Lance Armstrong Foundation to raise US$1 million in Ironman partnership
Posted by By Gary Roethenbaugh at 9 February, at 13 : 29 PM Print
The Lance Armstrong Foundation has today announced a new partnership with Ironman (World Triathlon Corp, (WTC)) to raise more than US$1 million for people affected by cancer. Under the new fundraising initiative Lance Armstrong, cancer survivor, champion cyclist and the Foundation’s founder and Chairman, will compete as a professional athlete in several Ironman and Ironman 70.3 races this year.
Armstrong will compete at events including Ironman 70.3 Panama, Memorial Hermann Ironman 70.3 Texas, Ironman 70.3 Florida, Ironman 70.3 Hawaii and Ironman France. Armstrong is racing with the goal of qualifying for the Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, on 13 October 2012. He will be competing as a member of Team LIVESTRONG, which is adding these Ironman races to its endurance events series designed to raise funds for people affected by cancer.
“I am grateful to Ironman for partnering with LIVESTRONG to raise funds and awareness for people affected by cancer,” said Armstrong. “In my career as an athlete and as a cancer advocate, I’ve learned that progress demands partnership, but it’s not without a struggle.
“And that’s what Team LIVESTRONG is about – it’s about purpose, it’s about challenge and it’s about empowering survivors to fight like hell. There’s progress to be made with cancer and we invite anyone up for the challenge to join Team LIVESTRONG.”
“At 13 years old, Lance got his start in triathlon by racing in the IronKids Series,” noted Andrew Messick, Chief Executive Officer of Ironman brand owner WTC. “At 16 years old, he went pro and was considered a star in our sport. At only 18, he was racing against the best triathletes in the world: Mark Allen, Dave Scott and Scott Molina. We are happy to have him return to our sport. Lance is a fierce competitor and his involvement with Ironman and 70.3 is good for triathlon.”
This latest commitment by Armstrong and Team LIVESTRONG is a major fundraising initiative. Choosing to work with the iconic Ironman brand, after many years of speculation about whether Armstrong would ‘go long’, also represents a major boost for the continued popularization of triathlon across the globe.
Through this partnership, Ironman will serve as a gold-level sponsor for the Team LIVESTRONG Challenge Series. As a sponsor, Ironman will provide 1,000 entries to the Ironman and Ironman 70.3 events at which Lance will compete, as well as donate four Ironman World Championship slots in 2012 and 2013 to be auctioned with proceeds going directly to LIVESTRONG.
Team LIVESTRONG has a limited number of entries for the selected Ironman events and people interested in joining Armstrong should visit www.TeamLIVESTRONG.org for more information. Athletes who are already registered for one of these Ironman or Ironman 70.3 events can still race as part of Team LIVESTRONG. General entry is also still available for each of these events and can be accessed at www.ironman.com.
A number of former and current stars of long-distance racing have added their thoughts on this new development…
“Lance’s involvement at perhaps the toughest one-day event in all of sport sheds light on what surviving cancer can mean to millions around the world,” said Scott Tinley, two-time Ironman World Champion and Ironman Hall of Fame Inductee.
“I remember Lance as a determined kid who channeled that competitive spirit into an amazing career as a cyclist, survivor and advocate for survivors of a horrible disease. A partnership between LIVESTRONG and Ironman will further improve the lives of people affected by cancer. People need to realize that Lance’s foundation represents the use of sport to improve our world. There are only positive things that can come from having Lance join the Ironman family.”
“Lance is an exceptional athlete; he’s the type of person who wants to excel and be the best at whatever he puts his mind to,” said Chris Lieto, multiple Ironman and Ironman 70.3 champion. “I’m excited to see how his participation in our sport will draw attention to what it takes to be a triathlete and how challenging it can be. It will definitely bring triathlon more into the mainstream and I know pro athletes, including myself, will look forward to racing with him in future events.”
“It is exciting to see Lance Armstrong, one of the greatest-ever endurance athletes, coming back to race triathlons in 2012,” added Craig Alexander, three-time Ironman World Champion and two-time Ironman 70.3 World Champion.
Related Posts
-
17 May at 10 : 01 AM 0
Endurance Films to expand Racing Team
-
16 May at 13 : 38 PM 0
iLeads app leads the way at DealerCamp
-
16 May at 09 : 33 AM 0
Campagnolo new 2013 products unveiled
-
14 May at 19 : 51 PM 0
Aquadraat Sports in global deal as Official Water of Ironman
