The USA Triathlon Foundation announced the grant recipients for the COVID-19 Relief Fund, established in April, to support members of the multisport community who have been impacted by the virus. More than $110,000 will be dispersed to 40 organizations and individuals.

The USA Triathlon Foundation received 173 applications and over $866,000 in requests for grant funding from USA Triathlon-certified race directors and race management organizations; USA Triathlon-certified coaches and clubs; and other individuals and organizations that have been impacted by the pandemic.

The USA Triathlon Foundation’s COVID-19 Relief Fund raised more than $110,000 through the USA Duathlon Virtual Run-Bike-Run presented by Tower 26, a five-week virtual event, which ran from April 10 to May 17 and had more than 6,100 participants. The first $20,000 in donations to the COVID-19 Relief Fund were matched dollar-for-dollar by USA Triathlon CEO Rocky Harris and his wife, Elizabeth Harris ($10,000), and a combination of the USA Triathlon Foundation Board of Trustees and the USA Triathlon Board of Directors ($10,000).

“The multisport community is a close-knit family and in times of need, family takes care of each other. There are countless race directors, clubs, coaches, and organizations doing truly incredible and inspiring work right now, and we are glad to play a small part in helping them continue to pursue their goals,” Harris said. “These grants are also a testament to the generosity of individuals across the country who, while each facing their own unique set of challenges, as we all are, donated to this important cause.”

The relief fund grant recipients, selected through an application process, each reflect the USA Triathlon Foundation’s mission of supporting the multisport community when they are in need, and protecting and growing the sport through uncertain and unprecedented times.

“During these challenging times, the USA Triathlon Foundation is honored to support the multisport community through our COVID-19 Relief Fund,” said Dave Deschenes, USA Triathlon Foundation Executive Director. “Through the generosity of supporters, athletes and donors we were able to raise over $110,000 to be distributed across the country to help those in need.”

“With the COVID-19 crisis, races came to a hard stop in early March, and race directors have needed to make some big changes and big decisions,” said Eva Solomon, founder and CEO of Epic Races, and member of USA Triathlon’s Race Director Committee. “We have been re-inventing racing for the time being, while finding creative ways to keep our athletes engaged and racing. We appreciate and value the hard work of the USA Triathlon Foundation. Their support through the COVID-19 Relief Fund will help us continue to provide new and innovative opportunities for our athletes to continue to swim, bike, and run as we all ride this wave together.”

The COVID-19 Relief Fund grants were awarded to the following organizations and individuals.

Certified Race Directors/Event Production Companies:

  • All Sports Productions (Arkansas)
  • CORE Foundation (Virginia)
  • EventPower (New York)
  • Finish Line Productions (California)
  • Generic Events (California)
  • Kinetic Multisports (North Carolina)
  • Live Red Foundation (Virginia)
  • Maine Cancer Foundation (Maine)
  • Negative Split Productions (Texas)
  • New England Virtual Triathlon (Massachusetts)
  • Precision Multisport (Illinois)
  • Polka Dot Productions (South Carolina)
  • RaceAwesome (New York)
  • Racing For Steve-O Foundation (Illinois)
  • Rev3 (Virginia)
  • Team ATP (Michigan)Tim Kerr Charities (New Jersey)

Certified Coaches:

  • Andy Potts Racing (Colorado)
  • Bennefield Multisport (New Mexico)
  • The International Association of Black Triathletes (Maryland)
  • Lightning Warriors (New York)
  • MMTT Multisport Youth (Illinois)
  • PowerWatt Coaching (Texas)
  • RTA Triathlon (New Jersey)
  • SBR 4 Life (Georgia)

Certified Clubs:

  • Balanced Art Multisport (Utah)
  • Challenged Athletes Foundation (California)
  • Dare2Tri (Illinois)
  • District Triathlon (Washinton D.C.)
  • Gaylord Hospital (Connecticut)
  • iracelikeagirl (Massachusetts)
  • Kingsbury Youth Tri Club (Massachusetts)
  • SheStrong (Arizona)
  • TriLatino (New York)
  • Tri-Masters Sports Initiative Programs (Illinois)
  • Virgin Islands Triathlon Federation (Virgin Islands)
  • ViVe (Colorado)

NCAA Emerging Sport For Women Programs:

  • Arizona State University (Arizona)
  • Davis & Elkin College (West Virginia)Northern Vermont University (Vermont)

Photo courtesy USA Triathlon Foundation