The BUILT WITH CHOCOLATE MILK campaign has added six-time Ironman champion, and Ron Smith Triathlete of the Year for 2013, Luke McKenzie to its roster of athletes. McKenzie joins two-time Ironman World Champion Mirinda Carfrae and football MVP-turned endurance athlete Hines Ward on Team CHOCOLATE MILK.
The Team CHOCOLATE MILK athletes are spokespeople for the benefits of drinking low-fat chocolate milk after strenuous exercise. 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 BUILT WITH CHOCOLATE MILK Campaign, a multi-faceted program designed to educate athletes about the recovery benefits of low-fat chocolate milk after strenuous exercise.
MilkPEP notes that chocolate milk is trusted by athletes and backed by science, with more than 20 studies supporting the benefits of chocolate milk for post-exercise recovery.
“In my sport and many others, if you neglect your recovery, you’re never going to get the most out of your next workout,” McKenzie said. “Like a lot of other top pros, chocolate milk’s been my go-to recovery drink since I began competing in triathlon back in the early Nineties. In fact, my mom even carries a cooler of chocolate milk around with her at my races so I can down it as soon as I’m done!”
“Luke is a natural addition to our growing team of some of the best athletes in the world that trust the post-exercise recovery benefits of chocolate milk,” said Miranda Abney, Marketing Director at the Milk Processor Education Program, the group behind the BUILT WITH CHOCOLATE MILK campaign.
“It’s got high quality protein plus carbs and other nutrients your body needs after you’ve given your all.”
An athlete who specializes in the Ironman and Ironman 70.3 race series, McKenzie is the only professional triathlete to complete the 2013 Triple Crown of triathlon (Hy-Vee 5150 US Championship, Ironman 70.3 World Championship and the Ironman World Championship).
Last year, he added a win at Ironman Cairns in Australia to his previous five titles and finished second, his career best, at the GoPro Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawai`i. In 2014, McKenzie will be vying for top finishes at a number of events, including the Ironman Asia-Pacific Championship Melbourne and ultimately the 2014 Ironman World Championship.
Team CHOCOLATE MILK for age groupers
Whether athletes are training for a first half marathon or racing a fifth Ironman, those who make chocolate milk a go-to drink for recovery can apply to join Team CHOCOLATE MILK at GotChocolateMilk.com through to 26 September 2014.
Selected athletes will receive a Team CHOCOLATE MILK Sponsorship Package, which includes a US$500 sponsorship, Team CHOCOLATE MILK race apparel and the opportunity to receive free race entries to Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series, Ironman, Iron Girl and Esprit de She races.
Applicants must submit a video describing how chocolate milk plays a role in their post-workout recovery routine. To be selected as one of the eight winners during each of the four application periods, athletes must rally the most votes for their video. For every vote cast, US$1 will go to the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF), the non-profit organization that helps individuals with physical challenges get involved – and stay involved – in sports.
