American football legend Hines Ward may have hung up his helmet and pads but that doesn’t mean he’s stopped pushing the boundaries of his athletic ability. Just one year after ending his 14-year pro football career, Ward will up the ante by switching gears from a 40-yard dash to tackling the demands of Ironman.
Ward has teamed up with REFUEL | ‘got chocolate milk?’ to take on the 2013 Ironman World Championship in Hawai’i and is searching for two people to experience this life-changing journey with him.
The new program, dubbed BECOME ONE, REFUEL | ‘got chocolate milk?’ is issuing a challenge to individuals who believe they can redefine their personal limits to become an Ironman triathlete. This one-of-a-kind program will send Ward and two contest winners on an epic journey and give them starring roles in an online documentary series.
Together, they will receive the tools, training and nutritional know-how to conquer the Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawai’i on 12 October 2013.
A transformational training journey
Beginning in February 2013, Hines Ward plus the two contest winners will start a seven-month training and recovery regimen with elite professional coaches and sports dieticians that will prepare them for the gruelling race. They’ll learn that what they do after strenuous exercise, such as refuelling with low-fat chocolate milk, can make a dramatic difference in how they feel and perform during their next workout.
A growing body of published research suggests the nutrient profile of low fat chocolate milk can help athletes recover after hard workouts so they can perform at their best during the next bout of exercise.
“To become an Ironman triathlon finisher in Kona is to take your place among the greatest athletes in all of sports, so it’s no surprise that a competitor like Hines Ward would seek out this challenge,” said Miranda Abney, Senior Marketing Manager of the Milk Processor Education Program, the group behind the ‘got chocolate milk?’ campaign.
“BECOME ONE will give Hines and two other lucky people an exclusive opportunity to leave it all on the course and show that anything is possible by crossing the most prestigious finish line in endurance sports.”
The Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP), is funded by the US nation’s milk processors, who are committed to increasing fluid milk consumption. The National Fluid Milk Processor Promotion Board, through MilkPEP, runs the REFUEL | ‘got chocolate milk?’ campaign, a multi-faceted program designed to educate athletes about the recovery benefits of low-fat chocolate milk after strenuous exercise.
“Hines may have been one of the most successful pro football players in history, but when it comes to Ironman triathlons he’ll be a rookie all over again,” said Erik Vervloet, Chief Marketing Officer at Ironman brand owner World Triathlon Corporation (WTC). “But with the right coaching, nutrition and attitude, we’re confident that he’ll show us that ‘Anything is Possible’.”
“I may be retired, but I’m certainly not finished as an athlete – and there’s no bigger challenge than taking on the Ironman World Championship,” Ward said. “I’ve got a long road ahead of me, but I’m eager to prove that by training hard with the right experts and refuelling smarter with chocolate milk, I will become an Ironman triathlon finisher.”
How everyday athletes can ‘BECOME ONE’
Everyday athletes can apply to join this one-in-a-lifetime training journey now through to 30 November at gotchocolatemilk.com. Applicants must be at least 21 years old, and they need to create a short video on YouTube to explain what motivates them, why they want take this challenge, and how Ironman and chocolate milk can help redefine their personal limits. Two winners will be announced in February 2013.
As part of the ‘BECOME ONE’ program, cameras will follow Ward and the chosen athletes throughout their training journey. Coached by eight-time Ironman World Championship winner, Paula Newby-Fraser, they will train hard every day, then refuel and recover with lowfat chocolate milk – the Official Refuel Beverage of Ironman. Their compelling journey will play out as online interactive webisodes on gotchocolatemilk.com starting in February 2013.
The refuelling properties of chocolate milk
More and more elite athletes and coaches are reportedly recognising the benefits of refuelling with low fat chocolate milk. Penny Wilson, dietitian for the Ironman Sports Medicine Institute at Memorial Hermann, Texas, makes chocolate milk a staple on the training menu of her athletes. “For athletes that train hard regularly, it’s so important that they recover properly in-between to be able to get the most out of their next workout,” said Wilson.
“Elite athletes have been refuelling with chocolate milk for years because of its unique nutrient profile, plus it’s so simple and it tastes great!”
Chocolate milk reportedly has the right carb-to-protein ratio scientifically shown to help the body recover, high-quality protein to help repair muscles and fluids and electrolytes to replenish what’s lost in sweat.
A growing body of research supports chocolate milk’s recovery benefits after strenuous exercise. For example, researchers at the University of Texas at Austin found that following an exhausting ride, trained cyclists had significantly more power and rode faster, shaving about six minutes on average from their ride time when they recovered with low fat chocolate milk compared to a carbohydrate sports drink and calorie-free beverage.
www.gotchocolatemilk.com
www.ironman.com
