Win 100 of ANYTHING Powerbar...

Hmm Coat yourself in powerbar gel and run naked through the snow the gel will absorb through the skin keep you warm and give you the energy to mke the mad dash well you hope it does lol

I'm fairly certain doing anything naked at the North Pole would bump up against Rule #1 (can't cause me or anyone else physical harm).. Thanks for breaking the ice! Keep the ideas coming! Remember, Powerbars themselves can be molded at room temperature into things that will become rock hard in sub-zero conditions..

~B

"if you run for yourself, you might let yourself down, but if you run for someone else, you'll never let them down..."

Stuck at the North Pole, I would probably take a bunch of them and mold a bowling ball; let it freeze outside, I'm sure the temp will be low enough! A little water for your lane and innovative pin molding, you've got an outdoor bowling arena!

-Good luck with the race!

Bobby,

On a more serious note, I have sent you an email concerning my of handling food in freezing temperature.
You have to cut each power Bar in 3 to 4 portions so it is mouth size, and then wrap the pieces in cellophane paper.
Good luck.
serge

I would use those Power Bars as jaw breakers for polar bears. At that temp you could also make a vest of them to protect yourself from fierce animal attacks.

I would take each Powerbar and stick each on a post. I would then use the Powerbar posts to mark the running course at the North Pole. Those shiny wrappers should make sure you don't get lost. If I got hungry, at least I would some food nearby.

How about using powerbars as a tile floor for your tent? Unwrap each one, warm up the edges with a camp stove (so they stick together, like grout), and then use them to create a nice, hard insulating layer between you and the glacier. You could use the wrappers as either a sub-floor or a covering layer (so your body heat doesn't make them melt and stick to you and your stuff). Plus, in a pinch if you get stuck in your tent in nasty weather, you could always eat the floor! :-)

~Irish Pajamas

I think that PowerBars would be the perfect medium with which to build a ladder to cross those crevasses that you might face out there in between ice sheets in the Arctic Ocean. Stick those PowerBars together in a ladder layout when they are warm and then let them freeze together and form a nice sturdy tool as those temperatures fall way below zero!

I would use powergels for insulation under your clothes. They really do warm up with body heat. You could make a nice vest out of them.

I have been doing this for years with sandwich baggies, but it should work just as well with Powerbar wrappers: Take the bar out of the wrapper and cut in bite-size pieces for your fanny-pack and wrap in wax paper. Use the wrappers as interlining between 2 pairs of socks. It works!
Hazel

You know those space blankets people use to keep warm in case of an emergency...? If you open the powerbar wrappers really carefully, and have enough of them, you can join them together (using powergel as glue!) to make a pretty good blanket that will reflect your body heat back in. Will probably work best with powerbar harvest bars... least icky mess inside the foil wrapper.

I'm going to keep it simple for you. How often can you say that you have run around the world through all different time zones fueled soley by Powerbars? Eat a different type of Powerbar through each time zone (if you can tell when they start) and tape the empty wrappers on you where it's most visible to give Powerbar the publicity.

This is probably pretty well known for anyone who's a half-proficient cyclist, but in the event of a tube puncture that blows a hole right through the sidewall of your tire (it certainly happens... and almost always at the most inconvenient place), you can use the foil wrapper of your powerbar to line the hole after you've patched your tube. Should be good enough to get you home.

What if you tried making an igloo with a lot of powerbars and you could take the powerbar gels to fill in some spots and also use it as an adhesive. With all the wrappers you could layer it onto the inside of the powerbar igloo to help keep in the heat.

I would like to offer several uses:

1) I would make a drinking bowl out of power bars at room temp. I would build a fire and boil some clean snow with my camping gear and add some of the power powder to make a warm tea and place that tea in powerbar bowl. I would drink the "warm" tea-like mix. As this mix warms the temp of the powerbars, hence enabling me to eat one or two of the bars.

