Today Lance Armstrong has announced he is returning to his triathlon roots with hopes to race in the Ironman World Championship race in Kona. Part of his motivation is his new partnership with Ironman that will bring more than $1 million to LIVESTRONG. As part of the partnership, Armstrong will compete as a professional athlete in several Ironman and Ironman 70.3 races this year, including this weekend's Ironman 70.3 Panama triathlon.
Lance, the seven-time winner of cycling's Tour de France, who retired from professional cycling in 2011 to focus on his Livestrong cancer charity tested the triathlon waters back in September of 2011, placing 5th at the XTERRA USA Championship in Utah. Now the 40-year old will make his professional return to triathlon this weekend at the inaugural 2012 Ironman 70.3 Panama race on Sunday, February 12th.
Lance is racing with the goal of qualifying for the Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, on October 13, 2012, and will be competing as a member of Team LIVESTRONG, which is adding Ironman 70.3 Texas, Ironman 70.3 Florida, Ironman 70.3 Hawaii and Ironman France to its endurance events series designed to raise funds for people affected by cancer.
"At 13 years old, Lance got his start in triathlon by racing in the IronKids Series," said Andrew Messick, Chief Executive Officer of World Triathlon Corporation. "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 Ironman 70.3 is good for triathlon."
Through this partnership, Ironman will serve as a gold-level sponsor for the Team LIVESTRONG Challenge Series. Ironman will also donate 1,000 entries to the Ironman and Ironman 70.3 events at which Lance will compete, as well as 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 these events. If you are interested in joining Armstrong at a race in 2012, visit LIVESTRONG.org/RaceWithLance 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.
About LIVESTRONG:
LIVESTRONG serves people affected by cancer and empowers them to take action against the world's leading cause of death. Created as the Lance Armstrong Foundation in 1997 by cancer survivor and champion cyclist Lance Armstrong, the organization is now known publicly by its powerful brand -- LIVESTRONG -- and is a leader in the global movement on behalf of 28 million people around the world living with cancer today. Originating with the iconic yellow wristband, LIVESTRONG has become a symbol of hope and inspiration to people affected by cancer around the world. Since its inception, the organization has raised $450 million for the fight against cancer. For more information, visit LIVESTRONG.org.
