A record 174 entries, up from 160 last year, have been received so far for the event which takes place at the United States Naval Air Station in St. David's.

Included in the list are several past winners, including Elisha Miller, Kris Hedges and Laura Farge.

A fierce battle can be expected in the Boys 14 bracket where Hedges will be pitted against Craig Ferguson, runner-up to Hedges last year, and William Massey.

Miller had things virtually her own way in the 11-year-old category last year, but could face more pressure this time.

Meanwhile, Farge and Abigail Madeiros will be two of the main contenders in the Girls 13 category.

But yesterday race organiser Greg Hopkins noted that winning was not what the event was all about.

"The whole idea is participation and having fun,'' said Hopkins, a multiple winner of the Bermuda Individual Triathlon. "The distances are set so that any normal child can do it without training.

"Our motto is that `everyone's a winner'.'' Hopkins was worried by the fact that 115 kids had signed up in the 7-10 year age bracket, while only 59 were registered for the 11-14 category.

He said that a way had to be found to prevent children from falling by the wayside as they reached their teens.

"It seems as if the kids drift away and get into other things, which is a shame,'' said Hopkins. "It's something that we're concerned about and that we're trying to counteract ourselves.

"Something is definitely happening to the 13 and older age group, where children are not getting involved. The figures speak for themselves.'' As a means of providing an event specifically for this group the Junior National Championships was created last year and although only 12 athletes took part Hopkins said they would go ahead with a second race this year on June 25.