Ironman Louisville is ready to go Sunday

The sixth edition of Ironman Louisville is set go in America’s 16^th largest city – Louisville, Kentucky.

The race features an Ohio River swim, a bike that takes athletes through the Kentucky countryside and sprawling horse farms, and a marathon run past the historic Churchill Downs and into an exciting downtown Louisville 4^th Street finish.

Professional Start List

Men

1 Chris McDonald AUS

2 Patrick Evoe USA

3 Mike Hermanson USA

4 Thomas Maliszewski III USA

5 Daniel Bretscher USA

6 Richard Wygand BRA

7 Thomas Gerlach USA

8 Bojan Maric YUG

9 Ed Donner USA

10 Yeun Sik Ham KOR

11 Yong Taek Kim KOR

12 Robert Wade USA

13 Jared Woodford USA

14 Timothy Beardall AUS

15 Peter Kotland USA

16 Andrew Hodges USA

17 Ivan Albano BRA

18 Reinaldo De Oliveira BRA

19 James LaMastra USA

20 Jason Shortis AUS

Women

26 Nina Kraft  GER

27 Jessica Smith USA

28 Tatiana Vertiz MEX

29 Bree Wee USA

30 Amanda McKenzie AUS

31 April Gellatly USA

32 Terra Castro USA

33 Jackie Arendt USA

THE IRONMAN FOUNDATION GIVES BACK TO LOUISVILLE

The IRONMAN Foundation provides $60,000 to the Louisville, Kentucky community as part of the 2012 IRONMAN Louisville race

The IRONMAN Foundation® Community Fund strengthens the IRONMAN Legacy in Louisville by giving $60,000 in grant funding to nonprofit groups in the local community. The IRONMAN Foundation’s contribution, a part of the 2012 IRONMAN Louisville race, will provide funding to support local needs and initiatives throughout the community.

The IRONMAN Foundation will give two major grants as part of the 2012 IRONMAN Louisville Presented by Norton Sports Health, taking place on Sunday, August 26. The first will benefit the Louisville Sports Commission to support the funding of sporting events within the community. The second grant will contribute to the Oldham County Fiscal Court to fund its participation initiatives for its mini-triathlon and to support youth-based athletic programs in Oldham County.

In addition to allocating funds back into the Louisville community, The IRONMAN Foundation also provides athletes with the platform to fundraise for a nonprofit beneficiary of their choice as they train for their IRONMAN race. More than 28 athletes have signed up to participate in The IRONMAN Foundation’s “Your Journey, Your Cause” program for this weekend’s event. These athletes have been touched by something greater than themselves and are fundraising to make their journey to become an IRONMAN finisher, a race for a cause. Together, they have collectively fundraised more than $40,000 for their respective causes.

For more information on IRONMAN and The IRONMAN Foundation, please visit www.ironman.com and www.ironmanfoundation.org.

New Event, IronKids Louisville Fun Run Presented by Kosair Children’s Hospital, to be Held on Saturday, August 25

Norton Sports Health will sponsor the 2012 IRONMAN Louisville on Sunday, August 26. The IRONMAN triathlon consists of a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and-26.2 mile run.

As it has in previous years, Norton Healthcare and its nurses and physicians will also set-up and manage the athlete immediate care and medical area at the Kentucky International Convention Center. The IRONMAN Louisville immediate care area is the largest temporary emergency care facility outside of hospital emergency rooms in Kentucky.

A new event is being added to this year’s lineup UnitedHealthcare IronKids Louisville fun run presented by Kosair Children’s Hospital. Presented by Kosair Children’s Hospital, the UnitedHealthcare IronKids Louisville fun run presented by Kosair Children’s Hospital will take place on Saturday, August 25 at 10 a.m. on the Great Lawn of Waterfront Park. IronKids is open to youth athletes, between the ages of 3 and 15. Registration will be located on the Great Lawn on race morning from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. More information can be found at www.ironkids.com. A fee of $10 is required for IronKids participants.

IRONMAN Louisville presented by Norton Sports Health, will begin at 6:50 a.m. on Sunday, August 26 on the Great Lawn of Waterfront Park. The swim will take place in the Ohio River. The bike course takes riders through the City of La Grange and Oldham County while the run course takes athletes past the waterfront, University of Louisville campus, Churchill Downs and many of Louisville’s historic neighborhoods. The race will finish at Fourth Street Live! in downtown Louisville. IRONMAN Louisville presented by Norton Sports Health will serve as one of the worldwide qualifying events for the 2012 IRONMAN World Championship. For more information about IRONMAN or IRONMAN Louisville, please visit www.ironman.com or www.ironmanlouisville.com.

“We are thrilled to be involved with IRONMAN Louisville this year and are even more excited to be part of a new event focused on health and wellness for the youth in our community” says Jon Cooper, System Vice President, Surgical & Orthopedic Services for Norton Healthcare. “As a leader in orthopedic and sports medicine, it is our goal to help athletes get back in the game. We are looking forward to providing area athletes this opportunity by sponsoring the IRONMAN and IronKids events in Louisville now and in future years.”