CAIRO, EGYPT (February 20, 2007) - Today, the international expedition team of Charlie Engle (USA), Ray Zahab (Canada) and Kevin Lin (Taiwan) completed an unprecedented quest-Over 111 days, the three men ran 4,300 miles (69,190 km) across the Sahara Desert, through six countries: Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Libya and Egypt. The expedition started on November 2, 2006 in St. Louis Senegal, and ended on February 20, 2007 at the Red Sea, just east of Cairo, Egypt.

"This has been a life changing event," said expedition team leader Charlie Engle. "We touched the water in Senegal at the beginning, and we touched the Red Sea at the end. They were the bookends of our journey."

Over their 111 days in the Sahara, the trio ran up to 60 miles (97 km) a day in an amazing feat of human will and endurance. The runners endured heat that exceeded 125oF (52oC), and cold below freezing. They ran every day of the expedition, regardless of the conditions.

"We ran from before dawn to after dark every day, through injury and sickness," said Kevin Lin. "There were times when the finish seemed so far away, but our commitment to our goal, and the thought of seeing our friends and families pushed us through all the physical and emotional obstacles."

In the final stage of the expedition on February 19 and 20, the three runners went 36 hours non-stop from the Pyramids in Giza, Egypt, to the Red Sea - a distance of approximately 109 miles (175 km). In the final 60 hours of the trek, the Runners covered nearly186 miles (300 km) with only two hours of sleep.

The runners' journey was made possible by funding from expedition sponsor Magellan. Magellan provided the expedition with financial backing and supplied the team with eXplorist handheld GPS units with MapSend Software. The expedition team relied on these devices in the field to guide the run and to update their route daily, including multi-day stretches through uncharted areas with no roads (where GPS is a necessity for survival), as well as their arrival in the largest city in the continent of Africa, Cairo, through which the runners needed to navigate their shortest route to the Red Sea.

The runners also used the expedition to support H2O Africa, a charitable initiative that generates awareness of the world water crisis and provides funding for a number of clean water programs in critical areas of the continent.

"As we ran across the Sahara, we saw firsthand the need for clean water, which we take for granted in North America," said Ray Zahab. "People in places like Mali and Niger have such limited access to water, and when it's there it's rarely clean. Without this foundation, the health of communities across Africa is in doubt."

Launched in conjunction with the ONE Campaign, H20 Africa enables the public to pledge monetary amounts per mile or make donations in support of the entire project. All monies go toward clean water programs (www.h2oafrica.org).

The expedition support team (operating for over 111 days out of a small fleet of Toyota Land Cruisers and supply trucks) consisted of co-leaders Don Webster and Mohamed Ixa, Dr. Jeff Peterson, and physical therapist Chuck Dale.

The Expedition was filmed for the upcoming theatrical documentary "Running the Sahara", produced by LivePlanet and Allentown Productions, and presented by Independent Producers Alliance with financing support from Stanford Financial Group. The film is directed by Academy Award-winner® James Moll and narrated and executive produced by Matt Damon.

Additional partners that supported the expedition include: Champion, by making five custom designed Champion Vapor garments for the Runners; Toyota by providing the vehicles for the Expedition Support team; UNDP, by providing production support on the ground in Africa, and the ONE Campaign, by promoting and advising Running the Sahara's charitable campaign H2O Africa.

For more information, log on to www.RunningTheSahara.com.

ABOUT

Magellan Navigation
Magellan is a leader in the consumer, survey, GIS and OEM GPS navigation and positioning markets. Recognized as an industry innovator, the Company is the creator of the award-winning Magellan® RoadMate™ series portable car navigation systems, the Magellan eXplorist™ outdoor handheld navigation devices, the Hertz NeverLost® car navigation system and ProMark™, the best-selling single frequency GPS survey product line on the market. The company is recognized worldwide through its Magellan brand and has experienced dramatic revenue growth as GPS technology has proliferated across a range of consumer and commercial applications. The Company is headquartered in San Dimas, California with European headquarters in Carquefou, France. In 2006, Thales Navigation was acquired by a group of investors led by Shah Capital Partners, a private equity firm based in Santa Clara, California. The company was renamed Magellan and offers its leading consumer GPS solutions under the Magellan brand, and its innovative professional GPS solutions now under the Magellan Professional name.