2)I would cut several "spikes" out of the powerbars while at room temp and use my gels as glue and glue my powerbar spikes to the bottom of my shoes for traction.

3)Knowing the race is out and back and blizzard conditions arise, I would leave gel packs as a trail to find my way back...as well be a "track" that I can run on for navigation and traction.

Thats all I can think of for now. Have a good one.

Make semi-rigid orthotics. Warm up a PowerBar (or 2) with body heat and mold it to your foot. Make the proper postings where needed, and trim the edges with your mouth, biting and sucking as necessary. Once it's in your shoe, the heat from your foot should keep it warm enought that it doesn't get brittle and crack. $1.29 each vs. $250/pair. If you have a leg length discrepancy, you can make a heel lift out of one.

-or-

Make a flute - Warm a PowerBar and stretch/flatten it to about 1/8" thickness, then roll it into a cylinder about 1/2" diameter. (Eat any excess). Mold one end into a fipple (mouthpiece), and bite fingerholes down the length. (Or poke holes with the small spike you molded out of another PowerBar). Tune it by pinching and molding the fipple until the desired tone is produced. Of course you have to work quickly and deliberately so the heat from your hands keeps the PowerBar malleable, and you might have to repeatedly set the flute out in the cold to harden, then resoften it for adjustments. But it'll be worth the effort. If you're ever in a standoff with a polar bear, you can tame it with a soothing tune.

For more PowerBar fun -

Make a paddle ball. Mold that versatile PowerBar into a paddle, and use it to bat a ball made of of PowerGel (I don't know the properties of frozen energy gels, so this is experimental). Also, this wouldn't be the standard paddleball with rubber band, since a rubberband would likely freeze and crack, much like the notorious O-ring of Challenger fame.

Please add this to my comment from above:

Since Powerbar is nice enough to donate all the goods, make a big sign:
Fuel with Powerbar,
And you will go far.

Underneath in smaller letters:
Around the world,
You will be sold!

Ok OUT OF THE BOX thinking here....Your at the north pole!!! Cold....desolate....in the elements.....Unwrap the powerbars...one by one.....warm them up between your hands and thighs and join them together...Continue to join them together until it becomes a larger and larger ball of moldable modeling clay. Its like a bud light commercial....keep building and molding until you have a life size woman........and of course use the wrapper for a bikini, running shorts and top, etc.....

Now to keep this on a non-sexual level through a stopwatch in her hand or something or maybe put her in a running stride as if you were running with her. I will think on this some more....

PAUL
Inland Inferno Tri Club

you could smash the power bar with a hammer and use the pieces as projectiles to protect yourself from killer polar bears, penguins, or competitors.

or you could use the shards as hooks and bait for fish.

Be patriotic...Make a flag to post next to the North Pole. Heat and use many Powerbars to mold into a long pole. Flatten out the wrappers and tape together to make the flag part to attach to the Powerbar pole. Use different flavors to mimick the US flag, such as vanilla for the white part of the stripe, etc. Make sure the tape can handle the extreme temperatures!

Make a snowman out of Powerbar products. You could make a multi color Snowman using different flavors of the Powerbar drinks and gu's.

I was going to suggest the Flag as well but Grace beat me to the punch :-)

Hi Bobby, I think you should strap the frozen power bars to your feet and use them as skis. That might give you a little rest on the downhills. If it starts to snow really hard you can strap them to your hands and knees and do a low crawl to the finish. Ok, that might sound crazy, but still not as crazy as running a marathon at the north pole!

I vote for the igloo idea, because that is what I was going to suggest before I read everyone's comments. In depth study of the Thermo insulative propertives of a frozen Powerbar, in addition to the added reflectivity of the wrappers being stuck on (reflective side IN) should make a comfortable abode!

"Bravery is being the only one who knows you're afraid."

I’ve heard of cyclists using PowerBar foil wrappers to line the inside of tire covers after flats, to protect the new tube.
Maybe you could use the wrappers as additional finger/toe insulation?!

