Short-Track Speedskating Legend Apolo Ohno Reaches Halfway Point in Life Changing Journey That Is BUILT WITH CHOCOLATE MILK™

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- In April of this year, short-track speedskating legend Apolo Ohno embarked on an athletic comeback of a different sort – as an endurance athlete. He is now halfway through his training and recovery journey that will culminate at the world's most grueling endurance race: the IRONMAN® World Championship triathlon – a 140.6-mile swim-bike-run event in Kailua-Kona, Hawai'i. Ohno, an elite athlete once at the top of his sport, has had to learn how to translate his speed and power to the three disciplines of triathlon. His biggest fear? Being coined a "newbie" while racing among a field of pro athletes that compete at the highest level.

New Apolo Ohno BUILT WITH CHOCOLATE MILK National Ads

Ohno has been building his athletic success with lowfat chocolate milk for years and now the eight-time medalist is featured with his tried and true recovery drink in a new national BUILT WITH CHOCOLATE MILK™ ad campaign that captures his return to competition.

"For the past 20 years, recovery has been the number one element in my training because that's where you rebound and how your body heals," said Ohno. "Anyone can perform well for one workout, but to do it repeatedly is the difficult part. You can train and perform only as hard and as fast as you recover.  Recovery, with the help of chocolate milk, is what's kept me in the game."

Ohno is featured in two new ads for the BUILT WITH CHOCOLATE MILK campaign. The ads – print and a 30-second TV spot – feature Ohno pushing his limits, reaching for a new kind of finish line. His TV spot will air on a variety of networks including NBC and NBC Sports the week of August 4 and his print ad will debut in Men's Health on August 26. 

Ohno joins other elite athletes on Team CHOCOLATE MILK including current IRONMAN^® World Champion Mirinda "Rinny" Carfrae along with USA Hockey's Zach Parise and the athletes of Women's Ski Jumping USA.

Ohno's Transformation Is BUILT WITH CHOCOLATE MILK

Ohno was known as an explosive sprinter on the ice who could leg press upward of 2,000 pounds weighing only 144 pounds himself. As a result, Ohno had quadriceps that measured 26.5 inches in diameter propelling him 500 meters around the rink in just over 41 seconds. Following his first-ever triathlon at IRONMAN 70.3 Boise in June (which is documented in Episode Three of Mission Apolo: BUILT WITH CHOCOLATE MILK), it was clear Ohno's training must pick up in intensity to achieve the endurance and physique required by athletes successful in the sport before toeing the line in Kona.

To date he is training up to 18+ hours a week – compared to his short-track speedskating training where he focused on short bursts of speed with rest sets in between – now, he is biking 100 miles, running for up to two hours and swimming 2.5 miles several times a week. To provide a benchmark of where his training and endurance currently stacks up to other triathletes – he finished his IRONMAN 70.3 one hour behind the 1^st place male finisher and took first in his age group (13^th overall) at the Carlsbad Sprint Triathlon on July 13.

One core component to his success as an athlete, time and time again, and that has remained consistent in his endurance training is recovery. His go-to after each workout to help him rebuild his body is lowfat chocolate milk because it has high quality protein to help rebuild and repair exhausted muscles plus fluids and electrolytes to replenish what's lost in sweat. It will take on an even more critical role in the back-half of his journey to prevent injury and keep up with an even more demanding training schedule.

Mission Apolo: BUILT WITH CHOCOLATE MILK

Ohno's transformational journey is being captured in an eight-episode online documentary series, Mission Apolo: BUILT WITH CHOCOLATE MILK that shows his highs and lows as he builds from short-course competitor to a long-course endurance athlete. Fans can watch Ohno's inspiring – and entertaining – journey on www.gotchocolatemilk.com  to get an inside look at how building an effective recovery routine, which includes lowfat chocolate milk, plays a critical role in his success.

Visit Facebook.com/gotchocolatemilk, Twitter@gotchocomilk and Instagram @gotchocolatemilk to follow Ohno's journey and see his new ad as well as exclusive behind-the-scenes photos and footage from his ad shoot.

About the BUILT WITH CHOCOLATE MILK Campaign

The Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP), Washington, D.C., is funded by the 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 lowfat chocolate milk after strenuous exercise.  Lowfat chocolate milk helps athletes refuel, rebuild and reshape after regular exercise – with high quality protein scientifically shown to help repair and rebuild muscles. For more information, go to www.gotchocolatemilk.com.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140805/133592

SOURCE Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP)