Medical Research Institute -MRI- Sponsors ''NO2 Strong Soldier Competition'' at Camp Doha, Kuwait.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Medical Research Institute (MRI), the leader in sports-related nutraceuticals, today announced its sponsorship of the "NO2(R) Strong Soldier Competition" to be held at Camp Doha in Kuwait on November 20 and 27, 2004. MRI was named the sponsor of the event in recognition of its continued support of U.S. soldiers through the company's substantial donations of supplies to military bases throughout the Middle East.

"We've received hundreds of NO2 product requests from U.S. soldiers stationed in the Middle East, so we decided to do our very small part by contributing cases of NO2 and other supplies at no cost," said MRI CEO Ed Byrd. "What started as supplies donations to men and women in the U.S. Military who love our product, quickly evolved into a major strength event at Camp Doha. We are extremely excited about the NO2 Strong Soldier Competition."

The preliminary "NO2 Strong Soldier" events will take place on November 20, with the Finals to be held on November 27. During the competition, U.S. soldiers will engage in a variety of demanding strength challenges, including the Humvee Pull, Farmer's Carry, Hercules Hold, and Tire Flip.

Approximately 300 soldiers will compete for the "NO2 Strong Soldier" title. Each participant will receive a 180-caplet bottle of NO2 (retail value of $79.95) while wearing NO2 branded apparel. The winner of the competition will be named "The NO2 Strong Soldier 2004" and will receive a year's supply of NO2 and will be featured on MRI's web page. MRI also plans to have the winning soldier pose for a feature photo in the March issue of Muscle and Fitness magazine. The competition will be covered by ESPN Sports Center, Sports Illustrated, and the Armed Forces Network (AFN). For more information, see www.no2strongsoldier.com.

About MRI and MRI Products

Headquartered in San Francisco, California, MRI is the leading provider of sports nutraceuticals for individuals in the athletic community and organizations where strength and fitness are essential. The Company extensively researches and develops innovative natural supplements with cutting-edge, controlled-released technology. The resulting products are sold nationwide through General Nutrition Center (GNC) stores and online at www.mrihq.com.

About NO2(R)

MRI's best-selling NO2(R) is widely regarded as the most significant breakthrough in sports nutrition since its creator, Ed Byrd, introduced the popular sports supplement creatine back in 1993. NO2 has created a revolutionary new category of performance-enhancing supplement known as nitric oxide generators. Through mediation of the "signaling-molecule" nitric oxide (NO), NO2 induces vasodilation and creates dramatic increases in lean muscle mass, strength, and endurance. And with its patent-pending controlled-release delivery technology, NO2 generates a lasting muscle pump that is commonly referred to as the "perpetual pump."

About Camp Doha

Following Operation DESERT STORM and the liberation of Kuwait in February 1991, Camp Doha emerged as the focal point for United States (U.S.) Armed Forces in Kuwait. The threat of future aggression necessitated a U.S. presence to maintain security and stability in the Gulf Region. As a result, U.S. military forces began deploying routinely to Kuwait to provide security assistance, participate in training exercises, and perform necessary contingency planning. The Army uses Camp Doha, a former industrial warehouse complex converted to an Army installation after Kuwait's liberation from Iraq, as Army Forces Central Command-Kuwait (ARCENT-Kuwait), headquartered at Camp Doha and is responsible for RSOI and administrative support of Army forces deploying to Kuwait, oversight of the contract that maintains the brigade prepositioned fleet, and installation support for Camp Doha. Coalition/Joint Task Force-Kuwait (Forward) (C/JTF-KU (Fwd)) is also based on Camp Doha and provides a forward command and control headquarters capable of rapid expansion to execute joint, combined, and coalition combat operations and maintains area situational awareness by daily coordination with the Air Force and Navy Joint Task Forces in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, respectively. It also has tactical control of all Army forces deployed in Kuwait and U.S. Marine forces when ashore in Kuwait.