Nearly 1,300 women participated in the Tri For a Cure triathlon last summer, raising about $2 million for the Maine Cancer Foundation. Joel Page/Staff Photographer

The 13th annual Tri For a Cure triathlon – the Maine Cancer Foundation’s largest annual fundraiser – will be a virtual event this summer because of the coronavirus pandemic.

After reviewing the state’s plan to reopen businesses and outdoor recreation in Maine, the foundation decided to hold the event as an online challenge throughout the month of August.

The event, which had been slated for July 19, gathers more than 1,300 women along the coast of Maine each summer. Over the years, it has raised more than $14 million for the foundation to help with cancer prevention and treatment.

Tri For a Cure will provide participants with the option to swim, bike or run in a noncompetitive environment while raising money for cancer, but the women will do so independently. The fundraising goals also have changed, although planning is still ongoing, the foundation announced in a press release Friday.

Currently, each participant is being asked to raise $250 to receive a finisher’s medal and an event T-shirt. But, unlike past years, participants are not required to meet the minimum fundraising goal. Other prizes will be given to those who raise $500, $750, and $1,500. The top fundraiser will get a lifetime Tri For a Cure entry.

All participating athletes have between Aug. 1 and 30 to finish their exercise challenge. More information can be found at triforacure.org


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