Because of global warming, the North Pole might not be ice in April... so, tie the powerbars together to use as a floatation device if you start to drown.

I am thinking snowshoes and gaiters. You can mold the powerbars into small paddle style snowshoes. You could either press them in a waffle iron (stealing from Nike) to create traction or heat up track spikes and press them into the powerbar snowshoes for traction. After your shoes are complete attach your powerbar wrappers together and make gaiters. The powerbar snowshoes would provide traction while the wrapper/gaiters will not only help keep you feet dry but also offer powerbar some excellent advertising.

Ok got another one........You got an athlete...enduring the cold, wind and snow is blowing. He appears to be stranded at the North Pole. He takes the only items he has which is ALOT of PowerBars and lays them down in the snow. The camera is a close up shot of his face and hands as he shakingly places them side by side. After enduring hours of the cold, fatigued, he stands and backs up to view his supposed RESCUE MESSAGE. The camera pans out and the message reads, "SEND MORE POWERBARS".

Ok still working on more...........

Bring with you a Powerbar flavor that Polar Bears like. While you are at the North Pole if you find yourself on a Polar Bear's dinner menu toss a few of those Powerbars at the Polar Bear. That might buy you enough time to escape.

Carry PowerBars to eat!!! but also....

You will inevitably slip on ice and twist a knee, ankle, etc. Since you're carrying the bars anyway for fuel, you might as well have them molded as braces to fit various body parts.

Be sure to keep a couple bars straight for splints when you or a fellow runner falls and breaks an arm.

Also, poke hundreds of pin holes in one bar and shape it to fit over your nose like sunglasses. If you happen to break/lose your glasses on the run, you will find that up close, the pin holes will let you see while greatly reducing eye strain from the light!

IF... you end up over dressing and over heating, toss a few down your shirt to cool off and keep rotating them with the ones in your outside pocket!

Ok, less practical, if you're carrying an ipod or similar device, you can eliminate the weight of a protective case and mold an extra bar around it for protection. You only have to eat this one if you're out longer than expected.

I can visualize multiple climbing tools forged from frozen Power Bar, but I hope the ground is somewhat level for you.

These are all FANTASTIC! Keep them coming. The best five will go head to head to determine who wins 100 of ANYTHING Powerbar.

All the best,
Bobby

"if you run for yourself, you might let yourself down, but if you run for someone else, you'll never let them down..."

You can spell out, "Bobby was here!" in the snow with the PowerBars.

You can use the PowerBars to make a bed to sleep on and use the Gel packs as a pillow. Now you are still using PowerBars/Gels to take care of your body and keep you in peak performance mode:)

Ok i am back...........another OUT OF THE BOX idea......your sitting there looking rather bored...sitting perhaps on your hiking backpack that is obviously FULL of PowerBars. You appear bored....you have a PowerBar in your hands and you are continuously flipping it up and catching it....after several flips a light breeze picks up and blows it several inches out of reach and falls to the ground. You look up....your bored look turns from solemn to "I HAVE AN IDEA"...cut to next scene.....heavy metal music blasting.......picture shows u standing on a windsurfer / snowsurfer .....the board made and shaped out of PowerBars and the sail made of PowerBar wrappers......

Come on....these would make decent commercials....work with me here. You said....OUT OF THE BOX..........

Paul Halliday
Inland Inferno Triathlon Club

Thanks Paul!

I agree it's a fantastic idea, but my preference would be something that wouldn't require 50 pounds of Powerbars... My guess is I'll have to pack it all out.. Don't want to litter up the North Pole! : )

Keep the creative juices flowing.. You're definitely thinking WAY OUTSIDE THE BOX..

All the best,
Bobby

"if you run for yourself, you might let yourself down, but if you run for someone else, you'll never let them down..."

Ok so it has to be just enough to be carried.......got it.

: ) Plus, Customs Officials in Norway might wonder why I have 6,000 Powerbars in my baggage..

