Celebrity Roselyn Sánchez Merges Charity With Triathlon

Actress Roselyn Sánchez’s first triathlon will be her own race. Sánchez has organized a triathlon called the Triathlon For Life. The event will support San Jorge Children’s Foundation and the Casa Cuna of San Juan and will take place on Sunday, March 7 in Puerto Rico. We sat down with Sánchez to learn more about the race.

Written by: Amanda Grant

You’ve probably heard of her — she was Elena Delgado in the hit TV show, Without a Trace, Jackie Chan’s love interest in Rush Hour 2, one of Maxim Magazine’s sexiest women alive, an animal-rights activist, a philanthropist, and an now a triathlete — her name is Roselyn Sánchez.

On Sunday, March 7, 2010, Sanchez is putting on ther “Roselyn Sánchez Triathlon for Life,” her first annual triathlon. Sponsored by Coca-Cola, Microsoft, Heineken, La Concha Hotel and Xterra Wetsuits, the triathlon has three races: a sprint race, an Olympic distance race and a relay option called “Relay for a Child”.  Established to benefit the children of the San Jorge Children’s Foundation and the Casa Cuna of San Juan, the triathlon will take place at Jaime Benitez National Park, Condado and Old San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Triathlete: What made you decide to go with a triathlon?  Why not a gala or an auction or something of that nature?

Sánchez: It’s funny, because for three years I’ve been thinking about what I can do for the San Jorge Children’s Foundation and the Casa Cuna of San Juan? I had originally thought I would do a fashion show or a gala dinner with salsa bands. But I realize that’s been done before. Three months ago, I was on the elliptical at my house and I decided to do something related to sports, nutrition, being healthy and outdoors. And that’s when I decided I’m going to do a triathlon! So, I called my publishers in Puerto Rico, and told them I want to do a triathlon.

Triathlete: Have you ever done a triathlon?

Sánchez: I’ve never done one in my entire life.  In fact, I have never run more than three miles.  But I’m so excited and thrilled to finally do one. To maintain a balance between training for the triathlon and my career, I find that I only stay motivated if I train at six in the morning and ask my husband (Eric Winter) to get up with me. At six, I go to my gym to train– the swimming really kicks my butt!

Triathlete: Why did you choose Puerto Rico for the event?

Sánchez: It is a wonderful place to live and visit and I want to promote not only the Foundation, but also Puerto Rico. The Foundation and the government are super excited. For Puerto Rico, this is an amazing opportunity to join celebrities and athletes from all over the world to visit Puerto Rico and support this great cause. I want to make this an annual event so it becomes bigger and bigger.

Triathlete: Are any celebrities attending?

Sánchez: I’ve invited many notable figures and celebrities to take part, including the cast of Without A Trace, the CBS drama that I was in from 2005-2009, Craig Alexander, Amaury Nolasco from Prison Break, Nick Lachey, Vanessa Minnillo, Eva Longoria, Rudy Garcia-Tolson who is an athlete on the United States Paralympic team and a half-Ironman finisher, and many others.  With “Triathlon for Life,” I hope to draw attention to the two organizations, the sport of triathlon and the historic city of San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Aside from promoting and planning her triathlon, Sánchez is very busy in the pre-production stages of Cutthroat, an ABC pilot about an ambitious, single mother who finds running her own international drug cartel the perfect training for navigating the cutthroat world of Beverly Hills high society.

Sánchez is also in the pre-production stages of Drama, an unscripted pilot for BET that she is producing alongside Dick Clark Productions.  In Drama, Los Angeles inner city youth will stage their own contemporary production of Shakespeare’s “Romeo & Juliet.”

To learn more visit Roselynsancheztriathlon.org.