2018 IRONMAN LAKE PLACID | CELEBRATING 20 YEARS
To commemorate the 20th year of IRONMAN® Lake Placid, the IRONMAN Foundation® will distribute more than $110,000 in charitable giveback to non-profit initiatives and groups in the greater Lake Placid region in conjunction with the 2018 IRONMAN Lake Placid triathlon taking place on Sunday, July 22. This year’s grant funding brings the total giveback to more than $1.6 million in the region since inception.
“It’s an honor to support so many incredible local community organizations and causes,” said Sarah Hartmann, acting Executive Director for the IRONMAN Foundation. “Together we are creating a tangible and lasting impact in Lake Placid. It will be a highlight to celebrate with the community and offer athletes and their families two service project opportunities during race week.”
The IRONMAN Foundation Community Fund provides community and volunteerism grant opportunities to non-profit organizations where IRONMAN events are held. In 2018 the IRONMAN Foundation will distribute more than $1.7 million in grant funding to support the needs of IRONMAN race communities. Community grants will be awarded to 27 organizations within Lake Placid and the surrounding areas. The grantees include:
- Adirondack Wildlife Inc.
- Ausable River Association
- Educational Opportunity Fund for The Lake Placid Central School District
- Essex County Sheriff’s Office Benevolent Fund, Inc.
- I WILL Foundation
- Keene Public Library
- Lake Placid Community Beautification Association, Inc.
- Lake Placid Cross Country Team
- Lake Placid Essex County Quality Destination, Inc.
- Lake Placid Outing Club
- Lake Placid PBA
- Lake Placid Village, Inc.
- Lake Placid Volunteer Ambulance Service
- Lake Placid Volunteer Fire Department
- Lake Placid/Wilmington Connecting Youth and Communities Coalition, Inc.
- Little Peaks Preschool
- Morrisonville-Schuyler Falls Volunteer Ambulance Service
- New York Conservation Officers Association
- North Country SPCA
- NYS Trooper Foundation
- Outbackriders Inc.
- Town of Black Brook
- Town of Jay
- Town of Keene
- United States Luge Association
- Village of Lake Placid Fire Department
- Wilmington Fire and Rescue
20 Years of IRONMAN Lake Placid presented by the IRONMAN Foundation
To celebrate the 20th year of the event, the IRONMAN Foundation will host a special “20 Years of Lake Placid” reception to honor the event’s founders and key stakeholders. Notable attendees include Graham Fraser, a pioneer who put IRONMAN events on the map in North America, two-time IRONMAN Lake Placid Champion, IRONMAN World Champion and IRONMAN Hall of Famer Heather Fuhr, and New York City Firefighter Matt Long. In 2005, Long was struck by a 20-ton bus as it was making an illegal turn. After more than five months in the hospital and 40 operations, he finished IRONMAN Lake Placid in 2009. A silent auction will showcase entries into select IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3® events, hotel stays, VIP packages and various commemorative items. Proceeds from the auction will provide additional giveback to the local community.
Service Projects
The IRONMAN Foundation will partner with the Lake Placid Outing Club to host a water safety and stand-up paddle boarding clinic for local youth on Thursday, July 19 at 9AM at Mirror Lake as part of IRONMAN Lake Placid race week. The service project will conclude with a paddle-board race for the children as they put their newly acquired skills to the test. The Lake Placid Outing Club will be presented with 10 mountain bikes through the Bike for a Kid program, as well as a $4,000 Community Grant to be used to support their mission in empowering youth through wilderness activities.
“We are excited to have the opportunity to work with the IRONMAN Foundation on this community service project,” said Dave Balestrini, Chairman of the Board at Lake Placid Outing Club. “Local kids will greatly enjoy and learn from this experience. The Lake Placid Outing Club is also grateful for the continued support of the IRONMAN Foundation as it allows us to reach more youth in our community and expand the experiences that we are able to offer them.”
Bike for a Kid presented by FLO Cycling
Additionally, the IRONMAN Foundation, in partnership with FLO Cycling, will host a “Bike for a Kid” pop-up service project in the IRONMAN Village on July 19 and July 20. IRONMAN Lake Placid athletes, along with their families and friends, are invited to visit the IRONMAN Foundation booth to assemble a bike for local kids in need. A total of 50 bikes will be built and distributed to children within the region including several active duty military families through a partnership with Blue Star Families, providing a tangible link between athletes and the host race community.
For more information on the IRONMAN Foundation, please visit www.ironmanfoundation.org.