28th Annual Westchester Triathlon Raises Funds for Charity

Hundreds of amateur and professional athletes will bike, run and swim their way thorough southern Westchester and western Connecticut on Sept. 23 for the 28th annual Jarden Westchester Triathlon.

Jarden, a leading provider of a diverse range of consumer products, has sponsored the event for the last four years, and all proceeds go towards six different charitable organizations:

•  The Blazeman Foundation for ALS
• Challenged Athletes Foundation
• Leukemia & Lymphoma Society/Team in Training
•  MAC Angels
• The Rye YMCA
• The Wounded Warrior Project (WWP)

The Westchester Triathlon itself is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization, and supporter of several organizations, run by a volunteer committee. Participants choose which charity they want to support and can form teams for the charities.

The Triathlon is open to individuals, professional triathletes and challenged athletes. Over 1,500 professional and amateur athletes from around the world are expected to compete in the multi-sport event, which consists of a 9/10ths mile swim in Long Island Sound; a 25 mile scenic bike course; and a 6.2 mile run through Rye. Registration for the race was sold out within 48 hours when it opened online in May. This race is also a qualifier for the popular “Escape to Alcatraz” triathlon.

The event features additional races on Saturday, Sept. 22: the Westchester Kids Triathlon and the Westchester Super Sprint Triathlon, sponsored by Equinox. Approximately 450 children will participate in the kids’ triathlon, which involves a 75-yard swim, two-mile bike ride, and one-mile run for ages 7-10; and a 150-yard swim, four-mile bike ride, and one-mile run for ages 11-14. There are another 50 participants already registered for the Super Sprint for adults, which involves a 300-yard swim, six-mile bike ride, and one-mile run.

For more information and online registration for the Jarden Westchester Triathlon or related events visit: www.westchestertriathlon.org. Now in its 28th year, the Jarden Westchester Triathlon is one of the northeast’s major Olympic distance races, awarding over $10,000 in prize money to male and female winners, as well as generous donations to charitable causes.

Additional premier sponsors have donated both funds and goods and services, including athletic apparel and promotional items. These include: Athleta, Atayne Clothing Company, Captain Lawrence Brewing Company, Coleman, Equinox, Fairway, Fox Five WNWYW New York, Fun Bus, Hickory and Tweed, Hydrive, Jack Rabbit (official NYC Packet Pick up), KIND, Marmot, Pacific Swim Bike Run, Patch, Power Bar, Slow-Mag, the Spiegel Family, Toga Bike Shops, United States Playing Card, Valley Pediatrics, Willett Companies LLC, Zachys, and Zoot. Over the weekend sponsors will be offering their respective products for sale at the on-site Expo.

This is Jarden’s fourth year sponsoring the race and the company has committed to continuing to sponsor the event through 2016.