NHL Hall-of Famer Pat LaFontaine completes
the 2004 Ironman Florida Triathlon for charity
By: Shane Facteau November 7, 2004
PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla.- NHL Hall-of-Famer Pat
LaFontaine (Lloyd Harbor, N.Y.) completed the
2004 Ironman Florida Triathlon held on Saturday,
Nov. 6 in Panama City Beach, Fla.
Considered one of the most grueling events in
all of sports, an Ironman Triathlon consists of
a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike and a complete
marathon (26.2 miles) all run in succession.
Athletes have 17 hours to complete the event.
LaFontaine is one of the top U.S.-born hockey
players to ever compete in the National Hockey
League, being named to the NHL All-Star team six
times during his career with the New York
Islanders, Buffalo Sabres and New York Rangers.
Forced to retire at only the age of 31 due to
recurring concussions,
LaFontaine was elected to the NHL Hall of Fame
in 2003.
LaFontaine, who finished the event in thirteen
hours, six minutes and 49 seconds, was racing
for charity through the Janus Charity Challenge
program. LaFontaine, Pete Smith (Huntington,
N.Y.) and Bob DeAngelo of (Greenwich, Conn.) all
raced and completed the grueling event, raising
more than $33,000 for Companions in Courage, a
charity that LaFontaine founded.
LaFontaine raised money through the Janus
Charity Challenge program, a program that has
seen more than $8 million dollars raised for
U.S. nonprofit groups over the past three years
at Ironman North America events. Athletes
competing in Ironman Florida raised more than
$615,000 for non-profits throughout the United
States.
Janus Capital Group, a Denver-based investment
management firm is the presenting sponsor of
Ironman North America events in the United
States. They created the Janus Charity Challenge
to encourage athletes to use Ironman North
America events as a vehicle to raise money for
their favorite nonprofit organizations.
The goal of Companions in Courage (LaFontaine's
charity) is to build interactive playrooms in
children's hospitals throughout North America.
Through innovative communications tools, these
playrooms will replace the isolation of a
hospital with a connection to family, friends
and celebrities during their hospital stay. The
initial 'Lion's Den Room' (as the rooms are
called) just recently debuted at Maria Fareri
Hospital in Westchester, N.Y. For more
information or to donate, visit www.cic16.org./
To make a donation or sign up for the Janus
Charity Challenge, or for more information, log
onto www.januscharitychallenge.com.
2,122 athletes competed in the Ironman Florida
triathlon, which took place for the sixth time
in Panama City Beach, and is one of only five
Ironman events in the continental United States.
Athletes were vying for 100 qualifying spots to
the 2005 Ironman Triathlon World Championship
held on October 15 in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, as
well as a $50,000 pro prize purse.
For more information on the Ironman Florida
triathlon, log onto www.ironmanflorida.com.
Pat LaFontaine Race Splits at the 2004 Ironman
Florida Triathlon:
Swim (2.4 miles)-1:29:37
Bike (112 miles)-6:30:11
Run (26.2 miles)-4:39:56
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