Police and Firefighters Battle It out to Beat the Bulge; National 911 Fitness Challenge Competition Pits Public Service Officers Against each Other for a Healthy Cause.

MIAMI -- The annual fitness competition that started as a Miami-based intra-departmental weight loss and hard-body contest among firefighters and police, The BSN 911 Fitness Challenge, has become a national phenomenon.

Founded by 18-year City of Miami Police veteran, Jim Sayih, The BSN 911 Fitness Challenge is a weight loss contest designed to motivate the public safety population into getting fit and achieving their best. The Challenge's goals are to lose fat and gain muscle as a team and is based on the power of teamwork and camaraderie.

The BSN 911 Fitness Challenge begins with the participants attending any one of 28 city "weigh-in" locations. At the weigh-in, participants attend a brief seminar and have their body fat composition measured. A team photo is taken and recorded by an assigned certified fitness professional - the "Trainer Heroes." These photos are used for Team comparison at the end of the Challenge. The Team's data is averaged to receive one score. That score is then compared with that from other Teams and along with a photo comparison is used for a final determination of the Team with the greatest improvement.

Teams with the greatest improvement shown - greatest loss of fat and greatest muscle gain -- from each of four U.S. regions are selected and are given $5,000, totaling $20,000 nationally. This year, the winning teams were from Boston, Phoenix, San Antonio and Palm Beach; the Boston team showed the greatest results landing them the national title.

This year, over 8,000 people - all professionals from the public service sectors - registered for the competition. Title Sponsor BSN/Bio-Engineered Sports Nutrition and other sponsors including FedEx, Kinko's, Wal-Mart, Muscle & Fitness, and Bally's Total Fitness were on board as Sayih traveled nationally promoting the event.

Registration proceeds benefit the Shriner's Hospitals for Children. These Hospitals provide free service to Children, including surgeries, therapy and equipment. The hospitals are funded from private donations from Corporate America and Individuals. Children who visit traditionally have physical disabilities, such as Cerebral Palsy, MS, or have severe burn injuries.