~B

"if you run for yourself, you might let yourself down, but if you run for someone else, you'll never let them down..."

OK, I am starting to get warmed up now. I think, when not running the actual marathon, you should use a Powerbar to lure a Polar Bear up to the pole, and then when he is not looking, leap onto his back, with a Powerbar attached to a hiking pole, which you can hold out over his nose to make him carry you wherever you want. You will be the only competitor at the Pole who can provide his own transportation without creating any negative impact on the environment. I am sure Powerbar will appreciate the "green" aspect of your personal transportation.

"Bravery is being the only one who knows you're afraid."

Ok here is my 1st attempt on a lesser grand scale......Cut several PowerBars up so you have a 30 or 40 pieces equal to the size of the tiles of a SCRABBLE game. Now using scissors cut out the letters on the wrapper P-O-W-E-R-B-A-R and affix them to the tiles. Now you and a running friend can challenge each other to a game of scrabble using just these letters.

Paul Halliday
Inland Inferno Triathlon Club

Best uses for the Power bar at the North Pole (30 degree below temps)
Here goes.......
1 Powerbar somores-who doesn't like somores? This would also make a great commercial, putting in a powerbar instead of chocolate. I would laugh.

2 Powerbar popsicles (poke a stick in the wraper before its frozen, they could advertise as the longest lasting fuel bar on the market(haa haa haa haaa, this one is my favorite)

3 Powerbar Margarittas (Supplies needed: Frozen PowerBar, Blender, Tequila, ice)
Bobby trust me on this one, carrying a blender isn't that bad when you get a margarita out of it.

4. Powerbar bullet proof vest - incase you catch a stray icesicle.

5. Powerbar windsheild scraper for the first ever Nascar at the Northpole

6. Powerbar solar panel - with a shiny wrapper like that enourmous amounts of energy could be discovered.

17. Powerbar ski wax- would come in very handy when the snow turns too mushy.

PowerBar cold-pak: Fill a resealable plastic bag (or two or three) with Powerbar Gel (4X sodium). It'll stay icy-cold without freezing, remaining pliable enough to bend around joints. Save the chocolate for eating, though - it seems to be a bit thicker than the others. Of course, you could always just pack the sore/injured area with snow! ,;)

PowerBar ice-melter: sprinkle the PowerBar Endurance powder mix (more sodium) ahead of you as you run to break down the ice a little so you won't slip and slide and end up needing the PowerBar cold-pak. You can mix up the flavors to make pretty patterns.

And please pick skydvrsn's Scrabble idea as one of the five - that's fantastic!

Now THOSE are ideas!!!! Do you know for sure that Powergel won't freeze? I'm going to bring some wooden kabob sticks with me to see if Powergelsicles have a future.. Thanks NYC!
Bobby

"if you run for yourself, you might let yourself down, but if you run for someone else, you'll never let them down..."

How about molding the PowerBars into small icons that represent running and endurance sports, ie; sneaker, little running guy, 26.2, Finishers Ribbon, sunglasses, etc etc...and then cross two small pieces of wood and using fishing line make a wind chime. I tried this with a few frozen PowerBars of different lengths and it only makes a clicking noise.......but it looked good!

Ok here is something a little different. You have heard of snailmail (postal system)and email ........what about PowerMail.........simple......Take a decent size balloon.....maybe about the size of two or 3 basketballs.....(deflated of course).....bring a small cylinder of helium with u......i would imagine it wouldnt have to be any bigger than a couple of Co2 cartridges to fill a bike tire....

Have some sort of PowerBar slogan on the balloon and tether a PowerBar to the underside with string.....sort of like a basket would be positioned. On the PowerBar wrapper write a phone number or contact information that the person that receives the balloon at the end of its journey could call and maybe claim a prize......maybe ANOTHER 100 PowerBar products. I am sure where you are going is pretty desolate. But who knows.........

Just more out of the box thinking.........

