Latest news with #RiverfrontPark
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Hundreds of athletes participate in IRONMAN 70.3 in western Mass.
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – More than 1,500 athletes spent the day on Sunday braving some changes to the third annual IRONMAN Triathlon in western Massachusetts. IRONMAN 70.3 is a race made up of swimming, cycling, and running for hundreds of athletes from all over the world to get a chance to win hundreds of thousands of dollars for themselves and local organizations in the city. Race organizers brought it back to western Massachusetts for the third year. Holyoke hosts first Paper Festival, celebrating the city's history and culture 'The community here is incredible, so supportive,' said IRONMAN Foundation Executive Director Audra Tassone. 'It's a beautiful place and everybody is just so welcoming, and we're so excited to be back.' IRONMAN was supposed to start at 6:00 a.m., but the rain on Saturday led to the swimming portion being cancelled. The water levels in the Connecticut River were too high and were moving too fast, so as a pre-caution, the race started 40 minutes later with the cyclists from Riverfront Park. However, that didn't stop family, friends, and fans from lining up to cheer for the participants. The race went through Springfield, Agawam, Southwick, Westfield, West Springfield, and parts of Connecticut. It ended with a run through Forest Park. Some families said they were just excited to be there for the first time. 'It's just really exciting that he can do this while we're preparing to welcome our first child,' said Jenelle Janssen of Beverly. 'And it's a cool way for him to stay active while our life is about to change.' Another family traveled from Connecticut to see their loved one compete once again. 'This is my fifth IRONMAN spectating, because my wife is racing,' said Oye Oworu of Connecticut. 'We did Tremblant last year. We did this one, the inaugural one, she's been out to Utah, California, Maine.' The race ended with qualifying slots to the 2025 IRONMAN World Championship in Spain. It would be a new place for the Oworus to visit. 'We turn these things into vacation,' Oworu said. 'So it will be a vacation for me and another race for her.' WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Spokane mom who lost son to fentanyl to launching 'Gabriel's Challenge' to unite community
May 9—This Mother's Day, Kitara Johnson Jones is taking more than a couple page's out of her late son's 66-page playbook. Her son, Gabriel Fensler, died from a Fentanyl overdose on March 3, the day after his 24th birthday. While he was getting sober and enrolled in treatment programs, making tangible steps toward recovery, Fensler drafted a 66-page plan to address Fentanyl addiction in his city, the "Community Care Collaborative," through connection with and compassion for others. On Sunday evening, Jones is hosting a kickoff to a 36-day challenge in honor of her late son's vision. Called "Gabriel's Challenge," leaders in government, business, faith and nonprofit sectors will convene at the Pavilion at Riverfront Park, starting 6 p.m., with members of the community in an effort to find unitedness against a common enemy in opioids. "It's a space for city leaders to make that commitment open, verbally and in front of the entire community so we can hold them accountable," Jones said. After Sunday's event, which will feature music, speakers and recognition of those lost to fentanyl and their families, the challenge invites residents to form closer bonds in their neighborhoods in a few ways. Namely, residents can "adopt a block" to walk regularly and commune with those living there. It's the first step to what she thinks could "heal the city:" a relationship with others. "That's why I'm keeping it real simple," Jones said. "I hope by the end of this we will see our political differences put aside and we can make some real change." Elena Perry's work is funded in part by members of the Spokane community via the Community Journalism and Civic Engagement Fund. This story can be republished by other organizations for free under a Creative Commons license. For more information on this, please contact our newspaper's managing editor.
