The Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF), a world leader in creating athletic opportunities for individuals with physical disabilities, is proud to announce that for the first time in North America, prize money will be offered at a Paratriathlon Championship. Male and females in all six Paratriathlon classes will compete against each other for a $4,500 prize purse at the Accenture Challenged Athletes National Championship held during the New York City Triathlon on Sunday, July 8, 2012.
"We are very excited to team with Accenture and Korff Enterprises to present the Accenture Challenged Athletes National Championship," said Virginia Tinley, CAF's Executive Director. "Our mission is to provide unique sporting opportunities to physically challenged individuals, and in doing so, to educate and inspire the general community. This event does all of those things, and introduces an exciting new format that will enable the 'best of the best' male and female paratriathletes to rise to the forefront."
To identify the winners, male and female "par" scores have been developed for each of the six Paratriathlon classes. The individuals who come closest to – or beat – these targeted times will be declared the winners. Prize money will be awarded to first ($1,000), second ($750) and third ($500) place to the overall male and female finishers. The par scores for each category will be posted on the NYC Triathlon website at www.nyctri.com.
"Accenture is committed to the Challenged Athletes Foundation and their approach to helping people with physical challenges succeed in both sports and life," said Cathinka E. Wahlstrom, New York managing director for Accenture. "We look forward to sponsoring this event for the seventh consecutive year and commend all the high performing athletes who sign up for the competition."
To ensure that challenged athletes across the United States and around the world have the opportunity to participate in this unique race, CAF will offer travel stipends of up to $1,000 in travel support to 15 qualified challenged athletes. Individuals can apply for these grants through the CAF website and will be chosen at the discretion of CAF. For more information, please visit www.challengedathletes.org/AccentureNationalChampionship.
To register for the Accenture Challenged Athletes National Championship, please contact Allie Otto at Korff Enterprises: Allie@korffenterprises.com or call 212.691.9086.
About the Challenged Athletes Foundation
The Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) is a world leader in helping individuals with physical challenges get involved – and stay involved – in sports. CAF believes that participation in sports at any level increases self-esteem, encourages independence and enhances quality of life. Since 1994, more than $30 million has been raised and almost 5,000 funding requests from challenged athletes in all 50 states and dozens of countries have been satisfied. Whether it's a $2,500 grant for a handcycle, helping underwrite a carbon fiber running foot not covered by insurance, or arranging enthusiastic encouragement from a mentor who has triumphed over a similar challenge, CAF's mission is clear: give those with the desire to live active, athletic lifestyles every opportunity to compete in the sports they love. To learn more, log on to www.challengedathletes.org or call 858-866-0959.
About Accenture
Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with more than 244,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Combining unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive research on the world's most successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. Through its Skills to Succeed corporate citizenship focus, Accenture is committed to equipping 250,000 people around the world by 2015 with the skills to get a job or build a business. The company generated net revenues of US$25.5 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2011. Its home page is www.accenture.com.
Contacts:
CAF
Jenna Novotny, 858-210-3529
Jenna@challengedathletes.org
