Dean Karnazes Wins 2007 ESPY Award, Best Outdoor Athlete

SAN LEANDRO, California—July 13, 2007— The North Face, the world’s premier supplier of authentic, innovative and technically advanced outdoor apparel, equipment and footwear, today announced The North Face athlete Dean Karnazes won a 2007 ESPY Award, Best Outdoor Athlete, for his accomplishments during the year culminating with The North Face Endurance 50, in which he accomplished his quest to run 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 consecutive days, finishing with the New York City Marathon, which he ran in three hours and thirty seconds.

“I’m honored to have received this prestigious award and wish to thank everyone who has supported me along the way,” Karnazes says. Karnazes has been a member of The North Face Athlete Team since 1999.

The North Face Endurance 50, a celebration of endurance and the athletes who push preconceived notions of what is possible, commenced on September 17 at the Lewis and Clark Marathon in St. Charles, Missouri, and finished Sunday, November 5 at the New York City Marathon. Throughout the 50 days, thousands of runners from across the country and around the globe took part in the historic event in which The North Face and Karnazes challenged Americans to achieve their personal best, whether running just a few miles, a half marathon, their first full marathon, or their 20th.

Karnazes won the Vermont 100-mile Trail Run in July 2006, and is a six-time finisher of the 135-mile Kiehl’s Badwater Ultramarathon race, which he won in 2004. He holds eleven Western States 100-mile Endurance Run silver buckles and is no stranger to ultramarathons, having run 350 continuous miles, through three sleepless nights, and, on seven separate occasions, completed a 200-mile relay race solo, racing alongside teams of twelve.

“Winning an ESPY Awards is an important step forward toward bringing endurance sports further into the mainstream spotlight,” Karnazes says.

The ESPY Awards are an annual sports awards event created and broadcast by ESPN. Started in 1993, the Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Awards honors individual and team athletic achievement and other sports-related performances during the previous calendar year. Other ESPY Award recipients include such luminaries as Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, and LeBron James.

Dean Karnazes will be hosting The North Face Endurance Challenge, beginning in August 2007. For more information and to register, check out www.thenorthface.com/endurancechallenge/.

About The North Face®
The North Face, a subsidiary of VF Corporation, was founded in 1968. 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.


Press Contacts:
Pamela Bennett
510.618.3654
pam_bennett@vfc.com

Amy Goldhammer
510.618.2815
amy_goldhammer@vfc.com