IRONMAN Foundation to Provide Continued Support with Hurricane Maria Recovery Efforts at 2020 IRONMAN 70.3 Puerto Rico
More than $50,000 raised to support local recovery efforts with service project scheduled for race week
TAMPA, Fla./SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (March 11, 2020) – The IRONMAN Foundation® will return to Puerto Rico for continued Hurricane Maria recovery efforts in conjunction with the IRONMAN® 70.3® Puerto Rico Presented by Discover Puerto Rico triathlon, which will be held on March 15, 2020. The support includes a large-scale service project in partnership with Fundación Buena Vibra and Parceleras Afro-Caribeñas por la Transformación Barrial (PATBA), where more than 60 athletes and volunteers will help improve a community center in Barrios Saint Just and San Antón on Monday, March 16.
“IRONMAN is about creating a sense of community, and through the support and generosity of our athletes and partners, we are honored to return to Puerto Rico to support ongoing recovery efforts,” said Sarah Hartmann, Executive Director of the IRONMAN Foundation. “It’s a privilege to support the inspiring and innovative work of our nonprofit partners. We look forward to welcoming athletes and volunteers who are traveling from around the world to ‘Race for Puerto Rico’ and participate in our hands-on community service initiatives.”
Service Projects and Grant Awards
On Monday, March 16, athletes and volunteers will return to Barrios Saint Just and San Antón for a day of community impact in partnership with local nonprofit partners Fundación Buena Vibra and PATBA. The volunteers will work in teams to create a public space and fruit forest in the green spaces that surround La Conde, a school that was closed because of Hurricane Maria and converted to a community center. In addition, volunteers will assemble care packages for women, men and children. Migrant Health Centers, Inc. will distribute the care packages throughout the island of Puerto Rico, including areas impacted by the recent earthquakes.
“At Fundación Buena Vibra, we feel proud to take part in the amazing initiative that is IRONMAN Foundation Volunteer Day. This time around, we’ll be working alongside a group of inspiring, powerful women that are making an impact through PATBA. We believe that joining forces is the winning formula to achieve great things for our people and our communities,” said Emil Medina, President of Fundación Buena Vibra.
Registration for the service project is available until March 14 at www.ironmanfoundation.org/puertorico.
Mapenzie Nono, president of PATBA, emphasized her excitement over the collaboration. “For PATBA, it is an honor to receive IRONMAN Foundation support again to continue advancing our Social Justice proposal in the community center of La Conde. Our plan for the Volunteer Day is to create public green areas and a fruit forest for artistic programming as well as culinary and holistic health spaces. These projects will impact generations for years to come and make San Antón a model of sustainability.”
Grants will be awarded to the service project partner organizations: Fundación Buena Vibra and PATBA. Funding was raised by donations to the Humanitarian Relief Effort campaign, as well as the TEAM IMF athletes participating in the IRONMAN 70.3 Puerto Rico Presented by Discover Puerto Rico triathlon. Grant recipients will be recognized at the IRONMAN 70.3 Puerto Rico awards ceremony on Sunday, March 15.
Race Week
At the IRONMAN 70.3 Puerto Rico race expo on March 13 and 14, Women For Tri®, a program of the IRONMAN Foundation will host local cosmetology students from National University College who will braid the hair of female athletes (“battle braids”) in preparation for Sunday’s race. Women For Tri introduces women to the sport of triathlon, helping to overcome barriers to entry through the leadership of first-timer initiatives, engaging their community of women in local races, leveraging their position as triathlon influencers through social media campaigns and the continued building of the Women For Tri global social community of more than 58,000 women.
Additionally, the IRONMAN Foundation will collect items for inclusion in the care packages that will be distributed by Migrant Health Centers, Inc.
Participating athletes:
- Kyrsten Sinema, U.S. Senior Senator from Arizona and chair of the Women For Tri Advisory Committee, a program of the IRONMAN Foundation that seeks to increase female participation in the sport of triathlon.
- Sam Cardona, a New York City-based triathlete, IRONMAN Foundation Ambassador Alumni and native of Puerto Rico. He is an accomplished fitness professional, athlete and coach, an IRONMAN finisher and a former member of the elite U.S. Army Light Infantry who trained with the 10th Mountain Division.
- Kristopher Pinnow, a Winston-Salem, N.C. based triathlete and IRONMAN Foundation Ambassador. His parents, along with many friends and family members currently live on the island of Puerto Rico. Since becoming a triathlete at the age of 47 in 2017, he has lost over 100 pounds and aims to motivate others to make a positive change in their lives.
