will be 14-year-olds Chris Conway and Brian Steinhoff, both of whom will represent Bermuda at the British National Championships in August.

Conway qualified in his last race for the Bermuda national 13-15 team and Steinhoff, although disappointing in his first two races this season, is reaching the kind of form that saw him put together a string of good results last season.

Both juniors have recorded top 10 finishes racing against Bermuda's senior triathletes.

Matthew Herring and Adam Petty will start as strong favourites in the boys 13 and 12 year-old divisions respectively and should be close behind Steinhoff and Conway. The boys 11-year age group should see a close finish between Tyler Abbott, Geoffrey Smith and Chayce Smith with Geoffrey Smith a slight favourite.

Among the older girls, Ashley Robinson Roberts will start as clear favourite to take overall honours in the 11-14 age group. Fourteen-year-old Roberts has placed well all season and is making great strides as she prepares for the British championships.

Her closest challenger could well be 11-year-old Flora Duffy who continues to race well against the older girls and was second to Roberts in the recent Pirate's Port Triathlon.

The 12-year-old age group should see a close finish between Chelsea Burns and Chloe Kempe with Burns hoping that her swimming speed will give her a sufficient lead over Kempe who may be the fastest girl runner in the race.

It will be no surprise if Ashley Kirkpatrick and Melissa DeSilva are involved in another sprint finish for the girls 13-year-old title as less than a second has separated them in nearly all races during the past two seasons.

However, they will first have to get past Robyn Dickinson who, despite recent illness and injury, will still be tough to beat. All three of these 13-year-olds will be travelling to the British Championships.

The younger age groups are becoming increasingly competitive as 63 juniors now train regularly with the Tri Hedz triathlon club. Nine-year-old Emily Rowe and Lianna Lambert (10) finished within 40 seconds of each other in their last race and they will start as favourites to win their age groups as well as for overall seven to 10 female honours.

Ashley Fox and Laura Ruse should take the seven and eight-year-old girls titles respectively. The overall winner of the seven to 10 age group could come from any one of a group of talented junior boys, all of whom should finish within 30 seconds of each other.

Andrew Nichol (9) and Raishun Burch, 10-year-olds Mathew Godfrey and Alistair Melvin and eight-year-olds Tim Fox and Justin Collis all have a realistic chance of taking both age group honours and the overall win. However, Nichol's running ability may again be a telling factor as it was in the Pirate's Port event.

Newcomer Brendan Doyle and Marc Smith are the favourites for the boys seven-year-old title.

To add to the day's events, a barbeque will be held to raise funds for Bermuda's Special Olympians and there will be a draw prize for all participants for two bikes.

Entry forms are available from Gibbons Financial Services on Reid Street or from Sportseller and Winners Edge Bike Shop. The entry deadline is 5.00 p,m, on Thursday. Queries should be directed to Neil de ste Croix on 292-6528 before 9 p.m.

Chris Conway: among the favourites in this weekend's Ironkids event.