Portland, Maine- April 26, 2002- Octagon announced today the signing of downhill mountain biker Tara Llanes, with Experimental and Applied Sciences (EAS) to endorse their new sports drink, Piranha.

"EAS keeps pushing the envelope of high-end nutritional products and with the new Piranha drink I think they are ahead of the game. I'm excited to join EAS and am looking forward to a lot of good things from the company," Tara stated about the deal.

Llanes, a bronze medalist at the 2001 World Championships and four-time ESPN X Games Medalist, will be making appearances on EAS's behalf and taking part in radio, print, and television promotions.

"We are very excited to have Tara join Team EAS and the likes of John Elway, Michael Vick, Shannon Sharpe, Christie Brinkley and Cindy Crawford, all of whom are current members of Team EAS. Tara's high profile image and aggressive, competitive nature is a perfect fit for the EAS Piranha brand. Signing Tara will help us reach a younger audience." Jim Heidenreich, VP Marketing for EAS.

Based in Golden, Colo., EAS is recognized as the industry leader in active lifestyle nutrition products for elite athletes and active individuals. EAS distributes products domestically and internationally through direct sales and approximately 40,000 retail outlets. EAS' supplements are science-based and have been designed to meet the standards of those who are dedicated to fitness, physical conditioning and athletic performance. EAS is committed to education and science to develop the right products for active people interested in improving their lifestyle.

Tara has recently returned from Salt Lake City, where she was host for AT&T Wireless's "Xplore Your Dreams" promotion. Prior to her work with AT&T Wireless, she also appeared in a Subaru ad that aired nationally with other noteable women athletes.

As the sports and event marketing division of The Interpublic Group (NYSE:IPG), the world's largest advertising and marketing communications group, Octagon offers clients marketing-led expertise across the eight major disciplines of the sports and entertainment market (athlete representation, event management, corporate consultancy, property representation, TV rights sales and distribution, TV production and archive, interactive, and licensing and merchandising). Octagon employs more than 1,500 people in 70 offices in 23 countries.

— Posted by Ari Cheren, MountainZone.com Staff