To run 13.1 miles, you have to have some pretty good fuel to get those muscles in good enough shape. The beef industry recently showed more than 30,000 athletes, their friends and families attending the 2015 United Airlines NYC Half Marathon Health & Fitness Expo in Manhattan that beef can be a good source for the muscle fuel. The New York and South Dakota beef councils sponsored the March 12-14 event for the first time ever.
As part of its Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative, the checkoff set the stage for participation at the half marathon and expo in New York City by partnering with online retail giant Fresh Direct on a ‘healthy eating’ promotion featuring the top sirloin and tenderloin. The promotion included on-pack recipe and nutrition labels, sales on both beef cuts, checkoff recipes on the retailer’s blog and digital ads highlighting the lean beef cuts. Additionally, a $5-off coupon on purchase of fresh beef at Fresh Direct was distributed to race expo attendees.
State and national checkoff staff were joined by Demi Snider of Hardin County, Ohio, a member of the 2015 National Beef Ambassador Team, and Emily Line of Carlisle, Pa., a member of the Penn State Collegiate CattleWomen and a graduate of the checkoff’s “Millennial-2-Millennial” training program.
“In such a health-conscious city, it is very important to promote beef as a protein to runners, especially as an excellent recovery protein with necessary vitamins and nutrients such as zinc, iron and B vitamins,” Snider said after the event. “Educating athletes and having hands-on interactive beef activities at the race expo is important as we continue to reach a vast number of consumers and athletes and promote the essential nutrients beef provides before, during, and after the race.”
Team Beef members from Texas, Pennsylvania and New York were part of the nearly 20,000 runners completing the 13.1-mile run.
The event also included a spice-bar activity allowing attendees them to make a sample of beef chili seasoning, and participants were invited to share a photo of their beef chili creation as part of a post-event “Chill-Out” Instagram contest.