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Searching For The World's 2012 Fittest CEO



The CEO Endurance World Championship is a made-for-TV event covering six grueling stages of competition from September 13 - 16, 2012, and featuring 25 top CEOs that combine success in business with a healthy and fit lifestyle.

Each of the six stages is designed to test the CEOs - mixing strategy with endurance - and at the same time be very entertaining to watch. The goal of the competition is to identify the World’s Fittest CEO.

The CEOs that have been chosen to take part in the event were hand-picked for their athletic ability and, more importantly, for the charity for which they will be racing.

The overall winner will earn the coveted title of Fittest CEO® plus the opportunity to donate $50,000 to the charity of their choice.

The entire competition will be filmed and packaged into a TV show (“The Fittest CEO®”) that will:
  • illustrate the breath-taking beauty of the Great Smoky Mountains
  • profile a number of charities that the CEOs will be racing for
  • applaud CEOs who combine fitness with success.
"As CEOs, we thrive on competition, yet it is often from the back of a desk," said Silicon Valley Leadership Group CEO Carl Guardino. "CEO Challenges and the 'CEO Endurance World Championship' provide us with an opportunity to fuel that competitive fire outside of our normal comfort zone."

Guardino added, "The fact that we can 'do good while competing well' by selecting a charity of our choice only makes it more worthwhile. I will be racing for 'BestBuddies,' an international effort to serve young people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to realize their full potential."

Fred Uytengsu, CEO of Philippines-based Alaska Milk Corporation said, "I am taking part in the CEO Endurance World Championships as yet another opportunity to challenge myself physically and mentally."

He added, "CEO Challenge's motto "when business competition is not enough" rings a bell - all of us participating do look forward to challenges outside the boardroom. The fact that this event combines a philanthropic component makes it even more appealing to me as it presents an opportunity to give back while doing something I really enjoy." 

The entire event will be hosted at Blackberry Farm in Tennessee. The resort is famous for its 9,200 acres of pristine wilderness, organic home grown food and award winning wine cellar.

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