PLANO, Texas, Sept. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Inspired by the belief that everyone has a singular passion in life, TrueNorth, PepsiCo's Frito-Lay division's popular line of 100% natural nut snacks, is recognizing real people who have pursued their life's passions or their "true north," as part of the brand's "TrueNorth Story of the Month" campaign. For the month of August, the TrueNorth brand is recognizing the inspirational story of Claire Oliver, an accomplished triathlon coach in the Dallas area.

A certified USA Triathlon coach, Claire's true north is helping new and veteran triathletes achieve success. An accomplished athlete herself, Claire has completed more than 40 triathlons, two Ironman events and 10 marathons. In 2003, a few years after Claire's step father lost his battle with Leukemia; Claire set out to honor the man who made a big difference in her life, by bringing awareness to the disease and raising money for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). She embarked on her first triathlon raising $2,500 for the organization. Claire continues to compete in triathlons and to-date has raised more than $100,000 for LLS. Today, she is dedicated to helping triathletes accomplish goals they set for themselves. Through her efforts, she has helped train more than 500 athletes to cross the finish line and lead a more active lifestyle.

"After my step-dad Tom passed away from Leukemia in April 2000, I found a way to channel my anger towards the disease and do something good for myself and others at the same time," shared Oliver. "After completing a number of triathlons and continuing to raise money for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, I found my passion in coaching others to be successful triathletes. I firmly believe that everyone can complete a triathlon and make a difference in their life to be more active."

"Many of us have experienced the heart break of losing someone important to us like Claire did," said Regan Ebert, vice president and general manager, warehouse direct business, Frito-Lay North America. "The courageous way that she turned the experience into something positive and selfless is what inspired us. We are thrilled to spotlight her story and the incredible work she does to guide so many people towards that finish line."

The TrueNorth brand encourages consumers to continue to submit a written essay that describes how they are pursuing their life's passions through the brand's website - www.truenorthsnacks.com. The brand will select a "Story of the Month" each month through December that will be prominently featured on the web site. In addition to being featured online, the recipient of "Story of the Month" will be awarded a $1,000 grant and a passion pack to help in the pursuit of his or her passion.

After a nationwide search last year for the most inspiring story in America, TrueNorth selected Lisa Nigro, founder of Inspiration Cafe, and featured her in a sixty-second commercial that made its debut in February during a nationally broadcast awards ceremony. More than two thousands stories were submitted from across the country that featured amazing individuals who are pursuing their life's passion and impacting the people around them.

TrueNorth is a contemporary brand of 100% natural nut snacks that followed its passion to take a simple nut and make an extraordinary snack. The TrueNorth brand believes everyone has a singular passion in life that can leave a legacy, empower others or simply make the world a more interesting place to live. By showcasing these powerful stories, TrueNorth hopes to inspire people to find the passion that drives them to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary.

Frito-Lay North America is the $12 billion convenient foods business unit of PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP), which is headquartered in Purchase, N.Y. In addition to Frito-Lay, PepsiCo business units include Pepsi-Cola, Quaker Foods, Gatorade and Tropicana. Learn more about Frito-Lay at the corporate Web site, www.fritolay.com, and the Snack Chat blog, www.snacks.com.

PepsiCo offers the world's largest portfolio of billion-dollar food and beverage brands, including 18 different product lines that each generate more than $1 billion in annual retail sales. Our main businesses - Frito-Lay, Quaker, Pepsi-Cola, Tropicana and Gatorade - also make hundreds of other nourishing, tasty foods and drinks that bring joy to our consumers in over 200 countries. With more than $43 billion in 2008 revenues, PepsiCo employs 198,000 people who are united by our unique commitment to sustainable growth, called Performance with Purpose. By dedicating ourselves to offering a broad array of choices for healthy, convenient and fun nourishment, reducing our environmental impact, and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace culture, PepsiCo balances strong financial returns with giving back to our communities worldwide. For more information, please visit www.pepsico.com.

    Contact:
    Aurora Gonzalez
    Frito-Lay
    (972) 334-3821

SOURCE Frito-Lay

SOURCE: Frito-Lay

Web site: http://www.fritolay.com//