Participants of the 2012 Long Beach International City Bank Marathon, which will take place on October 5 to 7 of this year, will again be aided by CLIF Bar products, an energy bar and nutrition-focused company that recently announced that it has renewed a three-year contract as an official sponsor of the race.
The relationship between the ICB Marathon and the sport-food company dates back to 2007 and includes supporting runners of the full and half marathon as well as competing cyclists with race-day sports nutrition such as energy bars and gel shots.
In a statement, CLIF Bar expressed their elation at the opportunity to serve once more the local athletic community and stressed its continued support for athletes during outdoor activities.
To help the marathoners achieve optimal conditioning, the company has created CLIF Bar Pace Teams, which the explicit purpose of advising and encouraging athletes during the competition and provide information about proper nutrition and hydration during the training period.
Pace Leaders, an integral part of Pace Teams, are comprised of veteran marathoners who will council the runners and cyclists on how to achieve specific finish time goals. On race day, they will be provided in the following finish times: 3:05, 3:15, 3:25, 3:35, 3:45, 4:00, 4:15, 4:30, 5:00, and 5:30.
Around 25,000 runners and cyclists are expected to participate in the full marathon, half marathon, 6.2 VW Bike Tour and Run Forrest Run 5K on Sunday, October 7. 2000 children will take part in The Aquarium of the Pacific Kids One-Mile Fun Run on Saturday, October 6. There is also a two-day asjunct Health and Fitness Expo that is expected to draw nearly 50,000 visitors. The event has contributed over $3.5 million to its official charities since 2005.