The athletes' expedition is made possible by Magellan Navigation. The corporate sponsorship of the expedition also includes provision of Magellan eXplorist series handheld GPS receivers, MapSend WorldWide Basemap software and MapSend Topo 3D software. The expedition team and the athletes rely on these devices in the field to guide their run and update their route map daily.

Champion
Champion is proud to be the Official Apparel sponsor of Running the Sahara, providing apparel for the athletes and expedition crew. The runners wear only high performance Champion Athleticwear, like new Champion Vapor, as they run 2 marathons a day for 100 days. Champion products are designed and made for those dedicated to accomplishing their goals. That's why Champion offers a full line of innovative athletic apparel for men and women including sport bras, activewear, team uniforms, sweats and accessories in addition to a full line of home exercise equipment. For more information visit www.championusa.com. Champion Athleticwear is a part of Hanesbrands Inc.

Toyota
Toyota believes in helping people improve the quality of life in their communities. We partner with organizations, schools, universities and other businesses to support programs that help make our world a better place. With a focus on safety, the environment and education, we offer people the tools they need to make a difference today and tomorrow.

Toyota supports the Running the Sahara with a corporate sponsorship and by providing Toyota Land Cruiser vehicles for use in the field. These high-tech SUVs transport the expedition and film crews in the field as they follow the runners across 4,000 miles of sand dunes and desert terrain. They are among the only vehicles available that are capable of making the crossing.

H2O Africa
H2O Africa has a mission to create widespread public awareness of the water crisis in Africa and gather support for integrated sustainable clean water programs in critical areas. Oversight of H2O Africa programs and initiatives will be through partnerships with major non-government organizations as well as progress-based grant agreements.

ONE: The Campaign to Make Poverty History
ONE (www.one.org) is a campaign of close to 2.5 million people and over 100 of the nation's leading relief, humanitarian and advocacy organizations working together to fight the emergency of global AIDS and extreme poverty. ONE is Americans of all beliefs and every walk of life, raising their voices as ONE so that leaders will do more to save millions of lives in the poorest countries. ONE believes that allocating an additional 1% percent of the U.S. federal budget toward providing basic needs like health, education, clean water and food would transform the futures and hopes of an entire generation in the world's poorest countries. ONE also calls for debt cancellation, trade reform and anti-corruption measures in a comprehensive package to help Africa and the poorest nations beat AIDS and extreme poverty.

LivePlanet, Inc
LivePlanet develops and produces entertainment properties for traditional as well as digital media distribution platforms, with a focus on leveraging technology and integrating brands to tell compelling stories. LivePlanet currently has projects in active stages of production and development in film, television, broadband and mobile distribution platforms, working with partners ranging from Microsoft, Amp'd Mobile and Yahoo! to The Walt Disney Company, Viacom and NBCUniversal. Recent projects include the feature film First Descent (Universal), wireless game PhoneTag (Amp'd Mobile), the three-time Emmy-nominated Project Greenlight (HBO/Bravo, Miramax), Fan Club: Reality Baseball (MSN Originals), and Race to E3 (MTV and Xbox Live). The company is based in Los Angeles, CA.

Allentown Productions
Based at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, since 1993, Allentown Productions is a company that specializes in non-fiction film. The company's principal, James Moll, was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania - hence, the name of the company. His work as a documentary director/producer has earned numerous awards including the Academy Award™, two Emmy Awards, the Peabody Award, Edward R. Murrow Award, Cable Ace, and the Christopher, among others. Allentown Productions has worked closely with Executive Producer Steven Spielberg for the past ten years on both feature documentary films and non-fiction series, and has also created documentary films for NBC, HBO, and The History Channel, among others.

Independent Producers Alliance
IPA champions the work of award-winning independent producers who make films that inspire people to good things. IPA is based in Charlotte, NC where it operates production and post-production facilities, as well as its administration and distribution service units. Other IPA feature films scheduled for release in the coming year include The Ultimate Gift and The Perfect Game.

Stanford Financial Group
Stanford Financial Group is a privately held, wholly owned global group of financial services companies founded by Lodis B. Stanford in 1932. Stanford's core businesses are private wealth management and investment banking for institutions and emerging growth companies. Stanford offers private and institutional investors global expertise in asset allocation strategies, investment advisory services, equity research, international private banking and trust administration, commercial banking, investment banking, merchant banking, institutional sales and trading, real estate investment and insurance. Stanford serves clients from 126 countries on six continents. Securities products and services offered through Stanford Group Company, member NASD/SIPC. More information on the company can be found at www.stanfordfinancial.com.