Posted: April 19, 2006

Triathlon: Ironman Announces 2006 eBay Auction

Tarpon Springs, FL (April 18, 2006) – World Triathlon Corporation, owners of the Ironman brand, embarks on the 2006 eBay auction, the fourth of its kind, designed to benefit various charitable organizations. Over the last three years, the Ironman Foundation has raised more than $1 million for the construction of the first YMCA facility in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.

This year’s eBay auction will begin on Sunday, April 23 at 12 p.m. EST with six coveted slots to the 2006 Ford Ironman World Championship. The auction will have six phases with one slot available per week. The minimum bid for slots to the world’s most challenging endurance event will start at $10,000.

Three charitable organizations that will benefit from this year’s auction are C Different, The Pediatric Cancer Foundation and the Daniel Robert Sayre Memorial Foundation. Details on each organization are outlined below:

• C Different was created to inspire visually impaired people around the world to lead active and healthy lives, to educate the public about the visually impaired and change the perspective people have about the visually impaired.
• The Pediatric Cancer Foundation is dedicated to funding research to eliminate childhood cancer worldwide. The Foundation has granted more than $2.2 million in grants and recently launched a national collaborative research initiative called The Sunshine Project, which will accelerate the development of new drugs and therapies that will lead to an increased survival rate in as short a time as possible.
• The Daniel Robert Sayre Memorial Foundation was founded to honor the life of Daniel Sayre who passed away after suffering a fall while hiking on Hawaii’s Big Island. Although valiant rescue attempts from the fire rescue team were unsuccessful, Daniel’s parents realized the importance of recognizing those employed by fire, rescue and emergency organizations.

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In addition to the opportunity to compete at the 2006 Ford Ironman World Championship, winners will also receive private athlete registration in Kona and four VIP packages, including race-day passes and invitations to the race week functions.

Funding for the eBay auction does not have to come from one source, fundraising efforts are acceptable. According to Ironman’s President and CEO Ben Fertic, all funds are tax-deductible and all proceeds go to the Ironman Foundation which will in turn make donations to charitable organizations. Ironman covers all administrative costs to ensure all monies raised will directly benefit the selected charities.

Once the auction is officially underway, a link will be made available on www.ironman.com to ensure easy access. For more Ironman-related information, contact Blair LaHaye at blair@ironman.com or at 727-942-4767 x207.

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