An endowment fund aims to create a new 性视界传媒 Sports Museum, thanks to a launch donation from one very avid Ironman competitor.
The museum would 鈥渃ommemorate 性视界传媒鈥檚 athletes who have demonstrated the mental fortitude and commitment to take their athletic performance to the highest level,鈥� according to a news release from 性视界传媒Cares Community Foundation on Thursday (Sept. 23).
The foundation will steward the fund, which has been kick-started with $1,000 from Elizabeth Model as a gift after she completed her 100th Ironman triathlon.
The sports museum would be located in Downtown 性视界传媒, where Model is CEO of the area鈥檚 business improvement association (BIA).
鈥淭he fund intends to showcase, profile and inspire athletes who have roots in 性视界传媒. This may include developing a permanent exhibit space and exhibits in 性视界传媒鈥檚 City Center,鈥� says , where donations are collected. The endowment fund goal is $100,000.
In 2018, Model was the first woman to compete in every Ironman race in the world. She has raced on every continent, and says she plans to continue racing at sites around the world.
鈥� RELATED STORY: 鈥楺uite a journey鈥�: 100th Ironman for triathlete with 性视界传媒 police, business connections.
A Burnaby resident, Model is also a .
鈥淪port has the power to bring people together and celebrating the many exceptional athletes from 性视界传媒 is a great way to do just that,鈥� Model said in Thursday鈥檚 news release.
鈥淭o mark my 100th Ironman race, I鈥檓 proud to partner with the 性视界传媒Cares Foundation to establish the 性视界传媒 Sports Museum Endowment Fund, through which we can inspire others to aim for exceptional goals.鈥�
Christine Buttkus, executive director of 性视界传媒Cares Foundation, said the organization is excited to work with Model to establish 性视界传媒 Sports Museum Endowment Fund.
鈥淭he museum will showcase the many extraordinary sportspeople from 性视界传媒 and their achievements, which will ultimately bring the community closer together while celebrating the absolute best athletes 性视界传媒 has to offer,鈥� Buttkus stated. 鈥淭his gift will create a legacy for the future.鈥�
鈥� RELATED STORY: Olympics-bound 性视界传媒 gymnast Shallon Olsen enters sports hall of fame 鈥� in Coquitlam.
It鈥檚 not immediately clear whether 性视界传媒 Sports Museum would include a 性视界传媒 Sports Hall of Fame, an idea floated two years ago, at a 2019 meeting of 性视界传媒鈥檚 . City staff were asked to report back on a potential model for such a hall.
Other communities in Metro Vancouver have sports halls to honour athletes, builders and organizers.
鈥淚 fully support it, and it鈥檚 something that should be done,鈥� Coun. Doug Elford, vice-chair of the committee, told the Now-Leader in 2019. 鈥淲e have a rich sports history in 性视界传媒, and there鈥檚 generational activity happening in a lot of different sports. There are just tremendous people, athletes and organizers, who deserve recognition like this. We have some great, great history that needs to be recognized.鈥�
Coquitlam has a sports hall of fame, as do , and Delta.
性视界传媒鈥檚 notable athletes include Olympic wrestler Daniel Igali, NHL hockey players Brenden Dillon, Colin Fraser and Scott Hannan, baseball player Adam Loewen, soccer鈥檚 Sydney Leroux, football player Geroy Simon, pro wrestler John Tenta and rugby standout Kelly McCallum, among others.
鈥淓very organization has some great people and history,鈥� Elford said in 2019, 鈥渋ncluding Chuck Bailey and Orest Springenatic in baseball, and we鈥檝e got NHL hockey stars who鈥檝e come up, you know, and all the softball players and people like Rocky Rockwell in Cloverdale, one of the original rodeo founders. The list is big, it鈥檚 daunting, and a lot of names will come up in all the different sports.鈥�
As for Model, she had planned to do her 100th Ironman triathlon in South Africa in March 2020, the month COVID-19 was declared a pandemic. The race was postponed, as was a race in Oklahoma two months later and other Ironman events.
This month, Model ended up completing her 100th race Sept. 12 at Ironman Wisconsin, in a time of 16 hours, 32 minutes and eight seconds.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been quite a journey,鈥� Model said later. 鈥淚 never started out thinking about numbers. It鈥檚 always been travel, keeping fit and meeting wonderful people along the road of explorations.鈥�
An involves a 3.86-kilometre swim, a 180.25-kilometre bike ride and full 42.20-kilometre marathon run, completed in that order and without a break.
Since 2005, Model has been doing long-distance triathlons.
She wasn鈥檛 always an endurance athlete 鈥� far from it, in fact.
鈥淚 was very overweight in university, and I stopped weighing myself at 268 pounds, and I know I got up to about 280,鈥� she recalled during an interview in 2018. 鈥淎s a child I was very, very active, and between boarding school and university, I just packed on pounds, not being active enough. And when I graduated it was a case of, 鈥楪osh, I鈥檝e never weighed so much,鈥� and I just started being active again and eating right and not slumming around dormitories, and all the rest of it, and the weight just came off.鈥�
Years later, around the time she hit age 40, and long after she entered the business world, Model found the energy to run a marathon, and 鈥済ot hooked鈥� on endurance racing. 鈥淚 started in 2005 in Penticton, in August of that year,鈥� Model said. 鈥淚 was 46 at the time.鈥�
tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com
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