Life Time Fitness and Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Announce 'Race for the Toyota Cup'
Multi-Year Agreement Adds Drama, Excitement to Life Time Fitness Triathlon Series; Brings Additional Recognition, Reward to Participants
CHANHASSEN, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Life Time Fitness (NYSE: LTM) and Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. today announced the introduction of the 'Race for the Toyota Cup,' a new element designed to build additional continuity among and excitement to the five annual Life Time Fitness Triathlon Series races, including the Life Time Fitness Triathlon (July 12 in Minneapolis), Nautica New York City Triathlon (July 20), Accenture Chicago Triathlon (August 24), Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Triathlon (September 6), and the Toyota U.S. Open Triathlon (October 5 in Dallas). The Dallas event also serves as the annual Series championship.
As triathletes compete in each event toward the Series championship, up-to-date Race for the Toyota Cup standings will be tracked and reported at the Life Time Fitness Triathlon Series Web site, ltftriathlonseries.com, much like cumulative race results are used to determine qualifiers and, ultimately, the champions within other sports, such as auto racing, golf and sailing.
The Toyota Cup will be awarded to the top female and male triathletes in each of three separate divisions: Professional, Elite Amateur and Age Group at the Toyota U.S. Open Triathlon in Dallas.
-- Professional division: female and male Professional division
Toyota Cup candidates must start each of the five Series
events. They will accumulate points based upon their finish
results at each of the Series races. The Toyota Cup winners
and the overall Series champion crowned in Dallas will be
determined by totaling the points earned as a result of their
top four race finishes within the five-event Series.
-- Elite Amateur division: female and male Elite Amateur division
Toyota Cup candidates must be invited to the Dallas event by
first qualifying at one of the previous Series races
(Minneapolis, New York, Chicago or Los Angeles). The top five
women and top five men will qualify. The Toyota Cup winners
will be determined by their overall finish time in the Elite
Amateur championship wave in Dallas. Airfare, hotel and race
entry fees are provided for qualifying Elite Amateurs.
-- Age Group division: female and male Age Group division Toyota
Cup candidates must be invited to the Dallas event by first
qualifying at one of the previous Series races (Minneapolis,
New York, Chicago or Los Angeles). The top ten women and top
ten men will qualify. The Toyota Cup winners will be
determined by their overall finish time in the Age Group
championship wave in Dallas.
Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. has made a multi-year sponsorship commitment to the Series in support of the Race for the Toyota Cup.
"Three years ago, Life Time Fitness and its Series partners set out to raise the bar in this sport by uniquely combining four of the most prominent Olympic distance triathlon events," said John Reilly, vice president, Life Time Fitness Corporate Business. "Last year, we took it one step further by introducing a new Professional division point system and prize purse structure, along with a new championship event in Dallas that recognizes not only the Professional triathletes, but also, the top Elite Amateurs and Age Groupers. Through this, Toyota has served as a valued partner and sponsor, and with the sport's ongoing, dramatic growth, we are excited to continue this tradition for the long-term."
"Toyota is delighted and proud to be associated with the Life Time Fitness Series Race to the Toyota Cup," said Keith Dahl, National Marketing Manager for Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. "As a company, in all we do, we're all about 'moving forward.' There's no question that the sport of triathlon is moving forward, too, and this spectacular, high-profile event is proof of that. We salute the thousands of triathletes at all levels who will be part of it this year, and we're looking forward to awarding the 2008 Toyota Cup to those select few who show themselves to be the best of the best."
About the Life Time Fitness Triathlon Series
In groundbreaking fashion, the Life Time Fitness Triathlon Series launched in 2006 and created the first-ever connection among the most prominent Olympic-distance triathlon events in the United States. The Life Time Fitness Triathlon (ltftriathlon.com), held in Minneapolis, is produced by Life Time Fitness, Inc. The Accenture Chicago Triathlon (chicagotriathlon.com) is produced by Creative & Production Resources, Inc (CAPRI Events). The Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Triathlon (LATriathlon.com) is produced by Pacific Sports LLC. The Nautica New York City Triathlon (nyctri.com) is produced by Korff Enterprises. For more information, visit the Life Time Fitness Triathlon Series Web site, ltftriathlonseries.com.
About Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
Toyota established operations in the United States in 1957 and currently operates 10 manufacturing plants, including one under construction. There are more than 1,400 Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealerships in the U.S. which sell more than two million vehicles a year. Toyota directly employs more than 32,000 people in the U.S. and its investment here is currently valued at more than $13 billion, including sales and manufacturing operations, research and development, financial services and design.
About Life Time Fitness, Inc.
Life Time Fitness, Inc. (NYSE:LTM) operates distinctive and large, multi-use sports and athletic, professional fitness, family recreation and resort and spa centers. The company also provides consumers with personal training consultation, full-service spas and cafes, corporate wellness programs, health and nutrition education, the healthy lifestyle magazine, Experience Life, athletic events, and nutritional products. As of February 28, 2008, Life Time Fitness operated 71 centers in 16 states, including Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, Utah and Virginia. The Company also operated one satellite facility and five preview locations in existing and new markets. Life Time Fitness is headquartered in Chanhassen, Minnesota, and can be located on the Web at www.lifetimefitness.com. LIFE TIME FITNESS, the LIFE TIME FITNESS logo, EXPERIENCE LIFE, and the LIFE TIME FITNESS TRIATHLON SERIES are registered trademarks of Life Time Fitness, Inc. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Source: Life Time Fitness
Released February 28, 2008