Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT) today announced that its CEO, Frits van Paasschen, together with 25 other Starwood executives and associates, will participate in the company´s fifth annual Road to Awareness bike ride challenge. Launched in 2008, the Road to Awareness campaign has raised nearly US$1.6 million for UNICEF and includes fundraising initiatives by Starwood hotel associates across Europe, Africa and the Middle East. The Starwood team will follow a training regimen developed by Sheraton Fitness partner, Mark Verstegen, founder of Athlete´s Performance and Core Performance, a world-renowned leader in professional athletic training, nutrition and physical therapy. This methodology drives the Sheraton Fitness Programmed by Core Performance offering available at Sheraton properties globally. The cyclists will start the rigorous four-day bike ride in Chamonix on August 17th and will travel 354 miles to Monte Carlo, including some of the most challenging, high-altitude climbs from the Tour de France.
"As Starwood´s largest brand, Sheraton is proud to support the Starwood cycling team as they prepare to undertake one of the most challenging bike rides in the history of this campaign," said Hoyt Harper, Global Brand Leader, Sheraton Hotels & Resorts. "Sheraton Fitness partner, Mark Verstegen, will leverage his years of experience training Olympic athletes, as well as NFL and NBA players, to prepare the Starwood team for this grueling ride, which will raise funds for a worthy cause."
Verstegen visited members of the cycling team, including senior executives and hotel associates from across Starwood´s Europe, Africa and Middle East region, last month to assess their progress and conduct an in-person extensive training session. Moving forward, team members will follow a weekly training regimen developed by Verstegen to support their race preparation. With one month to go before the ride, team members are riding 186 miles per week and are leveraging Core Performance´s components across mindset, nutrition, movement and recovery.
Road to Awareness to Support UNICEF Preschool Education Project in Ethiopia
This year´s Road to Awareness campaign will raise money for the UNICEF Early Childhood Care and Education program in Ethiopia, which aims to provide preschool education to the most disadvantaged children in rural communities. Funds raised by Starwood will contribute to the construction of 10 preschools, provide preschool education for up to 50,000 children aged six and enable UNICEF to train 10,000 young instructors to aid their learning.
"We believe that every child has the right to go to school. That is why we have together with UNICEF chosen to focus on providing children in need with access to education. We are convinced that for these children education is the door that opens opportunities and will enable them to become fully independent members of society," Roeland Vos, President of Starwood Hotels & Resorts for Europe, Africa & Middle East says. "I am proud of our enthusiastic hotel teams, cyclists and supportive partners that all rally behind the idea of making a difference to the lives of children in Ethiopia."
About Mark Verstegen and Core Performance
Mark Verstegen is the Founder of Core Performance, an industry leader in the wellness field, and Athletes´ Performance, the global leader in performance training, nutrition, and physical therapy for elite athletes and teams. In addition to his roles at Athletes´ Performance and Core Performance, Mark is the Director of Performance for the NFL Players´ Association and the author of five Core Performance books, including Core Performance Essentials and Core Performance Golf. Mark is featured regularly in Men´s Health and Outside Magazine, and speaks regularly internationally about helping executives, athletes, and consumers alike achieve their performance goals. Under Mark´s leadership, Athletes´ Performance has trained some to today´s top athletes including major champions in basketball, hockey, tennis, and golf. For more information please visit www.sheratonfitness.com.
