Projo Fitness Blog

Think you can handle a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike and 13.1-mile run, all in one Sunday morning?

This weekend, more than 1,700 endurance athletes will do just that throughout the state to compete in the second annual Amica Ironman 70.3 Rhode Island.

And not only do you have to be fit and good at three sports, you have to be a morning person. The swim begins at 6 a.m. at Roger Wheeler State Beach. Following the swim, athletes will ride 56 miles from North Kingstown to Providence and transitions to the half-marathon run through the East Side of Providence. The race finishes at the State House, with the winner expected to cross the finish line at 9:50 a.m.

Sunday's weather should start off cool for the competitors, but will warm up to a high around 83. There's a chance of thunderstorms.

According to race organizers participants between the ages of 18 and 70 are coming from as far away as Argentina, Italy, China and France to compete; about 100 of those athletes are from Rhode Island itself.

A professional field consisting of some of the sport's top contenders will vie for the title, to include Cameron Brown, Richie Cunningham, Michellie Jones, Michael Lovato and 2008 defending Amica Ironman 70.3 Rhode Island Champion, Lisa Bentley. Professional athletes will compete for a $30,000 prize purse. Pros and age group athletes will also compete for a slot to the Foster Grant Ironman World Championship 70.3, taking place on Nov.14 in Clearwater, FL.

A variety of inspirational athletes are participating Sunday including:

• Blake Ryan, 26, from Dahlonega, GA, who lost 240 lbs;


• Robert Vigorito, 61, from Columbia, MD, who will be racing in honor of Lou Gehrig's (ALS) awareness and the Blazeman Foundation;


• Kelly Strickland, 43, from Barrington, RI, a wife and mother of two who entered the U.S. Navy and was recently commissioned as a lieutenant.

Pro athletes leading the field are expected to finish between 3.5 and 4 hours while the majority of age group athletes will finish between 5 and 7 hours. The official cutoff for the event is 3:30 p.m. ET, 8 ½ hours after the start of the final swim wave.

 Tags  Amica Ironman 70.3 Barrington biking Cumberland Providence Rhode Island running swimming

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