Howard Long Wellness Center of Wheeling Hospital is gearing up for its third annual indoor triathlon on April 11, 2026. This beloved fitness event has had a great turnout the past two years and Wellness Center director Joe Slavik is anticipating another successful race that will bring together fitness enthusiasts of all levels.
“This is our third Indoor Triathlon event, and the past two years have gone really well,” he says.
“The participants have a lot of fun and our staff really enjoy the energy the participants create as they compete against one another and themselves.”
The event consists of a 10-minute swim, a 30-minute stationary bike ride, and a 20-minute treadmill run, with fixed time transition times. The first wave begins at 2 p.m.
Times will be recorded for each event, and winners will be announced in age categories.
Registration is currently open and ends on Wednesday, April 8. Capacity is limited to 68 participants, so early registration is encouraged. Competitors ages 13 and up are welcome to participate.
The proceeds from the triathlon will benefit WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital’s Good Samaritan Fund. The Good Samaritan Fund raises funds to assist under-privileged patients in the community with the cost associated with emergency room visits.
“Proceeds are used for community members who are in need of financial support after ER visits for out-of-pocket expenses,” says Slavik.
The Good Samaritan Fund was on a hiatus for three years after the Covid-19 pandemic, as funding was diverted to other needs that took precedence. The program was reinstated in 2024 with the help of a hefty $10,000 grant from the Auxiliary of Wheeling Hospital. Fundraising events like the indoor triathlon are essential for replenishing funds for this vital program.
In Ohio County, nearly 1 in 5 residents live below the poverty line. The average cost of an emergency room visit in West Virginia is around $1,100 before insurance. Even those above the poverty line are often living paycheck to paycheck, and an unexpected emergency room visit can be a devastating blow to tight finances.
For financially challenged families, the emergency room is often the only option for medical care due to limited access to primary care and transportation barriers. Many people are forced to make the difficult and often dangerous decision between medical care and other essential needs. Programs that provide financial assistance for healthcare costs, like the Good Samaritan Fund, can help unburden these families.
The Howard Long Wellness Center plays an important role in promoting health and wellness in the Wheeling community. This state-of-the-art 65,000-square-foot wellness center provides services and benefits beyond that of a typical gym. Members have access to group fitness classes, an aquatics center, health education, kids programming, and specialized programs that focus on cardiac rehabilitation and diabetes wellness support. The Wellness Center helps promote lifelong health and wellness, reducing reliance on emergency healthcare and improving health outcomes in the community.
In February, the Wheeling community mourned the passing of Howard Long, who died at the age of 91. Long, a prominent businessman and philanthropist, was passionate about health and fitness. The Howard Long Wellness Center opened in 1994, made possible by a $1 million donation from Long that helped launch the project.
In August of 2025, Long made another large donation to fund renovations and improvements for the center, which will begin early next month and should take three to four months to complete. This includes expanding the size of the multipurpose room to provide more room for group fitness classes and special programming and converting the racquetball area to provide more space and flexibility for the functional fitness program. They will also be renovating space for the pickleball courts to optimize court length and replace flooring with a special shock-absorbing surface that reduces impacts on joints. Lastly, they are installing a dedicated golf simulator room paired with special technology that provides and ultra-realistic indoor golf experience.
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