IAGA coordinator hopes to win triathlon raining for Lake Placid, N.Y. ‘Ironman’

Independent Insurance Agents of Georgia member services coordinator and super-triathlete, Mari Fridenmaker, is training for her second Ironman triathlon, which will be held July 23 in Lake Placid, N.Y.

She has dedicated the race to the Georgia Eye Bank, the only facility in the state that provides donor eye tissue to any Georgian who needs the gift of sight. Each week the eyebank is asked to provide 20 to 30 corneas for transplant, the donor family is not responsible for any costs related to the donation process. Through eye donation, tens of thousands of Georgians have already received the gift of sight, including Fridenmaker!

Fridenmaker became a cornea transplant recipient in 2002, two years after her dog accidentally scratched her left eye. That scratch transferred a parasite into Fridenmaker’s eye and caused an infection which debilitated her for many months.

When she finally overcame the infection, she was left with cloudiness that could only be remedied by a cornea transplant. Thanks to the Georgia Eye Bank, Fridenmaker is now able to see much better than before her transplant surgery.

In the spring of 2003, soon after the transplant, Mari committed to finish an Olympic-distance triathlon. Since then, she has competed in long distance races, including her first Ironman triathlon, which she finished last year in an amazing 15 hours, 1 minute and 45 seconds! That’s a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile run which must be completed in 17 hours to cross the finish line with an official time.

Since her transplant, Fridenmaker is committed to raising both money and awareness for the Georgia Eye Bank. Already this year Fridenmaker has raised about $36,00 for the facility.

She is partnering with Janus Capital Group, an organization that makes additional contributions ($75,000 and $10,000) to the beneficiaries of the top 30 fundraisers at each of the six U.S. Ironman races. Fridenmaker plans to be one of the top fundraisers for Ironman USA in July.

On May 19, Fridenmaker and her friends met at the RedLight Café in Midtown Atlanta, with the $15 donation at the door going to Georgia Eye Bank. Fridenmaker even has a website called Mari’s Ironman Charity Challenge, her email is mfridenmaker@iiag.org.

The Georgia Eye Bank’s website is www.georgiaeyebank.org.