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TEAM
EARTHLINK IN THE NEWS
Team Captain Jason Middleton and EarthLink spokesperson Arley Baker discuss Team EarthLink and the Eco-Challenge with John Dvorak on Technically Speaking September 12. Sports Illustrated Women's October issue paid a special tribute to the women of adventure racing. Three of the four women featured, Cathy Sassin, Robyn Benincasa and Dianette Strange, are part of the Team EarthLink family. (actual story mentioned above is only available in hard copy) Cathy Sassin, Isaac Wilson and Jason Middleton competed in a brutal Salomon X-Adventure race in Park City, Utah last August. The Salt Lake Tribune caught up with Cathy at one of the transition points. Isaac Wilson, a local legend in the Park City area, speaks to the Salt Lake Tribune about the upcoming X-Adventure. Team EarthLink was featured on CBS's 48 Hours special, "Survival of the Fittest" for the 2000 Eco-Challenge in Borneo. TEAM EARTHLINK PRESS RELEASES TEAM EARTHLINK SET TO RACE THE ECO-CHALLENGE 2001 Leading ISP integrates technology into adventure racing sponsorship ATLANTA, October 21, 2001 - On October 21, Team EarthLink (www.teamearthlink.com) embarks on the world's toughest expedition-length adventure race, the Eco-Challenge®, in the Southern Alps of New Zealand. More than 70 coed teams of four will travel to "the birthplace of adventure racing" to navigate the 500-kilometer course with minimal food and sleep, and using only non-motorized transportation, for six to 12 days. The EarthLink-sponsored team of veteran adventure racers has a combined resume that includes 17 Eco-Challenges and more than 35 years of adventure racing experience. Team Captain Jason Middleton, 28, will be competing in his sixth Eco-Challenge and is accompanied by world-renowned athletes Robyn Benincasa, 34, and Isaac Wilson, 30, both members of last year's winning Eco-Challenge team; and Roman Dial, 42, considered one of the founders of adventure racing and one of the sport's most respected navigators. TEAM EARTHLINK YEAR TWO EarthLink, one of the world's largest Internet service providers (ISPs), is sponsoring an Eco-Challenge team for the second consecutive year, recognizing the synergies between the athletes it sponsors and the company's own goals and beliefs. "Adventure racing is such an exciting forum for EarthLink to be a part of right now, and it's great to be a sponsor of an international competition that is 100-percent strength and discipline, zero-percent hype," said Arley Baker, EarthLink's PR director and founder of the Team EarthLink adventure racing program. "As a company, we share the same basic values and beliefs in communication, focus and team work that drive us to be the absolute best at what we do. And because adventure racing is still such a growing sport, we are able to get in on the ground floor and make a real impact -- the same way EarthLink has made an impact on the Internet." EarthLink has created a Web site, www.teamearthlink.com, dedicated to keeping Team EarthLink's family, friends and fans informed of the team's adventures and providing more information about the adventure racing scene. In addition to team information, the site's "Training Update" and "Race Update" sections keep visitors apprised of the team's progress up-to and during the race. Race updates will be logged daily, directly from the Eco-Challenge racecourse in New Zealand. The Web site, created by EarthLink in support of its adventure focused sponsorships, features information on EarthLink's participation in the Eco-Challenge 2001, the Subaru Gorge GamesTM, the Team EarthLink women's professional cycling team, and Team EarthLink sponsored cyclists in the Ride for the Refuge -- a program dedicated to raising awareness for the Artic National Wildlife Refuge. Visitors can register for email updates on Team EarthLink activities by emailing teamearthlink@earthlink.net. A TEAM WIRELESSLY CONNECTED With a team scattered across the country -- Los Angeles, one in San Diego, one in Utah, and one in Alaska -- the members of Team EarthLink are using EarthLink Wireless Email devices to stay connected with one another, and friends and family. Like most outdoor enthusiasts, these individuals must keep up with their everyday lives while training and traveling on very tight schedules. EarthLink Wireless Email allows them to communicate, sans PC, with their work colleagues, friends, family, and teammates while training and traveling. The units, about the size of a large pack of gum, are easy to carry and can stay constantly connected to one's primary email address. "Whether I'm training in the Santa Monica Mountains or traveling to a race in Utah, I'm able to stay in touch with the rest of my life