The North Face Athlete Dean Karnazes Takes First Place at Vermont 100-

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The North Face Athlete Dean Karnazes Takes First Place at Vermont 100-Mile Endurance Race
Best selling author of Ultramarathon Man wins
prestigious East Coast Race

SAN LEANDRO, California—July 20, 2006— The North Face, the world’s premier supplier of authentic, innovative and technically advanced outdoor apparel, equipment and footwear, today announced Dean Karnazes’ results of the Vermont 100-Mile Endurance Race, which took place July 14 -16, 2006. This year’s race was Karnazes’ first time competing in the Vermont 100-Mile Endurance Race, and he crossed the line as first-place finisher with a time of 16 hours, 26 minutes and 12 seconds.

The picturesque course is quintessential Vermont, complete with rolling hills, picket fences and red barns. The 100-mile course starts and finishes at Silver Hill Meadow, an old family farm located above Brownsville, Vermont. Consisting of about 70 percent dirt and jeep roads with the rest on wooded trails, the course both climbs and descends 15,000 feet.

“It’s great to be able to compete in endurance races all across the country,” said Karnazes, who traveled from San Francisco for the race. “Every year there are more and more forming … it’s a true testament to the rising popularity of endurance running and people’s commitment to leading healthy lives.”

The Vermont 100 is part of Karnazes’ training regimen for The North Face Endurance 50—an expedition in which he will run 50 marathons in all 50 states in 50 consecutive days, encouraging others to join him along the way. He completed the arduous Western States 100 Endurance Run in June, earning his eleventh coveted Western States Silver Buckle, and heads to the Kiehl’s Badwater 135-Mile Ultramarathon July 24. No stranger to endurance events, Karnazes has run 350 continuous miles, through three sleepless nights, and on eight separate occasions, has run a 200-mile relay race solo, racing alongside teams of twelve.

Karnazes will begin The North Face Endurance 50 with the Lewis & Clark Marathon in St. Charles, Missouri, on September 17. He will also be making footprints at the Boulder Backroads Marathon (Boulder, Colorado) on September 24, Portland Marathon (Portland, Oregon) on October 1, Boston Marathon on October 15, and with his final race, the New York City Marathon, on November 5.

For more information about the Vermont 100-Mile Endurance Race, including images from the event, check out www.vermont100.com

For information on the upcoming The North Face Endurance 50, check out www.endurance50.com.

For all information on The North Face Endurance Team and where they’ll be next, head to www.thenorthface.com.




About The North Face
The North Face, a subsidiary of VF Corporation, was founded in 1966. 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