The IRONMAN Foundation has announced a partnership with Sika Henry, the USA’s first Black female professional triathlete, and HOKA to build awareness and expand outreach in support of the Race For Change initiative.
‘In partnership with HOKA, the IRONMAN Foundation and Sika Henry will work to identify and remove participation barriers within the sport of triathlon that impact Black and other diverse athlete groups.’
Henry will serve as an ambassador for Race For Change and work with the IRONMAN Foundation to develop community outreach engagements in conjunction with various 2022 Race For Change events associated with IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 races.
Participating events include: Certified Piedmontese Beef IRONMAN Tulsa triathlon, Maytag IRONMAN 70.3 Steelhead triathlon, St. Jude IRONMAN 70.3 Memphis triathlon, and Sunbelt Bakery IRONMAN 70.3 Chattanooga Presented by McKee A Family Bakery triathlon.
In addition, the elite triathlete will take part in a social media campaign aimed at connecting with young athletes and those aspiring to compete in IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 races. Additional details surrounding the 2022 Race For Change events will be announced at a later date.
“I am very happy to support the IRONMAN Foundation’s Race For Change initiative,” said Sika Henry. “I hope to extend and welcome more diverse athletes to our sport who have previously encountered barriers that prevented them from participating.
“Throughout my journey to become a professional triathlete, I’ve worked hard to be someone others can look up to and who does something with my story. I am deeply passionate about making the sport more accessible, and I hope my story can inspire others to develop the skills necessary to complete any distance.
“Together, with the IRONMAN Foundation we can bring more people to the sport that I love so much.”
Race For Change was launched in 2020 by the IRONMAN Foundation and The IRONMAN Group with an initial pledge of US$1 million to support programming. The objective is to ensure equity for athletes in the sport of triathlon and the communities where IRONMAN athletes and first-time hopefuls live, train and race.
“Through Race For Change, we are teaming up with diverse communities to collaborate on how to best remove participation barriers from our sport at the grassroots level in order to recognize, empower and sustain diverse competitor involvement long term,” said Audra Tassone-Indeck, Executive Director of the IRONMAN Foundation.
“As a part of IRONMAN, the largest and most prestigious triathlon race series in the world, we must lead diversity advocacy efforts to welcome more diverse people into the sport as we collectively empower the next generation of great competitors, coaches, and history-makers.”
With the goal of leading diversification and growth of the sport, the IRONMAN Foundation has also assembled a Race For Change external advisory council consisting of industry professionals. The members of the external advisory council include:
- Sam Cardona, triathlete, co-founder of Keep It Simple Coaching and assistant coach for TriLatino Triathlon Club;
- Mike Ergo, co-founder of the Gold Star Initiative, an IRONMAN Foundation Ambassador, and a USMC veteran;
- Lindsay Hiken, triathlete, and co-founder of the Ginger and Chocolate podcast;
- Kebby Holden, triathlete and founder of Coeur, a women’s cycling, and triathlon company and community;
- Tina James, Senior Corporate Social Responsibility professional and 15-plus year community relations veteran;
- Rahsaan Johnson, Managing Director of Sponsorships and Inclusive Partnerships at United Airlines; and
- Carrie Tollefson, elite middle-distance runner, and host of the C Tolle Run podcast.
“We are extremely fortunate to have a strong group of individuals that represents the breadth and depth of the triathlon community as our external advisory council to also pair with Sika Henry as our ambassador,” continued Audra Tassone-Indeck.
“Their collective insights and real-world counsel will be invaluable as we work to make meaningful changes in our great sport.”
www.ironmanfoundation.com/raceforchange
