Brand Partners

Champion (Athletic Apparel Sponsor) Champion is proud to be the Official Apparel sponsor of Running the Sahara, providing apparel for the athletes and expedition crew. The runners wear only high performance Champion Athleticwear, like new Champion Vapor, as they run two marathons a day for 100 days.

Gatorade In preparation for their run, each runner tested at the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI) to learn how their bodies would react under extreme conditions. Each was given a specific hydration and nutrition strategy to ensure they knew how much fluid they should drink and what foods they should consume. Throughout their journey, the runners relied on Gatorade, Gatorade Endurance Formula and Gatorade Energy Bars to fuel their run. Over 111 days, they consumed over 3,000 liters of Gatorade.

Magellan (Expedition Sponsor) The athlete's expedition is made possible by Magellan Navigation. Magellan's sponsorship of the expedition includes provision of Magellan eXplorist series handheld GPS receivers, MapSend WorldWide Basemap software and MapSend Topo 3D software. The expedition team and the athletes rely on these devices in the field to guide their run and update their route map daily.

Toyota Toyota believes in helping people improve the quality of life in their communities. We partner with organizations, schools, universities and other businesses to support programs that help make our world a better place. With a focus on safety, the environment and education, we offer people the tools they need to make a difference today and tomorrow. Toyota supports the Running the Sahara with a corporate sponsorship and by providing Toyota Land Cruiser vehicles for use in the field. These high-tech SUVs transport the expedition and film crews in the field as they follow the runners across 4,000 miles of sand dunes and desert terrain. They are among the only vehicles available that are capable of making the crossing.

Charitable Partners

H2O Africa The H2O Africa Foundation is the charitable component of Running the Sahara. Charitable fund services are being provided by Renaissance and Stanford Financial Group, which is also the lead investor in the film venture. The ONE Campaign provides guidance to Running the Sahara for the selection of H2O Africa charitable partners, advocacy regarding clean water issues, and public outreach. H2O Africa is a fund of the Renaissance Charitable Foundation, Inc. www.h2oafrica.org

Renaissance As The Social Capital Company, Renaissance is devoted to a simple, yet important objective: expanding the quantity and quality of philanthropy in our world. A true pioneer, Renaissance has been the leader in expanding the concept of social capital since 1987. The company's experience in this area is second to none. Based in Indianapolis, Renaissance has trained and supported thousands of donor advisors in helping their clients recognize the existence of social capital and understand how to best put it to use for society and themselves. Renaissance has assembled an unparalleled level of personnel, technical expertise and information dedicated to this effort. www.rcgf.org

The ONE Campaign The ONE Campaign is a partner of H2O Africa, supporting Running the Sahara in raising awareness of and mobilizing Americans in the fight for clean water in Africa. ONE works closely with H2O Africa to help focus effective efforts in establishing clean water wells across the African continent. ONE is a campaign of over 2.4 million people and 100 of the nation's leading relief, humanitarian and advocacy organizations united in the fight against global AIDS and extreme poverty. www.one.org

Millennium Promise Millennium Promise is a partner of H2O Africa. In collaboration with scientific experts at The Earth Institute, Millennium Promise will advise H2O Africa on where and how best to utilize the funds raised (in conjunction with the Running the Sahara expedition) to aide the clean water crisis in Africa. Running the Sahara and H2O Africa are helping to raise funds to support a Millennium Village in Mali.

A Glimmer of Hope A Glimmer of Hope Foundation has impacted the lives of more than 2.2 million of Ethiopia's rural poor in the past six years. The foundation's efforts have included making clean water accessible to more than one million people all for an average cost of just $6.30 per person. A Glimmer of Hope has achieved considerable success with its entrepreneurial approach and has been recognized for its cost-effectiveness and compassion in the areas of International and Humanitarian Aid. www.aglimmerofhope.org

Production Partners

Running the Sahara is a LivePlanet and Allentown Production, presented by Independent Producers Alliance with financing support from Stanford Financial Group.

