Nuun, Erdinger and Eternal help with hydration, fueling
Running your best marathon requires planning, from a good training schedule to a racing strategy to a thoughtful sense of what to put in your body along the 26.2-mile journey.
The California International Marathon has enhanced its fueling and hydration options for the Dec. 7 race to help runners deliver peak
performances.
Nuun, Erdinger and Eternal have signed on as sponsors as part of the CIM’s strategy to assist runners in taking their fueling and hydration to a more efficient level.
Nuun, the first company to separate electrolyte replacement from carbohydrates, provides a low-calorie, no-sugar fluid that’s ideal for hydration but separates hydration from on-course fueling.
Erdinger, the world’s largest wheat brewery, offers a non-alcoholic beer widely used as an optimal recovery drink for endurance athletes throughout Europe. The CIM will be the first event in the U.S. to feature Erdinger as the official recovery drink.
Eternal features a naturally alkaline spring water that delivers natural electrolytes and minerals.
The newcomers join returning sponsors GU and Whole Foods to help provide a cutting-edge strategy for fueling and hydration on race day.
“We feel we have products in our race, if used properly, to actually improve racers’ performances,” said Scott Abbott, executive director of the Sacramento Running Association, which puts on the CIM.
The new products will help runners separate fueling from hydration. Aid stations will feature fueling areas about 150 yards before hydration areas.
Dr. Kathleen Deegan, RD, a professor in Sacramento State’s Family & Consumer Sciences Department who serves as a nutrition consultant for the university’s athletic teams, said the CIM’s new approach to fueling and hydration could boost runners’ performances.
“We’re trying a new type of system,” she said. “Some people develop nausea or gastric distress when taking in high sugar energy drinks at the rate needed during a marathon. We are giving them the option of hydrating with Nuun and replacing carbohydrates separately using a food source.”
Deegan recommended marathoners train with the new products and develop a fueling/hydrating strategy before race day.
“Get them to follow an action plan,” she said. “Once you’re in the middle of a marathon, expecting your brain to function is a little too much to ask. You’ve got to have a strategy.”
Nuun CEO Kevin Rutherford said he was happy to partner with the CIM.
“The California International Marathon is a prestigious event, and we are honored to be chosen as the hydration partner,” he said. “We look forward to helping the athletes achieve their personal best by hydrating them with Nuun’s proprietary optimal electrolyte blend on course and throughout their training.
“As pioneers of portable, electrolyte enhanced drink tabs, Nuun has established itself as the premier sports hydration drink of choice for endurance athletes. We can’t wait to keep the course hydrated on race day.”
Erdinger is also eager to help the CIM.
“The private brewery Erdinger Weissbrau is proud to expand its involvement in endurance sports to the U.S. market,” said Waltraud Kaiser, Export Director for Erdinger Weissbrau. “For years now athletes in Germany and many parts of Europe have been enjoying a cold Erdinger Alkoholfrei beer as a full-bodied refreshment after training and competitions. The beer’s isotonic properties replenish the body immediately with valuable nutrients, quenching thirst even faster.
“As a new partner of the California International Marathon, we are looking forward to offering our Erdinger Alkoholfrei to all participants after they cross the finish line. We will also be at the CIM Health and Fitness Expo where we are handing out samples of our refreshing isotonic recovery drink.”
Karim Mashouf, Eternal’s CEO and Founder, said his company’s naturally alkaline spring water would make it easier for runners to hydrate.
“It’s an alkaline product as opposed to acidic,” he said. “This helps in hydration. There’s natural electrolytes and minerals in the water.
“We add nothing. We remove nothing. The water is pure and pristine.”
Marathoners can learn more about the new products at a CIM Hydration and Fueling Seminar on Nov. 6 at 7 p.m. at Fleet Feet Sports, 2311 J Street, Sacramento. Race officials and experts will discuss proper fueling and hydration for CIM runners, with products available to sample and purchase.
The 32nd annual CIM is scheduled to start at 7 a.m. The course begins near Folsom Dam and finishes one block from the state Capitol.
The Sacramento Running Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to finding new ways to encourage people of all ages and abilities to run. The SRA is committed to developing new, quality running events that appeal to a broad variety of runners.