Woonsocket Resident To Compete In Ironman

If you run into Stephanie Santoro this week, be sure to wish her luck on Sunday.

Santoro will be swimming, biking and running across 70.3 miles of terrain through Providence, Blackstone Valley and surrounding communities in the fourth-annual Amica Ironman 70.3 Rhode Island.

Participants ranging in age from 18 to 74, hailing as far as Chile, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong and Australia, will descend upon the area on Sunday hoping to either win the top prize of $15,000 or one of 50 age group qualifying slots to the 2011 Marine Corps Ironman World Championship 70.3 on Sept. 11 at Lake Las Vegas in Henderson, Nevada.

Amica Ironman 70.3 Rhode Island will use a variety of the state's scenic areas. The 1.2-mile swim will be held at Lincoln Woods. Following the swim, athletes will ride bikes 56 miles through Blackstone Valley. Athletes will begin the ride on Route 116, George Washington Highway, and head north on Route 7, Douglas Turnpike. Riders will pass through Chepachet, Clayville and Scituate before heading to Providence.  Cyclists will finish at the State House and transition to the 13.1-mile run through Providence. The two-loop run course leads athletes through the East Side and downtown Providence. The race finishes on the State House lawn, with a backdrop of the State House and Providence Place Mall.

Pro athletes leading the field at the 2011 Amica Ironman 70.3 Rhode Island are expected to finish in approximately four hours with the men’s title winner crossing the finish line at approximately 9:50 a.m.  The majority of age group athletes will finish between five and seven hours and the official cutoff for the event is 3:30 p.m. EDT, 8 ½ hours after the start of the final swim wave.