LivePlanet LivePlanet develops and produces entertainment properties for traditional as well as digital media distribution platforms, with a focus on leveraging technology and integrating brands to tell compelling stories. LivePlanet currently has projects in active stages of production and development in film, television, broadband and mobile distribution platforms, working with partners ranging from Microsoft, Amp'd Mobile and Yahoo! to The Walt Disney Company, Viacom and NBCUniversal. Recent projects include the feature film First Descent (Universal), wireless game PhoneTag (Amp'd Mobile), the three-time Emmy-nominated Project Greenlight (HBO/Bravo, Miramax), Fan Club: Reality Baseball (MSN Originals), and Race to E3 (MTV and Xbox Live). The company is based in Los Angeles, CA. www.liveplanet.com

Allentown Productions Based at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, since 1993, Allentown Productions is a company that specializes in non-fiction film. The company's principal, James Moll, was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania—hence, the name of the company. His work as a documentary director/producer has earned numerous awards including the Academy Award™, two Emmy Awards, the Peabody Award, Edward R. Murrow Award, Cable Ace, and the Christopher, among others. Allentown Productions has worked closely with Executive Producer Steven Spielberg for the past ten years on both feature documentary films and non-fiction series, and has also created documentary films for NBC, HBO, and The History Channel, among others. www.allentownproductions.com

Independent Producers Alliance ("IPA") IPA champions the work of award-winning independent producers who make films that inspire people to good things. IPA is based in Charlotte, NC, where it operates production and post-production facilities, as well as its administration and distribution service units. Other IPA feature films scheduled for release in the coming year include The Ultimate Gift and The Perfect Game.

The Stanford Financial Group Stanford Financial Group is a privately held, wholly owned global group of financial services companies founded by Lodis B. Stanford in 1932. Stanford's core businesses are private wealth management and investment banking for institutions and emerging growth companies. Stanford offers private and institutional investors global expertise in asset allocation strategies, investment advisory services, equity research, international private banking and trust administration, commercial banking, investment banking, merchant banking, institutional sales and trading, real estate investment and insurance. Stanford serves clients from 126 countries on six continents. Securities products and services offered through Stanford Group Company, member NASD/SIPC. More information on the company can be found at www.stanfordfinancial.com.

United Nations Development Programme ("UNDP") UNDP collaborates with the Independent Producers Alliance, LivePlanet, and Allentown Productions, as a production partner on Running the Sahara. In addition to providing production services, UNDP is a consultant for development projects, negotiating with the embassies and other officials of the respected six African countries. www.undp.org

Products and Services

DigitalGlobe® DigitalGlobe® was founded in 1992 as an Earth imaging and information company. That same year, it was the first company ever to receive a high-resolution commercial remote sensing license from the U.S. Government under the Land Remote Sensing Policy Act. With the launch of its QuickBird satellite in October 2001, DigitalGlobe® became the world's highest resolution commercial satellite imagery provider. Today, DigitalGlobe® employs more than 350 people and is leading the industry into the next generation of commercial satellite imaging with the planned launch of its WorldView system.

HP HP is a technology solutions provider to consumers, businesses and institutions globally. The company's offerings span IT infrastructure, global services, business and home computing, and imaging and printing.

Inmarsat Inmarsat is the leading provider of global mobile satellite communications, with a portfolio of services for use on land, at sea and in the air. Its latest service, BGAN, delivers voice and high-speed data to a range of truly portable terminals. BGAN uses the advanced capabilities of the Inmarsat-4 satellites, the world's most sophisticated commercial communications satellites, which cover around 85% of the global landmass. www.inmarsat.com

Motorola Motorola is a global communications leader, powered by, and driving, seamless mobility. Motorola is revolutionizing broadband, embedded systems and wireless networks—bringing cutting-edge technologies into your everyday life, with style.

The North Face (Camping Division) The North Face®, a subsidiary of VF Corporation, was founded in 1966. Headquartered in San Leandro, California, the company offers the most technically advanced products in the market to accomplished climbers, mountaineers, snowsport athletes and explorers. The company's products are sold in specialty mountaineering, backpacking and snowsport retailers, premium-sporting goods retailers and major outdoor specialty retail chains. Additional information about The North Face® can be found on the company's website, www.thenorthface.com.

Remote Satellite Systems Remote Satellite Systems International (www.remotesatellite.com) is a premier Satellite Integration Company. We are an official sponsor for 'Running the Sahara', and are supporting all of their satellite communication needs on a daily basis throughout their African trek. In providing our services, we carefully address the extreme conditions under which they operate. Satellite communication systems and satellite phones have been around for many years, and so has Remote Satellite Systems International. RSSI specializes in satellite phone sales and rentals, as well as satellite phone service, and integration of satellite communications into networks and other systems.

VQ Orthocare Founded in 1989, VQ OrthoCare is a leading provider of patient-centered solutions focused on noninvasive, nonpharmacologic treatment of bone, joint and soft-tissue conditions. The company's drug-free product offering includes manufacturing and distribution of braces, electrotherapy, bone growth stimulation, continuous passive motion, cold therapy and traction. Services include in-home patient fitting of braces and medical devices, technology-enabled compliance monitoring, physician and payor support, and around-the-clock patient care. Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., VQ OrthoCare has 300 employees and distribution partners in 26 states and nine countries. For more information on VQ OrthoCare, please visit us at www.vqorthocare.com or call 800 266 6969.

