Posted: April 5, 2006

Triathlon: Adopt-an-Ironman at Ford Ironman Arizona

An Ironman triathlon is one of the most grueling events in the world of sport, and one of the most inspiring. The event features a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike, and a 26.2-mile run (a full marathon) all in succession. The Adopt-an-Ironman that has been developed by Ford Ironman Arizona helps to bring schools closer to the event and its athletes by educating students on the benefits of leading a healthy and fit lifestyle. Research has shown that participation in sports leads to improved physical, mental and social well being as well as a positive self-image and good citizenship. The focus of the Adopt-an-Ironman is to improve health while developing positive personal characteristics in terms of discipline, courage, integrity, fairness and respect.

In the Adopt-an-Ironman program each participating classroom will be paired up with an Ironman athlete who is competing this year in Ford Ironman Arizona. This activity program begins with the first visit of the athlete to the classroom and ends with the “Ford Ironman Arizona Kids Fun Run on April 8th (the day before Ironman) in downtown Tempe. Athletes will share with the class how they train for an Ironman event and help them to plan the activities that they will participate in during the program. Each student uses an activity log form to keep track of the number of hours of activity they have completed. Children who complete the most hours of activity are given Ironman gear. All children who run in the “Kids Fun Run” are awarded a medal to recognize their achievement.

This is the first year for the Adopt-an-Ironman program at Ford Ironman Arizona and it has been well received by teachers and students in the area. For more information on this program please log onto www.ironmanarizona.com.

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