Why Baxter Shows Up for Tri for a Cure
There are events you sponsor and events that change you. Tri for a Cure is the second kind.
In 2024, Baxter President Jenn Lever participated for the first time, joining a team of three for the bike leg of the race. She went in knowing a little about the organization. She came out knowing it was one of the most meaningful days she had ever been part of.
What Is Tri for a Cure?
Tri for a Cure is Maine’s largest fundraising triathlon, now in its 19th year. Each year over 1,200 women gather in South Portland to swim, bike, and run along the shores of Cape Elizabeth in support of the Maine Cancer Foundation. MCF funds statewide programs focused on cancer prevention, early detection, and access to care for all Maine people, across every type of cancer, not just one.
One of the things the organization works hard to clarify is that the pink association does not tell the whole story. This cause is for everyone touched by cancer in Maine, and the money raised stays right here in the state. While the athletes who race are women, the fight is for all the women and men in Maine living with this disease.
What makes this event unlike anything else is what it feels like to be there. On race morning, every participant gets a colored swim cap. You stand at the water and look out and you see over a thousand women of every age, every shape, every experience level, every speed. Nobody is there to win. Everybody is there for something bigger.
The final stretch of the run is left open for families and supporters to join in. Kids running alongside their moms. Grandmothers crossing the finish line with their daughters. Teams of three who trained together crossing together. Jenn will tell you she could barely talk about it without tearing up.
The Day Before Is Something Else Entirely
Expo Day the day before the race is its own experience. It is self-care and celebration: hair bedazzling, wig stations, temporary tattoos, food, community. There is a dragonfly that carries deep meaning for the Tri for a Cure community, representing those who have come before and the bonds that this event creates year after year. Ari set up the Baxter tent that day with swag and a game and watched person after person come over with a smile on their face.
“Everybody was genuinely so happy. You could just feel it.” — Ari Sapuan, Baxter Brewing
On race day, the energy was just as electric. Families lined the course. Kids pointed at their moms coming through. Strangers cheered for strangers. Our NA beverages were in people’s hands throughout, which mattered more than we expected. Not everyone wants a beer after a triathlon. But everyone wants to celebrate. And now they have something to raise a glass with.
Brewed for the Occasion
To celebrate this year’s event, the team at Baxter has released a specialty Tri for a Cure Non-Alcoholic Pilsner, brewed with all Maine grains sourced from Blue Ox Malt in Lisbon, Maine. It is our small part in contributing to something much bigger than us, and we could not be more proud of it.
Why the NA Lineup Belongs Here
Baxter introduced NA beverages because we believe everyone deserves something worth drinking, whatever their reason for skipping alcohol. At Tri for a Cure, that belief becomes real. Athletes in training. People going through treatment. People who simply want to celebrate without the alcohol. The NA options give everyone at the event a way to participate in the cheers moment, and that is exactly what they are there for.
This June, every NA beverage sold at the pub sends $1 to the Maine Cancer Foundation. Order one for yourself. Order a round. It adds up and it goes directly to supporting cancer programs across the state of Maine.
Come Celebrate With Us
Jenn is racing again this year as part of the Baxter team. If you want to support her personally, you can donate directly at the link below. Every dollar counts.
The race is July 12, 2026 in South Portland. Expo Day is July 11 at SMCC. And between now and then, every NA pour at the pub is doing its part.
Support Jenn’s Tri for a Cure fundraising page: triforacure.donordrive.com/participants/Jennifer-Lever
Learn more about Tri for a Cure and the Maine Cancer Foundation at triforacure.org