through EarthLink Wireless Email -- even when I'm without a computer," said Team Captain Jason Middleton, who splits his time between training for the Eco-Challenge and training for his commercial pilot's license in Santa Monica, Calif. "Wireless email, as an extension of my regular email, makes this even easier. I no longer have to look for a computer and track down a phone line to stay in touch. And, unlike a phone, I can send and respond to email at my own pace, whenever I have a free moment." The Eco-Challenge, which was nominated for an Emmy award earlier this year, will air on USA Networks for the second consecutive year in April 2002. ECO-CHALLENGE 2001 This year's Eco-Challenge (www.ecochallenge.com) is a 500-kilometer course requiring competitors to mountaineer, river raft, mountain bike, traverse fixed ropes and horseback ride through New Zealand's toughest mountain terrain. Teams will battle not only the physical aspects of adventure racing, but also some of the most brutal mental and psychological challenges of any competition. Lead teams may not sleep at all for the first three days of the race and then average only about two hours of sleep per day throughout the remainder of the course -- stopping to rest only when absolutely necessary. The Eco-Challenge is one of the few expedition length races that does not allow assistance crews. Teams are allowed only what they can carry from one transition point to the next, severely limiting food and water. ABOUT THE ECO-CHALLENGE Eco-Challenge® (www.ecochallenge.com) is the world's premier Expedition Race™ attracting the best adventure athletes from around the world; it is held in a remote region of the world each year. The Eco-Challenge name and logo are registered trademarks of J. Mark Burnett and cannot be reproduced. Eco-Challenge®, The Expedition Race™, Expedition Racing™ and Expedition Competition™ and all associated logos and service marks are all trademarks or registered trademarks of J. Mark Burnett in the United States and/or other countries. ABOUT EARTHLINK The #1 Provider of the Real Internet™, EarthLink (NASDAQ: ELNK) brings the magic of the Internet to approximately 4.9 million subscribers every day. Headquartered in Atlanta, EarthLink provides a full range of innovative access, hosting and e-commerce solutions to thousands of communities through a nationwide network of dial-up points of presence, and broadband and wireless technologies. EarthLink is committed to doing an exceptional job of pleasing its subscribers, shareholders and the community by following the company's Core Values and Beliefs Information about EarthLink services is available by calling 800-395-8425 and through EarthLink's Web site at www.earthlink.net. EARTHLINK LOGS ON AS SPONSOR OF THE SUBARU GORGE GAMES™ Designated the Official High Speed Internet Service Provider HOOD RIVER, Ore., July 10, 2001—The Subaru Gorge Games have announced that EarthLink (NASDAQ: ELNK), the nation's second largest Internet service provider as ranked by paying subscribers, has signed on as a sponsor of this year's event. The 2001 Subaru Gorge Games returns to Hood River, Ore. from July 14 to 22 and offers a prize purse of more than $100,000 and features a multifaceted, interactive spectator festival that includes films, concerts, clinics, and exhibitions for the whole family. Operated by Octagon Marketing, the Subaru Gorge Games is the preeminent outdoor sport and lifestyle festival. From elite athletes to weekend thrill seekers, Subaru Gorge Games' competitors vie for the gold in nine disciplines: 24-Hour Mountain Bike Racing, 49er Sailing, Adventure Racing, Climbing, Kayaking, Kiteboarding, Outrigger Canoeing, Trail Running, and Windsurfing. In addition to the sponsorship, Team EarthLink will be competing in this year's Adventure Race—consisting of mountaineering, trekking, mountain biking, paddling, climbing, rappelling, and navigation—from Mt. Hood to the National Geographic Adventure Village in Hood River. Team EarthLink consists of veteran athletes Jason Middleton (team captain), an avid adventure racer for the past six years; Kerry Classen, one of the nation's top triathletes and member of the winning team in last May's Hi-Tec Adventure Race in Los Angeles; and Raeleigh Tennant, an Aussie and one of the worlds most dominant female triathletes. "The Subaru Gorge Games is a perfect venue for EarthLink to tout its high-speed Internet services to an educated, Net savvy, and adventurous audience," said Deena Demasi, EarthLink's director of integrated marketing and promotions. "We're excited to be getting more involved in the world of outdoor sports—especially adventure racing. The sport truly mirrors our company's focus on communication, commitment, and teamwork." |