For more information on IRONMAN and the IRONMAN Foundation, please visit www.ironman.com and www.ironmanfoundation.org. Media related inquiries should be directed to press@ironman.com.
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About Fundación Buena Vibra
Fundación Buena Vibra helps local non-profits or social impact entities in Puerto Rico with the coordination of logistics and production of their events. Our organization fosters alliances with donors and local non-profits, in turn promoting the inclusion of socio-cultural elements to help empower local communities. We serve as a conduit for non-profits or local impact entities to collaborate with donors, residents and citizens to positively impact communities in Puerto Rico.
About PATBA
PARCELERAS AFROCARIBEÑAS POR LA TRANSFORMACIÓN BARRIAL (PATBA) Is a community-based nonprofit (501c3) organization composed of Afro-Caribbean women promoting cultural, educational, recreational and ecological management in order to empower our neighbors in the San Antón & Saint Just communities of Carolina, Puerto Rico. We seek to create a safe space and promote knowledge-sharing about imperative matters related to civil rights, land, water, education, sustainability and democratic processes.
About Women For Tri
Women For Tri®, a program of The IRONMAN Foundation launched by IRONMAN in 2015, works to increase female participation at all levels of triathlon. The program seeks to identify and diminish primary barriers to entry and mobilize triathlon advocates to encourage and engage female athletes across all race distances and representing all athletic abilities. Since inception, over $300,000 in grants have been awarded to triathlon clubs supporting female participation initiatives. Women For Tri embodies the heart and soul of what makes the sport so rewarding: testing your ability, overcoming challenges, and realizing the full depth of your potential in the most widely recognized test of endurance – triathlon. Learn more at www.womenfortri.com and join the Women For Tri online community of 58,000+ female triathletes at www.facebook.com/groups/WomenForTri.
About the IRONMAN Foundation
The IRONMAN Foundation creates positive, tangible change in race communities by engaging athletes and volunteers to participate in programs that demonstrate service through sport and commitment to community. Since 2003, over $50,000,000 has been provided through giveback programs led by the IRONMAN Foundation to more than 9,500 local, regional, national and global nonprofit initiatives. Through these partnerships, IRONMAN and Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series participants are powerfully linked to the community and together help leave a positive legacy behind in race communities long after event day. For more information on IRONMAN Foundation programs, including Team IMF, Community Fund, Rock This Town®, Your Journey Your Cause, and Women For Tri, visit www.ironmanfoundation.org.
About The IRONMAN Group
As part of Wanda Sports Group, The IRONMAN Group operates a global portfolio of events that includes the IRONMAN® Triathlon Series, the IRONMAN® 70.3® Triathlon Series, 5150™ Triathlon Series, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series®, IRONKIDS®, ITU World Triathlon Series, premier running events including the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon™ and The Sun-Herald City2Surf® presented by Westpac, Ultra-Trail® World Tour events including Tarawera Ultra and Ultra-Trail Australia™, mountain bike races including the Absa Cape Epic®, road cycling events, and other multisport races. The IRONMAN Group is the largest operator of mass participation sports in the world and provides more than a million participants annually the benefits of endurance sports through the company’s vast offerings. Since the inception of the iconic IRONMAN® brand and its first event in 1978, athletes have proven that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE® by crossing finish lines around the world. Beginning as a single race, The IRONMAN Group has grown to become a global sensation with more than 235 events across 55+ countries. For more information, visit www.ironman.com.
About Wanda Sports Group
Wanda Sports Group (Nasdaq: WSG) is a leading global sports events, media and marketing platform with a mission to unite people in sports and enable athletes and fans to live their passions and dreams. Through our businesses, including Infront and The IRONMAN Group, we have significant intellectual property rights, long-term relationships and broad execution capabilities, enabling us to deliver unrivalled sports event experiences, creating access to engaging content and building inclusive communities. We offer a comprehensive array of events, marketing and media services through three primary segments: Mass Participation, Spectator Sports and Digital, Production, Sports Solutions (DPSS). Our full-service platform creates value for our partners and clients as well as other stakeholders in the sports ecosystem, from rights owners, to brands and advertisers, and to fans and athletes. Headquartered in Beijing, China, Wanda Sports Group has more than 60 offices and 1,600 employees around the world.