The long awaited 'Ace the Race’ triathlon, aquathlon and fun fair kicked off on 3rd December at Ladies' College. This event was record breaking as it was possibly Sri Lanka's largest multi sporting event organised to-date. With a total of 1279 athletes, we had 356 teams take part in a day of fun sports and fellowship. The oldest participant at the event was 83 years of age, with the youngest participant being just 4 years old.
It was an early start for the committee and organisers, as we assembled in school by 4 am. Some vendors had set up the night before, while some of the event partners had pulled an all-nighter as well. The day's schedule that followed after 4 am was executed to perfect timing. The opening ceremony commenced at the pool with the National Anthem, School hymn and prayer by the Chaplain. A loud cheer in true LC spirit, set the tone for the morning while the familiar sounds of the 'horanawa' and drum roll witnessed the OGA President Mrs. Roshanara Page flag off the event while the very first Triathlon participant in the 11-12 aged category swam her first length.
The triathlon and aquathlon was completed ahead of the scheduled time, and indicated a perfectly planned and executed event. The participants enjoyed their engagements as for most of them it was a first time experience and the team efforts taken by their parents, grandparents, friends, work colleagues, and batch mates further added to the overall emotional experience of the event for them.
The fun fair that followed, included stalls from 71 vendors and the 5000 or so patrons that visited the fair were treated to some fabulous edibles and a wide variety of products ranging from cane to batik, Christmas decor, natural drinks, handcrafts, kids toys and cosmetics etc. The kids corner had a bouncer and some fabulous games that kept the little ones engaged for hours. Most of the school kids had not experienced an old school fun fair in their time and it was an all new experience for many.