Courtesy: press release

Michael E. McGuire, Jr., Chairman of the non-profit ITP Foundation (www.itpfoundation.org) announced today that Ironman North America has agreed to offer slots in numerous 2005 Ironman North America events to qualified ITP Team members.

Ironman North America organizes a number of triathlons throughout the year. An Ironman triathlon features a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike, and a complete marathon (26.2 miles), all in succession. Athletes have 17 hours to complete the event (from the 7 a.m. start until midnight). Among endurance athletes, a slot in an Ironman North America event is highly prized.

The ITP Foundation, which battles the autoimmune disease, Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), has utilized endurance athletes as a key component of its fundraising strategy. ITP Chairman Michael E. McGuire, Jr., an amateur endurance athlete, has raised tens of thousands of dollars for the Foundation via sponsorships in triathlon events. Other members of the ITP Team have done likewise, and the Foundation boasts two of the country's top professional triathletes, Chann McRae and Jessi Stensland, on its Board of Directors.

Under the arrangement with Ironman North America, any member of the ITP Team who meets specific qualifications may obtain a slot in 2005 Ironman events in Wisconsin, Arizona, Canada, California, Florida, Lake Placid and Coeur d'Alene. Participants still must pay the required entry fee, but they are guaranteed a slot, most of which are already sold out for 2005. Details are available by emailing the ITP Foundation at info@itpfoundation.org.

"We are thrilled that the good people at Ironman North America have made this generous offer available to us," says McGuire. "We are hopeful that this will attract more athletes - of all stripes and levels of experience - to join the ITP Team, and thereby to help us in our fight against ITP."

"Ironman North America is pleased to support such a worthy cause as the ITP Foundation," says Ted Kennedy, of Ironman North America and the CEO Challenge. "We are hopeful that by contributing slots to our sold out races, the ITP Foundation is able to raise much needed money to go towards research for this terrible disease."

For more information about the ITP Foundation or about joining the ITP Team and taking advantage of this generous offer from Ironman North America, please contact the Foundation offices by email at info@itpfoundation.org.