MIZUNO HOST INSPIRATIONAL TRAINING DAY FOR LOCAL SCHOOL CHILDREN Pupils from Antrim Primary School enjoyed a day of cross country training at the picturesque venue of CAFRE, Greenmount Campus in Antrim. The event-held on Friday 5th December, was organised by Mizuno and Athletics Northern Ireland, and saw current National Cross Country Champion and Mizuno sponsored athlete – Tom Humphries, coach the children and advise them on the best cross country techniques.
The training event was a great opportunity for the budding athletes to develop their cross country skills ahead of the 32nd Antrim IAAF International Cross Country Races on 3rd January 2009. The event, which is sponsored by Mizuno and also held at CAFRE, Greenmount Campus, is one of the largest and most popular events in the Northern Ireland athletics sporting calendar. Over 1,000 competitors take part in 12 races throughout the day for different age groups, including the Under 13’s for the primary school children.
Julian Moorhouse from Mizuno Corporation (UK) commented:
“The International Cross Challenge is one of the leading cross country events in the UK and Mizuno are delighted to continue our association with the event. We are well positioned as a leading global sports brand to help develop all forms of running and cross country is often the first introduction to running for youngsters”.
The training day on Friday 5th December was a great success despite the wet weather, and the children enjoyed learning new running techniques and participating in races with Tom Humphries and his coach Keith Holt, who is also manager of the England Cross Country Team. Both were clearly an inspiration to the children, and taught them valuable lessons about cross country running, including the importance of warming-up, stretching, co-ordination and also how to choose the correct shoe for different surfaces.
As a technical running brand, Mizuno shoes are tailored for various surfaces and conditions, and also cater for junior runners with their Crusader and Nexus range. The latest addition to the leading technical sport’s manufacturer’s portfolio is the gender specific trainer, offering different technology and different trainers for males and females.
Mizuno understand the importance of introducing children to sport at a young age, so the training event with Tom Humphries and the series of UK challenges will greatly assist in encouraging young people to get involved with athletics across the country.
For further information about all Mizuno products, visit www.mizuno.eu
For more information on the Antrim IAAF visit the dedicated section.