Turbo Tri Raises $8,500 for Adolescent Girls

The organization held a benefit triathlon for adults on Saturday, raising more than $8,500 for the group that provides fitness and wellness programs for adolescent girls.

Turbo Tri was developed just this year, as a fundraiser for i-tri programs. Participants ran 1.5 miles, biked 7 miles, and swam 300 yards along the same route that is held later this summer.

Afterwards, there was a a BBQ dinner at the Pavilion at Maidstone Park.

Racers were joined by Suffolk County Legis. Jay Schneiderman and triathlete and Ultra-Marathon runner Amy Palermo-Winters, who was representing the Women’s Sports Foundation. Palermo-Winters, a world-record holder lost her left leg in a motorcycle accident in 2004.

principal, Eric Casale, along with many Springs and Montauk School staff, also raced.

Now in its third year, i-tri invites Springs and Montauk school girls from the sixth, seventh and eighth grades to train for the triathon. Along the way the students participate in weekly self-esteem workshops, family nutrition and fitness classes and other events to educate the girls in a healthy lifestyle, and elicit confidence and pride.

“i-tri started small, but our long-term sustainability and growth depends on responsible fundraising," said founder and executive director Theresa Roden. "With the economy as it is, we believe that that fundraising must happen right here in the East End community, where our girls and families live. If everyone gives a little, it will add up to a lot, and we need our community’s support,” she said.