I AM TRUE Day Celebrates Clean Sports

In conjunction with the 2018 IRONMAN World Championship, IRONMAN once again carried out its ongoing work with athletes and the triathlon community to promote clean sport and the integrity of IRONMAN racing through outreach and anti-doping activities in Kailua-Kona, Hawai‘i.

Tuesday, Oct. 9 marked the ninth annual I AM TRUE day. IRONMAN’s I AM TRUE message has always been about protecting the integrity of racing and ensuring that athletes know and understand their rights and responsibilities. Using the hashtag #KNOWTHERULES, the scope of the initiative goes beyond the Anti-Doping Program to include all aspects of fair racing that are part of the IRONMAN Competition Rules, including drafting, personal conduct and mechanical doping.

I AM TRUE Day celebrates the next generation of I AM TRUE athletes, by bringing its message to the IRONKIDS Keiki Dip-n-Dash and Fun Run kids’ events.

The Aldrich brothers, Noah and Lucas. Video clip from “Aldrich Brothers-Race Against Time: Real Sports Full Segment” (HBO)

Two of those young athletes include Noah, 12, and Lucas Aldrich, 10). Lucas has a rare neurological condition called lissencephaly, which leaves him bound to a wheelchair, however the brotherly bond is strong as Noah and Lucas compete together in endurance races and triathlons. They will compete in the IRONKIDS Keiki Dip-n-Dash as Noah tows his brother in a raft and then pushes him on the run.

Other outreach activities in Kailua-Kona focus on education among the approximately 2,500 professional and age-group athletes and 30,000 of their supporters at the 2018 IRONMAN World Championship brought to you by Amazon. The I AM TRUE outreach program is developed in association with the World Anti-Doping Agency and a shared belief that every athlete has a right to clean sport.

This year, IRONMAN teamed up with Amazon to introduce athletes to a unique shopping experience. The IRONMAN World Championship storefront as part of Amazon Sports Nutrition can be found at www.amazon.com/ironmanrace and includes third party certified supplement products, which help athletes reduce the risks that are often associated with supplement use. This reinforces IRONMAN’s I AM True outreach efforts which encourages athletes to be informed consumers when it comes to supplements and sports nutrition products.

The IRONMAN Anti-Doping Program partners with National Anti-Doping Agencies worldwide to execute in and out of competition testing and to coordinate strategic testing plans on professional and age-group athletes throughout the year. Athletes qualified for the IRONMAN World Championship are a priority focus of the testing program, which includes extensive pre-competition testing program carried out in Kona throughout race week. The WADA Accredited Salt Lake Medicine Research and Technology Laboratory (SMRTL) will analyze all samples and ensure immediate and independent scientific oversight and qualified evaluation of the IRONMAN Anti-Doping Program’s results, Athlete Biological Passports, and testing strategies.

“Each year the momentum of our I AM TRUE outreach and #KNOWTHERULES initiative builds as more and more athletes are speaking up for clean sport,” said Kate Mittelstadt, director of the IRONMAN Anti-Doping Program. “There is a call for expanded testing and IRONMAN remains focused not only on testing more athletes, but on strategic testing. Our goal is to use our partnerships with other Anti-Doping Organizations and the scientific community to maximize deterrence and detection with every test we conduct.”

To learn more about the I AM TRUE campaign and the IRONMAN Anti-Doping Program, visit www.ironman.com/anti-doping or follow on twitter at @IMAntiDoping. Visit www.wada-ama.org to learn more about The World Anti-Doping Agency.

For more information on the IRONMAN brand and global event series, visit www.ironman.com.