Ben Kanute and Angela Naeth Claim Titles at Columbia Threadneedle Investments Boston Triathlon

Close to 2000 Athletes Turned Out to Compete in 10th Annual Event

2016 Olympian Ben Kanute leads the elite wave of athletes at the 2018 Columbia Threadneedle Investments Boston Triathlon at DCR Carson Beach (Photo: Adam Glanzman for Getty Images)

BOSTON--()--As Boston celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Columbia Threadneedle Investments Boston Triathlon, a summer storm forced the cancellation of the swim leg, turning the triathlon into a duathlon. 2016 Olympian Ben Kanute captured the title of Top Male athlete in today’s race while 2015 North American Ironman Champion Angela Naeth captured the title of Top Female athlete. Naeth also first won the title in 2016. Kanute finished with a time of 1:29:08, 1 minute 35 seconds faster than Matthew Alford, the second place male finisher, while Naeth finished in 1:43:03, 59 seconds ahead of second place finisher Kim Webster.

Approximately 2000 athletes representing 42 states and 15 countries competed in the Columbia Threadneedle Investments Boston Triathlon. The USA Triathlon-sanctioned event took place at the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation’s (DCR) Carson Beach in South Boston. Boston’s only triathlon featured both an Olympic distance and a Sprint distance race. With the cancellation of the swim leg, athletes began the race with a 2K run on the beach before cycling along the DCR William J. Day Boulevard, and running through Joe Moakley Park.

“Over the past 10 years, The Columbia Threadneedle Investments Boston Triathlon has grown to become a signature event in Boston, a force for good in the city and an event that makes a positive impact on the community,” said Michael O’Neil, president of the Boston Triathlon. “Despite the weather, today’s event was one of our best yet. This event brings together athletes of all ages and abilities by creating a race that draws professional athletes and first time triathletes from Boston and across the country. We look forward to continuing to grow here in Boston.”

More than 150 athletes raced in support of Boston Medical Center (BMC), the event’s official charity partner. To date, athletes and corporate partners have raised almost $75,000 toward their goal of $100,000 for BMC’s adolescent, young adult and adult addiction programs at the Grayken Center for Addiction, which serves as the umbrella for all of BMC's work in addiction treatment, training, research and prevention.

“It’s inspiring to see so many people come together, pushing themselves physically and emotionally, and helping raise funds and awareness for addiction. Many thanks to all of the participants, volunteers and friends and families who made this event successful. Columbia Threadneedle is honored to take part in such a great event,” said Ted Truscott, chief executive officer of title sponsor Columbia Threadneedle Investments.

In addition to the events today, hundreds of athletes under the age of 15 headed to South Boston on Saturday, July 21, 2018 for Kids Day at the Boston Triathlon. The day featured the USA-Triathlon Kids Splash-and-Dash event for athletes ages 7-15 and the Kids Fun Run for all athletes under the age of 7. Youth groups from across the city took part, including the South Boston Leadership Initiative and Youth Enrichment Services (YES), a nonprofit organization based in Boston that provides Boston’s youth with year-round outdoor enrichment and leadership programs.

The Columbia Threadneedle Investments Boston Triathlon is supported by Columbia Threadneedle Investments, Unit Nutrition, Normatec, Kicking Horse Coffee and Michelob Ultra. For more information, visit www.bostontri.com.

About the Boston Triathlon

The Columbia Threadneedle Investments Boston Triathlon is the only triathlon to take place in the City of Boston. The race draws athletes from all around the world, the country, the state and the city of Boston. Each summer, athletes descend on the South Boston waterfront for two days of racing. Now in its 10th year, the Columbia Threadneedle Investments Boston Triathlon is a fixture in the community, with Olympic and sprint distance triathlons, the Boston Corporate Cup competition and an all-ages Kid’s Day. The race is produced by ethos, a mass participation event organization created to bring athletes together through challenging and unique sporting events. ethos also produces the Lobsterman Triathlon in Freeport, Maine. For more information about the Columbia Threadneedle Investments Boston Triathlon or to register, visit www.Bostontri.com.

About Boston Medical Center:

Boston Medical Center is a private, not-for-profit, 487-bed, academic medical center that is the primary teaching affiliate of Boston University School of Medicine. It is the largest and busiest provider of trauma and emergency services in New England. Committed to providing high-quality health care to all, the hospital offers a full spectrum of pediatric and adult care services including primary and family medicine and advanced specialty care with an emphasis on community-based care. Boston Medical Center offers specialized care for complex health problems and is a leading research institution, receiving more than $117 million in sponsored research funding in fiscal year 2016. It is the 13th largest recipient of funding in the U.S. from the National Institutes of Health among independent hospitals. In 1997, BMC founded Boston Medical Center Health Plan, Inc., now one of the top ranked Medicaid MCOs in the country, as a non-profit managed care organization. It does business in Massachusetts as BMC HealthNet Plan and as Well Sense Health Plan in New Hampshire, serving 290,000 people, collectively. Boston Medical Center and Boston University School of Medicine are partners in the Boston HealthNet – 14 community health centers focused on providing exceptional health care to residents of Boston. For more information, please visit http://www.bmc.org.

About Columbia Threadneedle Investments:

Columbia Threadneedle Investments is a leading global asset manager that provides a broad range of investment strategies and solutions for individual, institutional and corporate clients around the world. With more than 2,000 people, including over 450 investment professionals based in North America, Europe and Asia, we manage $495 billion1 of assets across developed and emerging market equities, fixed income, asset allocation solutions and alternatives.

Columbia Threadneedle Investments is the global asset management group of Ameriprise Financial, Inc. (NYSE: AMP). For more information, please visit columbiathreadneedle.com/us. Follow us on Twitter.

1As of December 31, 2017

Contacts

Callanan & Klein Communications
Erin Callanan, 617-905-6866
erin@callananklein.com

Contacts

Callanan & Klein Communications
Erin Callanan, 617-905-6866
erin@callananklein.com