10,000 children swimming, cycling and running towards one-million pounds

The Schools Triathlon event is the UK’s largest sport fundraising event for children. This year 10,000 pupils from over 150 schools across the UK will be coming together to raise more than 1 million pounds for charity.
By Yelena ZylkoContributor
Published 1st May 2024, 11:45 BST
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10 triathlons take place around the UK over weekends in April and May hosted by the UK's leading schools. Oundle School is generously hosting 1000 young triathletes aged between 7 to 13 on Sunday 12th May.

It is a truly inspiring story of local children supporting thousands of young leaders around the world. The events have raised £3.4 million for charity since 2016, and with the projections for 2024 this will bring the overall total to nearly £4.5 million.

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The series relies heavily on volunteers to help steward the events - around 200 each year. Anyone who is interested in volunteering at the Oundle Triathlon on 12th May should contact the organisers [email protected].

A team crossing the finish line at the 2023 Oundle triathlonA team crossing the finish line at the 2023 Oundle triathlon
A team crossing the finish line at the 2023 Oundle triathlon

Where it all began

The Schools Triathlon was founded in 2015 by two Restless Development supporters: Jim Sewell and Tessa Murray. But Jim and Tessa's history goes back much further. They met as volunteer teachers on a Restless Development programme in Zimbabwe in 1990 when they were just 18.

They stayed involved with the charity with Jim becoming a trustee and Tessa, a committee member. They wanted to develop a way of creating recurring income for Restless Development. Jim then came up with the idea of the Schools Triathlon for children. Jim and Tessa’s continued determination and commitment to this event is why it has become the largest sporting charity event for young people in the UK.

Their friendship spans more than 30 years, during which time they have raised their families and had successful careers. Yet, they have still found the time to pursue what originally felt like a crazy dream - to raise more than £1m a year. This year, that dream is about to become a reality.

If you would like to interview Jim or Tessa about how their dream became the Schools Triathlon we know today, then please email [email protected].

Related topics:Zimbabwe