Paul Halliday
Inland Inferno Triathlon Club

i put my two entries above in without logging in.....here they are again under my log in name (just incase i get disqualified for not being registered ...i am PAUL or SKYDVRUSN......

How about molding the PowerBars into small icons that represent running and endurance sports, ie; sneaker, little running guy, 26.2, Finishers Ribbon, sunglasses, etc etc...and then cross two small pieces of wood and using fishing line make a wind chime. I tried this with a few frozen PowerBars of different lengths and it only makes a clicking noise.......but it looked good!

OR.....

Ok here is something a little different. You have heard of snailmail (postal system)and email ........what about PowerMail.........simple......Take a decent size balloon.....maybe about the size of two or 3 basketballs.....(deflated of course).....bring a small cylinder of helium with u......i would imagine it wouldnt have to be any bigger than a couple of Co2 cartridges to fill a bike tire....

Have some sort of PowerBar slogan on the balloon and tether a PowerBar to the underside with string.....sort of like a basket would be positioned. On the PowerBar wrapper write a phone number or contact information that the person that receives the balloon at the end of its journey could call and maybe claim a prize......maybe ANOTHER 100 PowerBar products. I am sure where you are going is pretty desolate. But who knows.........

Just more out of the box thinking.........

Paul Halliday

Lash the powerbars together to form a speedy dogsled, harness some dogs with two different colored eyes and zoom around like ethan hawke or cuba gooding jr, handing out hydration to those struggling to finish the course. You will end up being super cool and everyone will thank you. Chicks dig expert dogsledders, its a fact.

Polar Bears live at the North Pole and they are hungry!! They run max at 30 miles per hour, faster than a human.

1. They can pick up our scent from miles away.

2. They have never tried Power Bars before.

3. They have tried us many times.

To avoid being eaten during the race, I would suggest have heated Power Bar Stations along the marathon route for Polar Bears only. Once they aquire a taste for these yummy Power Bars, then us runners can be left in one piece to finish the race. Polar Bears might show their gratitude being introducing to the Power Bars by 'speceating'. You never know anything is possible.

Because the polar caps are white they reflect sunlight back into the stratosphere and thus reduce the heat that is currently melting them. With the polar caps shrinking we need a new reflective device.....the shiny inner wrapper of power bars! While it might not be much it is more than our government is currently doing, so save those wrappers (no sense in wasting anything) and reflect some solar radiation back to where it came from.

I don't have enough time to read all these messages. So if it has been said before....
Take each power bar out of the wrapper and write messages on them. "Go Bobby!"
"You aren't crazy!" Or my favorite, pick any scripture that might encourage you. Especially the ones that remind you if you were to die while running, that a belief in Jesus Christ brings eternal life. And it isn't dependent on how far you run or how fast or how good you are, it is because God so love the world that He gave His only born son... Jesus Christ. That is why He is called Savior.
I'll pray for you as you get ready to run. Go Bobby!

Now i am not familiar with the daytime temps so i will just throw this out there. Is it possible to freeze the drink mixes in ice trays and present the cubes on a tray for runners to grab when they pass by? They can suck on them and it will provide temporary relief from dry mouth.....and still getting their electrolytes.

Paul Halliday
Inland Inferno Triathlon Club

Daytime/nighttime - it's all the same this time of year... roughly -30 degrees.. : )

~B

"if you run for yourself, you might let yourself down, but if you run for someone else, you'll never let them down..."

I would take Powerbar GELS and make cubes out of them? Spray a small ice cube tray with veg oil to prevent sticking, then pour Powerbar Gels and freeze'em.

They'll stay in small blocks and won't stick together due to the spray. You can then pop'em whenever you like!

How about this....Pour the Gels in a bowl and dip bananas in them or a banana cut into segments. The gel (strawberry, raspberry, etc) will add some great flavor to the banana and who doesnt love a banana at ANY time on race day. I would allow the Gel to thicken a little outside before u dip.

