Married Olympians Ashton Eaton and Brianne Theisen-Eaton are launching a social media contest with a grand prize they are funding themselves: A trip for two to watch them compete in the Rio Games. Doyle Management Group Founder & CEO Paul Doyle, who reps both athletes, estimated the prize, which includes air fare, hotels and tickets to eight track and field sessions to watch the decathlon and heptathlon, was worth $40,000. Sponsors such as Visa and Coca-Cola have inquired about paying for additional perks in the prize package, but it currently is not sponsored. “It’s a fully funded thing from the get-go, and a lot of sponsors think it’s such a good idea they’re getting on board after the fact,” he said. “They’re definitely going to be paying out of pocket to some extent.” The #WhatsYourGold challenge calls on participants to share their own pursuit of a personal goal in a series of four Instagram or Twitter posts between today and June 1. All submissions must include an image, text, video or a combination. “People tend to see our highlights -- our best moments, like when we’re winning or competing, which paints us as super humans,” said Eaton. “The truth is, we struggle and fail more often than we succeed. We want people to know that setbacks are part of the process and they don’t mean you can’t achieve your goals. We want to give others the motivation to share their aspirations and overcome their own obstacles." The contest is the first major initiative of the Eaton lifestyle brand, which the couple founded in ‘15 to share their own stories of struggle and success. Eaton won Gold for the U.S. in the decathlon at the ‘12 London Games. Theisen-Eaton, a member of Team Canada, is a two-time World Champion silver medalist in the heptathlon.
