The Milk Processor Education Program’s BUILT WITH CHOCOLATE MILK campaign had a triumphant success on the Big Island of Hawaii last month at the IRONMAN® World Championship triathlon. Apolo Ohno, the world-champion short-track speed-skating legend, and Jen Ator, fitness director for Women’s Health magazine, conquered the most grueling endurance sports event on the planet, backed by intensive training and chocolate milk as their recovery drink of choice.

A Remarkable Finish

The event comprised a 2.4-mile ocean swim, a windy 112-mile bike race and a hot and humid 26.2-mile run, all within 17 hours. As a rookie to the sport, Ohno placed among the top 15 percent of the field with an impressive time of 9:52:27. Ator, who recently recovered from knee surgery, beat her personal goal by crossing the finish line with a time of 13:17:57.

For these athletes, the IRONMAN World Championship marked the completion of a six-month training and recovery journey that was documented as part of the Mission Apolo: BUILT WITH CHOCOLATE MILK video series at www.gotchocolatemilk.com. MilkPEP expects the videos will generate more than two million views, showcasing the important role that chocolate milk played in the team’s post-workout recovery.

In addition, Ohno’s print ad and TV spot, combined with a steady drumbeat of high-profile media coverage (so far resulting in 26 million earned media impressions through October), have helped to reinforce chocolate milk as a credible recovery beverage. MilkPEP’s partnership with Women’s Health and Ator’s participation helped extend the message to millions of active-minded women – a new audience for the program – through social media posts, online articles and a lengthy story in the magazine.

A CHOCOLATE MILK World Champ

In addition to Apolo and Jen’s remarkable finishes, Team CHOCOLATE MILK professional triathlete, Mirinda “Rinny” Carfrae set the course record for the marathon portion and earned her third consecutive World Championship title, with a time of 9:00:55. While she recovered with chocolate milk, Carfrae participated in a post-race press conference where she talked about her championship win.

Visit www.gotchocolatemilk.com to see the final episode in the Mission Apolo: BUILT WITH CHOCOLATE MILK video series.

For more information, contact Donna Armstrong, senior manager of communications for MilkPEP, at darmstrong@idfa.org