The outside temps should keep the gel adhered to the nanner and be solid enough not to get on runners hands.

1 - SNOW CONES
Use the PowerBar Beverage System and loose snow/ice from the Pole to create custom, multi-color snow cones. Everyone gets one to hold aloft when racers are photographed at the geographic North Pole. I suggest Endurance Lemon-Lime.

2 – TIME CAPSULE EXPERIMENT
Do a science experiment. See how long PowerBar products last in sub-zero temperatures. Create a time capsule at the North Pole. Leave a full array of PowerBar Products behind with instructions for next year’s marathoner runners to open and sample. If they spoil (freezer burn?), you won’t be there to blame.

3 – MID-LOOP SHELTER
Using multiple PowerBars, create a makeshift hut. You can position the hut midway through the marathon loop (described by last year’s winner as “eternal” even at 1.6 miles) for use as temporary shelter if winds are high. I suggest PowerBar Harvest Whole Grain Dipped Double Chocolate Crisp for maximum adhesion. Bonus: While this violates the 6000 PowerBar rule, you can slowly eat the hut.

4 –POWERBAR SUPER SUIT
If you’re going to promote PowerBar, you may as well go all the way. Run the Pole in a full PowerBar suit. That is, attach the complete array of PowerBar products to the outer layer of your gear. You will need to completely cover yourself. Gels strung together would make for an excellent vest or kilt. PowerBar Prias would make for excellent faux dreadlocks attached to your balaclava. Try using duct tape, string, and binder clips. Bonus: Other runners can slowly snack off you throughout the race.

5 – CUTESY GEL SWAG
Find Plastic candy molds from a bohemian candy store in San Fran (no chains, please). Collect based on an arctic theme, including the obligatory polar bears, seals, Orca, and naturally, Santa. Pour PowerBar gels into the molds and freeze. If you’ve got lots of time on your hands, you can use multiple Gel colors to achieve greater realism or artistry. Give the themed, molded gel figurines to fellow runners as race SWAG. Affix a personal, hand-stamped and numbered note to each to increase perceived value. Everybody loves SWAG.

6 – ACTIVISM
Heat a generous amount of PowerBar Beverage System (Fruit Punch Flavor) and write “Endangered Ice” in the snow/ice of the Pole. You’ll draw attention to the risks to Polar ice from climate change and promote Polar Year in a graphically stunning, highly noteworthy way. (The whole purpose of the contest was to raise awareness, yes?). The sign should be *at least* 50 feet wide. More if you can do it.

If you don’t feel like being an activist, you can always write “Baselbutt wuz here ’07” or “For a Good time call GW: 202-456-1111.”

Make a sled or polk out of powerbars. You can put you gear on it and pull it behind you with rope or harness.

Using Power Bars, make a dish lined with the reflective wrappers to concentrate sunlight and melt snow into usable water.

P.S. - We have a video to prove it...YouTube link coming soon!

Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yJEYfgr754

We were so excited last night we posted without being fully registered! So here it is as a confirmed member:

Using Power Bars, make a dish lined with the reflective wrappers to concentrate sunlight and melt snow into usable water.

P.S. - We have a video to prove it...Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yJEYfgr754

~Michelle & Brian

Thanks Michelle,

Sorry for the formality of it all, but if you don't register, it's impossible to get in touch with you if you win! Great video!!! While I doubt I'll be able to schlepp all that high tech machinery up to the Pole, the water machine is pretty tempting..

All the best!
Bobby

"if you run for yourself, you might let yourself down, but if you run for someone else, you'll never let them down..."

That's the beauty of it!! We did all the testing for you. All the tools you'll need at the Pole you should already have on you:

Powerbars (original & triple threat)
Powerbar gel
Compass - for measuring and as a straight edge
Body heat - to warm for rolling the original p-bars out
Water bottle - as the rolling pin
Pocket knife - for cutting

And the product is...100% Power Bar.

Happy melting!
Michelle & Brian