Melaleuca athletes Bernard Lagat and Nick Symmonds ran for world titles at the Track World Championships in Moscow.

Bernard Lagat

2 OLYMPIC MEDALS

9-TIME NATIONAL CHAMPION

3-TIME INDOOR WORLD CHAMPION

2-TIME OUTDOOR WORLD CHAMPION

American Record Holder in the 5,000-meter (12:53.6), 2-mile (8:09.49), mile (3:49.89) and 1,500-meter (3:33.34) 2nd fastest 1,500-meter ever: 3:26.34

Breaking Away

With just 200 meters to go, the men’s 5,000-meter National Championship had come down to two competitors: Melaleuca athlete Bernard Lagat and his consummate challenger, Galen Rupp. Taking the inside track, Rupp appeared to have the advantage as the two athletes started down the final stretch, but Bernard quickly moved alongside him.

“He’s obviously a legend in track and field,” Rupp said of Bernard after the race, “so he’s always going to be there.” Bernard opened a gap of a few inches and then pushed it to a few yards. In a matter of moments, what looked to be an epic duel rapidly became a blowout as Bernard kicked for the win and left his rival in his wake. The two challengers had zipped through their final mile in only three minutes and 54 seconds.

“That time was not surprising,” said 38-yearold Bernard, whom the media have dubbed “the ageless wonder.” “I came here prepared. I was ready for this race today. [My closing speed] is still there; it’s not going anywhere.” And you can bet that when he finished, Bernard went to his favorite source for recovery: Melaleuca’s ProFlex20®. “Drinking water or eating a banana—it’s not going to be enough,” Bernard says. “When we do all of those miles day after day, you tear your muscles or you get so weak, and you need the strength to work the following day. We have to run today and tomorrow and the day after, week after week, month after month. You need the recovery, and that’s why I looked into ProFlex20 and why it’s become my favorite Melaleuca product.”

Nick Symmonds

Olympian – London 2012

5-TIME OUTDOOR NATIONAL CHAMPION

3rd Fastest American 800-meter ever: 1:42.95

3-TIME USA OUTDOOR RUNNER UP

Aiming High

In the 800-meter final, Melaleuca athlete Nick Symmonds took a valiant second-place finish in the swiftest field of American half-milers ever to line up at a National Championship—wherein the top three finishers all crossed the line under 1:44.

“I feel that I made some really big tactical errors, and I still ran 1:43.7 in only my second 800-meter final of the year,” Nick said after the race. “[It] makes me feel really good [to know] I could possibly shave off another second and get down into the mid-1:42s. That’s what I’m going to aim for in Moscow.”

UPDATE: Nick won a silver medal in Moscow.

For most athletes, winning a National Championship would, in itself, be a once-in-alifetime thrill. But for Nick Symmonds, who’s won five outdoor national titles, there are even bigger opportunities at stake.

“I want to go for the [800-meter] and the [1,500-meter] in the 2016 Olympics,” he says. “And if I’m going to make a realistic shot at that, I need to run the 1,500 at a championship race. In Watch the Athletes Nick’s 800-meter final at the Moscow World Championship is scheduled for August 13, and Bernard’s 5,000-meter final is scheduled for August 16. Check universalsports.com for coverage. 2015, I need to really jump into the 1,500 to learn what it takes to get through those rounds as well.”

Fueling Nick’s Olympic ambitions will, of course, be Melaleuca’s Access® Bars.”

“I have to say that I would not be the athlete I am today if not for the Access Bars,” Nick says. “On a typical day, we might be working out for six to eight hours. A lot of times, I’ll get up and have a 10-mile workout and a gym session afterwards. And I think, ‘How am I going to fuel up for three or four hours worth of work?’ I certainly can’t go out and have a Denny’s Grand Slam®—there’s no way it’s going to fuel me through that.

“But if I have a sensible breakfast and an Access Bar in my backpack, it’s just the right amount. Without being too heavy in my stomach, the Access Bar will leave me feeling fueled but not overwhelmed by calories.”