Nike (Footwear)

Champion (Athletic Apparel Sponsor)
Champion products are designed and made for those dedicated to accomplishing their goals. That's why Champion offers a full line of innovative athletic apparel for men and women including sport bras, activewear, team uniforms, sweats and accessories in addition to a full line of home exercise equipment. For more information visit www.championusa.com. Champion Athleticwear is a part of Hanesbrands Inc.

Hanesbrands Inc. is a leading marketer of innerwear, outerwear and hosiery apparel under strong consumer brands, including Hanes, Champion, Playtex, Bali, Just My Size, barely there and Wonderbra. The company designs, manufactures, sources and sells T-shirts, bras, panties, men's underwear, children's underwear, socks, hosiery, casual wear and active wear. Hanesbrands has approximately 50,000 employees in 24 countries. More information about Hanesbrands Inc. may be found on the internet at www.hanesbrands.com.


Gatorade
Gatorade® Thirst Quencher, the nation's leading sports drink, is backed by 40 years of research. Gatorade is scientifically formulated and athletically proven to quench thirst, replace fluids and electrolytes, and provide carbohydrate energy to enhance athletic performance.

Gatorade Sports Science Institute
The mission of the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI) is to help athletes optimize their performance and safeguard their health through research and education in hydration and sports nutrition science. Headquartered in Barrington, Ill., GSSI scientists study the effects of exercise, the environment, and nutrition on the human body using the latest scientific technology and equipment. www.gatorade.com


Magellan (Expedition Sponsor)
Magellan is a leader in the consumer, survey, GIS and OEM GPS navigation and positioning markets.

Recognized as an industry innovator, the Company is the creator of the award-winning Magellan® RoadMate™ series portable car navigation systems, the Magellan eXplorist™ outdoor handheld navigation devices, the Hertz NeverLost® car navigation system and ProMark™, the best-selling single frequency GPS survey product line on the market. The company is recognized worldwide through its Magellan brand and has experienced dramatic revenue growth as GPS technology has proliferated across a range of consumer and commercial applications.

The Company is headquartered in San Dimas, California, with European headquarters in Carquefou, France.

In 2006, Thales Navigation was acquired by a group of investors led by Shah Capital Partners, a private equity firm based in Santa Clara, California. The company was renamed Magellan and offers its leading consumer GPS solutions under the Magellan brand, and its innovative professional GPS solutions now under the Magellan Professional name.


Toyota
Toyota believes in helping people improve the quality of life in their communities. We partner with organizations, schools, universities and other businesses to support programs that help make our world a better place. With a focus on safety, the environment and education, we offer people the tools they need to make a difference today and tomorrow.

Toyota supports Running the Sahara with a corporate sponsorship and by providing Toyota Land Cruiser vehicles for use in the field. These high-tech SUVs transport the expedition and film crews in the field as they follow the runners across 4,000 miles of sand dunes and desert terrain. They are among the only vehicles available that are capable of making the crossing. www.toyota.com


The ONE Campaign (Charitable Partner)
ONE: THE CAMPAIGN TO MAKE POVERTY HISTORY is a new effort by Americans to rally Americans—ONE by ONE—to fight the emergency of global AIDS and extreme poverty. ONE is a coalition of over 2.4 million people and 100 of the nation's leading relief, humanitarian and advocacy organizations. For more information, please visit: www.one.org.


Millennium Promise (Charitable Partner)
The mission of Millennium Promise is to achieve the Millennium Development Goals in Africa by 2015. The Goals are eight globally-endorsed objectives and targets that both address and seek to eradicate the many dimensions of extreme poverty. To that end, Millennium Promise is working with impoverished communities, national and local governments, and partner NGOs to implement high-impact programs on the continent by engaging donor nations, corporations, and the general public in the effort to end extreme poverty.

Our flagship initiative, Millennium Villages, applies scientific research, economic analysis, and international development expertise to the practical achievement of the Millennium Goals at the rural level. Now operating in 78 villages across 10 countries in Africa, Millennium Villages take a comprehensive approach to ending poverty by addressing food, water, health, education, and infrastructure needs all at once. Millennium Promise works in close collaboration with the UN Millennium Project and The Earth Institute at Columbia University—both organizations directed by Jeffrey Sachs.


United Nations Development Programme ("UNDP")
UNDP is the UN's global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. They are on the ground in 166 countries, working with them on their own solutions to global and national development challenges. As they develop local capacity, they draw on the people of UNDP and their wide range of partners.