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Lead Stories: Thursday, August 28, 2008

Podcast 52: Running the Sahara’s Charlie Engle

Posted May 23rd, 2007 at 3:15 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Special Features, Interviews, Podcasts

Episode 52 of The Final Sprint Podcast features my interview with Charlie Engle; one of America’s top ultra- endurance athletes and Running the Sahara’s Expedition Team Leader. Charlie, along with Canada’s Ray Zahab and Taiwan’s Kevin Lin, successfully became the first humans to run across the
Sahara Desert this past winter. The statistics of their historic and life-changing adventure are almost incomprehensible. In average temperatures of 112 degrees Fahrenheit, these three men ran for 111 days, accumulated a total of 4,300 miles, crossed 6 countries and drank enough Gatorade Endurance Formula (3,300 liters) to fill an entire swimming pool!

This fall the documentary “Running the Sahara”, directed by James Moll and narrated by Matt Damon (both of whom are Academy Award winners) will chronicle Charlie, Ray and Kevin’s incredible feat.

In this in-depth interview Charlie talks about how the idea evolved, the drive to realize such a unthinkable goal, staying hydrated and nutritionally fueled, the critical assistance of partners like Gatorade and Magellan GPS, and the multitude of dangers and obstacles (such as scorpions, wind storms and a lack of water) that they encountered (and overcame) along the way.

Download the podcast to hear Charlie discuss these topics, as well as, how they were received by the local communities, H2O Africa (the charitable organization they created to raise awareness of and help solve the water crisis in Africa), the documentary, his plans for this year’s Badwater Ultramarathon, and much more!

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Host: Adam Jacobs
Guest: Charlie Engle
Producer: Greg Cherniet
Music: Ryan Ahlwardt & Darnell Perkins
File size: 25.7 MB
Length: 37:32

Check out every episode of TFS’s Podcast in iTunes!

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Thanks for participating in our Gatorade Endurance Formula Sweepstakes!

Posted March 6th, 2007 at 5:00 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: Special Features, Sweepstakes

The Final Sprint and I would like to thank the thousands of people who took the time to enter our Gatorade Endurance Formula Sweepstakes!

We also sincerely appreciate all of the support from our friends at Gatorade and thank them for generously awarding our lucky winners with four-month supplies of Gatorade Endurance Formula!

Speaking of our winners … check out the pictures of Andrew and Tom, two of the four randomly selected grand prize recipients, showin’ some love to their new and beloved training companions.

Thanks again … and stay tuned … because we’ll be announcing another exciting sweepstakes in just a few days!

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Gatorade Endurance Formula Sweepstakes: You still have three more chances to win!

Posted February 8th, 2007 at 8:00 AM by Adam Jacobs

Section: Special Features, Sweepstakes

The Final Sprint and I would like to thank the hundreds of people who have already taken the time to enter our Gatorade Endurance Formula Sweepstakes.

We would also like to announce that our first grand prize winner is . . .
Tom from Apple Valley, MN!

Tom was randomly selected on February 6th in the first of four weekly drawings and will be receiving six 50.2 oz canisters of Gatorade Endurance Formula Powder (retail value = $140.32) to help power him through his spring marathon training!

Wasn’t selected? … Don’t worry! … There are still three more chances to win!

So what are you waiting for? Hurry up and enter … because like they say - You’ve got to be in it, to win it!” All entries must be received by February 27, 2007 at 11:59pm EST.
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Gatorade Endurance Formula Sweepstakes: Enter for your chance to win 174 servings!

Posted January 31st, 2007 at 7:00 AM by Adam Jacobs

Section: Nutrition, Hydration, Race Prep & Recov, Special Features, Sweepstakes

Marathon running can be challenging. No scratch that, marathon running can be down right grueling. But that doesn’t stop us from charging ahead; nor does it stop you!

Everyone has heard the stories of professional athletes who have worked through the most arduous portions of marathons and training runs to reach their goals. But now . . . it’s YOUR turn!

The Final Sprint has teamed up with Gatorade to find out if IT is in YOU and to give away Six 50.2 oz canisters of Gatorade Endurance Formula Powder (retail value = $140.32) to four lucky winners (See Official Rules for further details).

What keeps you going when your legs are aching and feel heavier than lead? Where does your drive come from to stick with an intense and exhausting training regimen?

Enter our sweepstakes, and if you want to - share with us what keeps you going, and you could win enough Gatorade Endurance Formula to fuel that inner fire throughout your spring training and help you Finish Strong in your upcoming races!

TO ENTER: Please provide your full name and email address in the form below. If you like, you can also share your thoughts on what keeps you going when the going gets tough. Winners are chosen at random, so even if you don’t share any of your reflections, you will have an equal chance of winning. The contest will end on February 27, 2007 at 11:59pm EST with one winner being chosen at random at 11:59pm on each Tuesday night of the contest.

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Portable electrolyte tablets: What’s all the buzz about?

Posted December 16th, 2006 at 6:19 PM by Jonathan Faccone

Section: Nutrition, Hydration, Race Prep & Recov, Supplements

Since the advent of Gatorade, manufacturers have been in fierce competition to one-up each other with new and better ways to fuel athletes. This has created a very saturated market; one that features a plethora of choices for competitive athletes. As a result, athletes vary greatly, especially in the world of endurance sports, about which option they believe is the most effective.

One alternative that has begun to slowly, pick-up steam in the market is the electrolyte tablet. There has been a lot of buzz surrounding these portable tablets, such as Nuun and Zym, because they are quick and convenient mechanisms for obtaining vital replenishment of electrolytes and other vitamins.
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TFS Review: Gatorade Endurance Formula

Posted November 30th, 2006 at 1:00 PM by Jonathan Faccone

Section: Nutrition, Hydration, Race Prep & Recov, Product Reviews, Special Features, TFS Reviews

Check out TFS’s review of Gatorade’s Endurance Formula; a revolutionary new product for mainstream endurance sports.

Product: Gatorade Endurance Formula
Price: $1.49 (24 oz bottle), $1.69 (34 oz bottle), $24.99 (50.2 oz powder canister)
Rating: Very Good 8.3/10.0
Pros: Provides increased electrolytes and other benefits for endurance athletes; good value; convenient to purchase
Cons: Slightly salty taste; could include some additional vitamins
Overall: If you can get over the slight difference in taste, then all things considered - Gatorade Endurance Formula is one of the top hydration choices for your training runs and endurance events.

Effectiveness - 8.5 - I used the Gatorade Endurance Formula during several of my training workouts and found it be more effective than my traditional endurance sports drink. I noticed that it prevented me from feeling as fatigued in the latter stages of my workouts; presumably because of its substantially increased electrolyte and potassium content. The Endurance Formula has nearly twice the amount of sodium and potassium as Gatorade’s original formula and substantially more of both nutrients than Accelerade. Read the rest of this entry »

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