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Lucozade Sport:
Running support
For Lucozade Sport, an official sponsor of the London Marathon, there's much more involved than trucking in supplies and handing out drinks on race day.
Marathon Expo
Lucozade Sport was at the Flora London Marathon Exhibition on
9-12 April at ExCeL in London's Docklands.
The pre-marathon event attracted about 70,000 visitors over the four days, when a vast range of products and services for runners were available.
At stand 010, the Lucozade Sport Performance Zone had, for example, sports science support, personalised race time predictions and pace bands on offer.
On Sunday 13 April, the streets of London were host to thousands of runners as the 2008 Flora London Marathon took place – and GSK was with them all the way, just as it had for many of them during their training in the months before.
Lucozade Sport – official sports drink
Lucozade Sport, one of the Lucozade range, has been the official sports drink supplier for the event for some years.
This support, however, involves much more than trucking in 165,000 packs of the isotonic drink and placing them at various points on the 26.2-mile course for runners to grab and consume on their way.
"From the day runners apply to take part, right through to the finishing line and beyond, we offer support, help and advice on their training, nutrition and hydration - all crucial elements for a successful marathon," says John Brewer, of the Lucozade Sport Science Academy.
Lucozade Sport Science Academy
The Lucozade Sport Science Academy (LSSA) uses its expertise in sports nutrition to help advance the understanding of the role that it plays in driving sporting performance.
"We work with others - academics, athletes, leading coaches, nutritionists and governing bodies across a range of sports - to advance expertise, and share understanding," says the academy’s John Brewer.
This 'surround' support or partnership, as John describes it, is through interactive websites, magazines, radio programmes and online advice from running coaches - all exposing runners to the benefits of the isotonic sports drink. It is about building the brand, not a traditional 'hard sell'.
"We get more credibility with the Lucozade Sport brand being in the background rather than overtly saying 'you must drink this to train and run properly'. We allow people to make up their own minds about which products they use, but we want to offer science-based messages to help them train more effectively," says John.
The science of sport
Science? Cynics might that suggest Lucozade Sport is simply a soft drink being sold as a sophisticated sports line. "In the marathon, you need all the help you can get. The biggest problems that marathon runners face are loss of fluid and loss of energy," he says.
Sporting ambassador
Liz Yelling, one of the UK's finest female athletes, is 'running ambassador' for Lucozade
Sport. She works closely with Lucozade Sport and the Lucozade Sport Science Academy, passing on her experiences as an international runner and providing insights into the world of endurance running.
Liz has considerable experience in cross-country races as well as marathons, including the Athens Olympics. Last year she finished the London Marathon up with the winning women with a personal best of 2 hours, 30 minutes, 44 seconds.
Continuing to compete in a variety of world class events around the world, Liz is passionate about helping others achieve their own health, lifestyle and performance goals.
"The one thing you don't get from water is energy, something that Lucozade Sport does provide. And anything runners can do on the course to top up their energy stores and help them get to the finish before they reach 'the wall' will be appreciated."
John speaks from experience. This year’s was his 11th London Marathon. He was part of the GSK team - Team Lucozade Sport - which comprises employees and other runners from outside the company who entered a competition to join the team.
It also included elite runner Liz Yelling, one of the UK's finest female athletes (see panel), David Weir, a London Marathon winner in the wheelchair section, and Graham Poll, former professional football referee. Other teams saw many other GSK employees running for their chosen charities.
Sport support
For non-runners in the Lucozade Sport team, the 'big day' was part of a longer journey that goes on well after the streets of London are cleared. For them, supporting running is much more than turning out on a Sunday morning in April with a lorry load of Lucozade. Even so, drinks on the day are appreciated by many.
Lucozade and Lucozade Sport are trade marks of the GlaxoSmithKline group of companies.
