Working to raise more than $1 million to help people with physical challenges succeed in sports and in life, thousands of spectators will come to Scripps Park in La Jolla Cove Sunday, Oct. 18, for the 22nd annual Aspen Medical Products San Diego Triathlon Challenge, hosted by San Diego-based Challenged Athletes Foundation. The all-day event marks the conclusion of a weekend full of events that help connect challenged athletes and their families to each other and their supporters through swimming, cycling, running, walking and celebrating life. Funds raised over the course of the weekend will allow the foundation to continue providing adaptive sports equipment, training and competition expenses to challenged athletes around the world and to support the organization’s mentoring programs and schedule of annual, free mobility and swim clinics. During Sunday’s signature triathlon, more than 200 challenged athletes will compete side by side with 500 able-bodied athletes through the signature “challenge” distance triathlon course in La Jolla Cove – a one-mile swim, 44-mile bike ride and 10-mile run. More than 175 people will also be participating in the 24 Hour Fitness Tour de Cove, a 4 1/2-hour stationary cycling marathon, and the Kaiser Permanente Thrive-5K Fitness Walk. The schedule is as follows:
7 a.m. – Parade of Athletes, including introduction of legends, celebrities, challenged athletes and recent Paralympians
8 a.m. – Swim start for triathlon
9 a.m. – Start of the 24 Hour Fitness Tour de Cove
10 a.m. – Philadelphia Insurance Kids Run for Challenged Athletes
11:15 a.m. – Kaiser Permanente Thrive-5K Walk The Challenged Athletes Foundation is regarded as a world leader in helping people with physical challenges lead active, healthful lifestyles. The foundation believes that participation in physical activity at any level increases self-esteem, encourages independence and enhances quality of life. Since 1994, more than $67 million has been raised, and more than 11,000 funding requests from people with physical challenges in all 50 states and dozens of countries have been satisfied. Additionally, the foundation’s outreach efforts reach another 60,000 individuals each year. To learn more, visit challengedathletes.org or call (858) 866-0959. To follow the San Diego Triathlon Challenge on Twitter, go to @CAFoundation or #BestDayInTri. Aspen Medical Products, a foundation sponsor for 15 years, is a leader in the development of innovative spinal braces designed to offer pain relief, patient comfort, motion restriction and stabilization. Aspen’s commitment to clinical research is unparalleled in the orthotics community and has impacted product development resulting in effective spinal orthotics. To learn more, visit aspenmp.com.