IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship driver Katherine Legge, who’s primarily raced the DeltaWing but also deputized for John Pew at the most recent round in the No. 60 Michael Shank Racing Ligier JS P2 Honda, along her friend and Firestone Racing senior project engineer Cara Adams, will compete in the IRONMAN 70.3 Augusta, in support of the Scott Rigsby Foundation, a service organization that supports injured veterans.
The release is below:
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Friends on-and-off the tracks of the INDYCAR and IMSA, Cara Adams and Katherine Legge will face a new challenge on September 25, when they take on the 2016 IRONMAN 70.3 Augusta in support of the Scott Rigsby Foundation (SRF), a service organization that supports veterans who have been injured while on duty.
The SRF provides veterans with grants to obtain prosthetic limbs, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) counseling and other medical services. SRF also works with physically challenged athletes to inspire kids with loss-of-limb or mobility issues to participate in active lifestyles, including prosthetics and orthotics.
The pair of racing veterans began their grueling training regimen in March to prepare for the IRONMAN 70.3 Augusta, which consists of a 1.2-mile swim in the Savannah River, followed by a 56-mile bike through the hills of Georgia and South Carolina, and finishing with a 13.1-mile run through downtown Augusta.
Legge, a veteran racing driver who led the opening segments of this year’s Rolex 24 at Daytona and was the first woman to win a major North American open-wheel race, maintains an extensive fitness regime to prepare for the physical demands of both long-distance sports car and Indy car racing. This will be her first IRONMAN event.
“Entering my first IRONMAN event is a big challenge,” said Legge. “I’m thrilled to be doing it with one of my best friends, and to benefit the Scott Rigsby Foundation, for all the fantastic work they do on behalf of our veterans. The training has been intense, but Cara has been a great coach, and my friend Ozz (fellow IMSA sports car racer Oswaldo Negri, Jr., an experienced triathlete) also has been mentoring me. Reaching the finish in my first IRONMAN will be a great personal achievement, and we hope to raise as much support as possible for the SRF.”
Adams, senior project engineer for Firestone Racing, is responsible for the development of the oval and superspeedway Firestone race tires used in the Indianapolis 500® and the Verizon IndyCar® Series. She is a seasoned triathlete, after competing in several in Sprint and Olympic distance triathlons, including the IRONMAN Miami in October 2012.
“I’m thrilled to be competing in the IRONMAN 70.3 Augusta, on behalf of the Scott Rigsby Foundation,” said Adams. “With family and close friends who have sacrificed so much in the service of our country, this is a cause close to my heart. I’m so excited to be participating with my good friend Katherine, and experience this amazing event together. We’re both very competitive, train together as our schedules permit, and constantly push each other to improve. I’m looking forward to raising as much money as possible for the Scott Rigsby Foundation.”
Fans can keep up with the pair’s IRONMAN journey by following @Cara_Adams and @Katherinelegge on Twitter.
Those interested in supporting the #IRONMANCaraKat effort can contribute at: www.scottrigsbyfoundation.org/participant/carakat