Squaw Valley Welcomes IRONMAN Lake Tahoe Athletes


[Olympic Valley, Calif.] September 18, 2013 – Squaw Valley is excited to welcome IRONMAN Lake Tahoe to the region Sunday, September 22. Squaw Valley will serve as the epicenter of activity for the world-class triathlon, with both the second transition and the finish being held at the resort. In anticipation of IRONMAN Lake Tahoe, Squaw Valley is offering a week of preparatory yoga at the Wanderlust Yoga Studio, and has released custom Oakley sunglasses commemorating the event.

“With the 2,300 proud team members of Squaw Valley | Alpine Meadows and our village commercial partners, we welcome the IRONMAN athletes to Squaw Valley and Lake Tahoe for this truly remarkable and prestigious event," said Andy Wirth, president and CEO of Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows. "These outstanding athletes have our enduring support and our deep respect for the commitment and spirit they bring to the competition."

“Squaw Valley is also excited to sponsor IRONMAN competitor Liz Lyles. Lyles, who skies with her family at Squaw during the winter to cross-train, is anticipated to be a top finisher in IRONMAN Lake Tahoe, with her past IRONMAN achievements including a win at last year’s IRONMAN Wisconsin. Lyles already qualified for Kona earlier this year and will also be making appearances at the triathlon training camps to be held at Squaw Valley next summer. Fans can find Lyles training almost daily on Tahoe’s North Shore getting ready for IRONMAN Lake Tahoe this Sunday. More information on Liz Lyles can be found here.

Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows are also extremely proud to have two employees competing in IRONMAN Lake Tahoe. Long-time Squaw employees Dawn Gaffney and Rob Kronkhyte will both will competing on home turf in Sunday’s competition. Dawn Gaffney is a mother of two who will be running her first official IRONMAN competition, though she completed the Vineman (IRONMAN distance) two years ago for her 40th birthday. Rob Kronkhyte is an accomplished ultrarunner who has competed in the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run five times and will go on to compete in the XTERRA World Championships off-road triathlon at the end of October.