Modern Pentathlon Challenge

The Modern Pentathlon Challenge is our touring activity that brings the physiology of sport to school students and families. Using a Nintendo Wii and an exercise machine, participants can simulate the running and shooting event in the Olympic Modern Pentathlon. Kit from ADInstruments monitors breathing and heart rate. Physoc Members are on hand to describe the physiological changes that are happening, and provide further information about how The Society supports education.

Ultimately we aim to engage with young people and their parents about the relevance of physiology to their everyday lives, and give them an idea of the sorts of careers that could follow a degree in physiological sciences.

We first ran a version of the Modern Pentathlon Challenge at the national Big Bang Fair in 2010, as the "Winter Biathlon Challenge". In 2011 we ran the Modern Pentathlon Challenge in its current format. That year, Olympic gold medallist Stephanie Cook was on hand to help draw visitors in and provide an insight into the life of an Olympic athlete. To find out more about this event you can read the report.

This year the Modern Pentathlon Challenge has been at the Brighton Science Festival in Feburary, The Big Bang Fair (National and South-West) and Science in Norwich Day in March. It will also be part of the "Hands (and feet)-on at the Hunterian: sports medicine technology" event at the Royal College of Surgeons in August.

The Modern Pentathlon Challenge was devised by Dr Valerie Gladwell at the University of Essex. The activity has been formatted to be run by any of our Members. For information about how to go about this and for printed resources, please contact outreach@physoc.org.

Attachment: 

Big Bang Report

The Modern Pentathlon Challenge Info Sheet.pdf