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Lance Armstrong announced today a new partnership with Ironman that will bring more than $1 million to LIVESTRONG. Photo by Elizabeth Kreutz.Lance Armstrong will race in his first Ironman of this season in Ironman 70.3 Panama this weekend. Photo by Elizabeth Kreutz.

AUSTIN, TX -- (Marketwire) -- 02/09/12 -- Today, the Lance Armstrong Foundation announced a new partnership with Ironman® to raise more than $1 million for people affected by cancer. Lance Armstrong, cancer survivor, champion cyclist and the Foundation's founder and chairman, will compete as a professional athlete in several Ironman and Ironman 70.3® races this year including Ironman 70.3 Panama, Memorial Hermann Ironman 70.3 Texas, Ironman 70.3 Florida, Ironman 70.3 Hawaii and Ironman France. Armstrong is racing with the goal of qualifying for the Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, on Oct. 13, 2012, and will be competing as a member of Team LIVESTRONG, which is adding these Ironman races to its endurance events series designed to raise funds for people affected by cancer.

"I am grateful to Ironman for partnering with LIVESTRONG to raise funds and awareness for people affected by cancer," said Armstrong. "In my career as an athlete and as a cancer advocate, I've learned that progress demands partnership, but it's not without a struggle. And that's what Team LIVESTRONG is about -- it's about purpose, it's about challenge and it's about empowering survivors to fight like hell. There's progress to be made with cancer and we invite anyone up for the challenge to join Team LIVESTRONG."

"At 13 years old, Lance got his start in triathlon by racing in the IronKids® Series," said Andrew Messick, Chief Executive Officer of World Triathlon Corporation. "At 16 years old, he went pro and was considered a star in our sport. At only 18, he was racing against the best triathletes in the world: Mark Allen, Dave Scott and Scott Molina. We are happy to have him return to our sport. Lance is a fierce competitor and his involvement with Ironman and 70.3 is good for triathlon."