Ultramarathoner launches fund for masters athletes
So far, this looks legit. An ultramarathoner named Katy Cotton in Wyoming writes to inform me of a nonprofit charitable group called the International Masters Athletics Foundation that aims to help masters athletes in their athletic endeavors. The group got some local publicity in April 2005.
Katy (short for Kathryn) writes:
“I just created IMAF this year with the original thought of helping the 2005 WMA 100k team. But figured it was silly to make IMAF only available for ultra running. That race has been rescheduled for Argentina on December 11th. The Japan venue fell through. Will be adding that update to the site in the next week. I’ve also been appointed the team leader.”
Of course, one should never send money to any group without checking it out — which I will. But the IMAF seems to be shooting for the moon with an “about us” statement like this:
“IMAF is established to assist masters athletes who demonstrate a financial need to participate in their sport in significant ways such as competing at championship events. IMAF, a charitable corporation whose headquarters are located in Wyoming, was formed to support and promote masters athletics, athletes, and teams, and is a resource to help fund the expense of participation in significant masters events. IMAF accepts tax exempt donations from contributors who want to support such events and then distributes 100% of those contributions to masters athletes who request support from IMAF.”
With USATF and others setting up foundations to help masters track athletes, this new group may be a redundancy — or, worse, a rival for scarce dollars. That may not be a bad thing, though. Since USATF’s own Foundation hasn’t cut a check for masters, despite a big launch a few years ago.
As usual, stay tuned.
