Life Time Fitness Chicago Triathlon Draws More Than 10,500 Participants to Lakefront August 28-29

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--More than 10,500 diverse triathletes, including former Olympians and physically challenged, active military, elite amateur and first-time participants, will compete in the 28^th annual Life Time Fitness Chicago Triathlon on Sunday, August 29.

The world-class international-distance event features a 1.5-kilometer swim along the shoreline in Monroe Harbor to just south of the Yacht Club, a 40-kilometer bike north and south from Randolph to Foster on the inner lanes of scenic Lake Shore Drive, and a 10-kilometer run along Chicago’s lakefront paths and Museum Campus to the race finish line at Columbus, two blocks south of Balbo in Grant Park. A sprint-distance competition includes a 0.75-kilometer swim, 22-kilometer bike and five-kilometer run.

On Saturday, August 28, Foster Avenue Beach will host the Chicago Kids Triathlon presented by McDonald’s. More than 1,000 children ages 7-14 will maneuver the 200-meter swim eight-kilometer bike and two-kilometer run course. Foster Avenue Beach is also the site for Saturday’s FleetFeet Sports SuperSprint Triathlon, a 375-meter swim, 10-kilometer bike and 2.5-kilometer run course open to participants ages 15 and older.

Paratriathlon Challenge

With paratriathlon on track to be part of the 2016 Olympics, this year’s Life Time Fitness Chicago Triathlon will recognize nearly a dozen challenged athletes competing in categories such as Leg Impairment (below-knee amputees) and Visual Impairment (legally blind).

Among the physically challenged athletes competing in the paratriathlon challenge are:

Jean Draper: In 2005, this mom from Arlington Heights, Ill., lost her right leg below the knee in a car accident. She rebounded by doing the New York City Triathlon last year and winning 3^rd place in her division. This led to a triathlon bronze medal win in the ITU World Championships on Australia’s Gold Coast.

Mazen Istanbouli: A blind triathlete and professor from Chicago, along with his guide, Jane Neuman, will be racing in honor of fallen police officer, Thor Soderberg (Mazen’s former trainer/guide), who was tragically killed in July.
Melissa Stockwell, First Lieutenant (retired): A fixture at the Chicago Triathlon for the past four years, Stockwell placed first in her division at the 2009 Chicago Triathlon. As a result of a roadside bomb, she lost her left leg above the knee while serving in the Army in 2004, and is the first female American soldier to ever lose a limb in combat. Stockwell proudly represented the U.S. at the 2008 Paralympics in Greece and previously set an American record in the 400m freestyle during the U.S. Paralympic Team Swimming Trials, held in April 2008.

Diverse Amateur Field

Other incredible stories of amateurs competing in the 2010 Life Time Fitness Chicago Triathlon, include:

Robert Oury: This 73-year-old local resident has competed in every Chicago Triathlon for the past 28 years.
Triple Threat: Alan Carlisle, 80, San Bernadino County, Calif., will join 100 other competitors as part of the Life Time Fitness Chicago Triathlon Triple Challenge, which offers participants the opportunity to partake in all three Chicago triathlon events in a single weekend—the Fleet Feet Sports SuperSprint Triathlon on Saturday and both the sprint-and international-distance events on Sunday—for a total of 68 miles of swimming, running and biking.
First Responders: Approximately 110 participants from the Chicago, Milwaukee and New York Police Departments will compete against firefighters from Chicago, Indiana and Canada, as well as FBI agents from Chicago, Michigan, Tennessee, Texas, Washington D.C., West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Mountain Bike Competitors: Unique to the Life Time Fitness Chicago Triathlon, 48 athletes in the sprint- and international-distance events will complete the bike portion Sunday on mountain bikes, requiring that the tires on each participant’s bike must be at least 1.75” in diameter.
Team in Training: More than 115 Team in Training participants will race after raising $300,000 for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, the official charity of the Life Time Fitness Chicago Triathlon.

The Chicago Triathlon is the fourth race in the 2010 Life Time Fitness Triathlon Series Race to the Toyota Cup. The Series links several of the most prominent international distance triathlons including, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles (October 3), and Dallas (October 10) and offers $353,000 in individual race awards plus a $68,000 Series Bonus. Female and male Series champions also will drive home a 2010 Toyota Prius. As the 2010 Life Time Fitness Triathlon Series Race to the Toyota Cup progresses, participant results and current point standings will be made available at racetothetoyotacup.com, the official website of the Life Time Fitness Triathlon Series Race to the Toyota Cup.

About Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.

Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc. is the marketing, sales, distribution and customer service arm of Toyota, Lexus and Scion. Established in 1957, TMS markets products and services through a network of nearly 1,500 Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealers which sold more than 1.77 million vehicles in 2009. Toyota directly employs nearly 30,000 people in the U.S. and its investment here is currently valued at more than $18 billion. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyota.com, www.lexus.com, www.scion.com or www.toyotanewsroom.com.

About Life Time Fitness, Inc.

Life Time Fitness, Inc. (NYSE: LTM) is a healthy way of life company based in Chanhassen, Minnesota. The Company is dedicated to providing programs and services that help its members connect and engage with their areas of interest, and achieve success with their health and fitness goals. Life Time Fitness designs and operates distinctive, multi-use sports, professional fitness, family recreation and spa/resort centers that help members lead healthy and active lives. As of August 25, 2010, the Company operated 90 centers in 19 states and 24 markets. Additional information about Life Time Fitness centers, programs and services is available at lifetimefitness.com.

For more information about the Chicago Triathlon, visit www.chicagotriathlon.com or follow on Twitter, www.twitter.com/chicagotri.