LaFONTAINE BREAKS 12-HOUR MARK IN FLORIDA
IRONMAN TRIATHLON
Hockey Hall-of-Famer's team raises $65K+ for
CiC Foundation
PANAMA CITY, FL, November 4, 2006 - NHL Hall of
Famer, Pat LaFontaine tackled difficult weather
conditions to complete the Ford Ironman Florida
Triathlon in just under 12 hours (11:54:05)
today. His team of "Companions in Courage" also
raised more than $65,000 for the CiC Foundation.
This was the fourth Ironman Triathlon that
LaFontaine has entered and completed, and it was
his toughest one yet. When the athletes entered
the Gulf of Mexico, the air temperature was near
40 degrees. A steady chop on the water and
strong currents made that leg quite difficult.
The athletes transitioned to the bike ride and
were met with 15-20 knot head winds for the
first 60 miles. "I left a lot on the course
during the first two legs." LaFontaine admitted.
But he drew on the strength of the young kids in
children's hospitals to grind out the final leg.
"I kept telling myself this was an easy day," he
said, "compared to what some of these kids go
through."
The former NHL star was joined on the Companions
in Courage team by John Ward, Doug Partrick,
Bill and Doreen Isenberg of Long Island. The
group participated with more than 2,400 entrants
as they swam 2.4 miles in the Gulf of Mexico,
bicycled 112 miles, and finished with a full
26.2 mile marathon. The time limit for the
entire event is 17 hours.
The top finisher in the 2006 Ford Ironman
Florida Triathlon was Jan Raphael of Hanover,
Germany with a time of 8:22:44. The top female
finisher was Bella Comerford of Scotland in a
time of 9:28:28.
As a special bonus, the Companions in Courage
team was also able to raise money to support the
foundation's efforts to build interactive game
rooms in children's hospitals. The Janus Capital
Group of Denver manages the Janus Charity
Challenge for the Florida Ironman Triathlon. The
Challenge is unique in that there is no
designated beneficiary - participants choose to
raise funds for the 501(c)(3) nonprofit
organization they are most passionate about.
Janus inspired athletes to raise more than $1
million for their favorite charities and also
contributed an additional $54,000 that was split
among the top-50 fundraisers in the event.
Friends of Companions in Courage Foundation are
encouraged to visit the triathlon team's website
at
http://www.active.com/donate/Ironman2006
for more information on how you can still
contribute.
"Janus is proud to continue to offer this
exceptional program because it engages more
people in meeting the critical needs of their
communities. The incredible commitment of
athletes like Pat LaFontaine is a true testament
to the caliber of Ironman athletes, and only
helps to drive more awareness and support for
vital nonprofit organizations throughout the
country." said Janus sponsorship marketing
manager, Casey Cortese. You can track the
results of all the members of Team Companions in
Courage at
www.ironmanlive.com.
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