Date:
4/17/2012 12:00:00 AM
Title:
Missouri Beef Running Team proves power of protein at Go! St. Louis Marathon Weekend
(Columbia, MO – AgNewsWire) The Power of Protein was on display at the Go! St. Louis Marathon Weekend, April 13-15 in downtown St. Louis.
As a major sponsor, the Missouri Beef Industry Council (MBIC) staff spent the weekend promoting beef at the various Go! St. Louis activities, including all the races and the Health and Fitness Expo where runners registered on Friday and Saturday. A 5K and a children’s run took place Saturday, while the half marathon, marathon and marathon relay kicked off to a Sunday morning sunrise over the St. Louis Arch. More than 25,000 runners participated throughout the weekend.
The two-day expo at Chaifetz Arena gave runners the opportunity to visit running-related booths. At the Team Beef booth, MBIC staff and Team Beef volunteers spoke with runners about the nutritional benefits that lean beef provides. “This is our fourth year representing Missouri Beef at the Go! St. Louis Marathon,” said Ada Gallup, MBIC Team Beef and business manager. “This year we had our Team Beef members working with us in our booth at the expo and they were able to engage other runners and share their personal stories.”
They also distributed lean beef sticks from Clouds Meats in Carthage, Mo., and recipe booklets with nutritional information, providing runners and their families with the resources to make lean beef a part of their balanced diet. Gallup said the Team Beef runners also talked about how lean beef plays a role in their training. “Lean beef plays an important role in the recovery phase of exercise, the repair of muscle fibers, and restoring energy that may have been utilized during endurance running,” she said. “Team Beef does a great job of teaching by example that lean beef is a great tool to lean on in race training and active lifestyles.”
Nearly 20 runners sported "Team Beef Missouri" jerseys throughout the weekend. Two runners participated in Saturday's 5K, 13 runners took on Sunday's half marathon four ran the marathon.
Team member Glendoria Elliott, a biologist from Florrisant who ran in the half marathon, is proud to wear the bright red “Team Beef” since some people have misunderstandings about beef. “It’s really healthy for you,” she said, adding that she shares nutritional facts and recipes about lean been in a healthy diet with her family and friends.
Following Sunday’s race, MBIC hosted a family reunion tent where the runners could gather to relax and celebrate their accomplishments together. Runners noted that their jerseys received a lot of positive comments during the race. Feedback included fellow runners interested in finding out more about the team, and race observers shouting praise for beef and Team Beef as they ran by.
The Go! St. Louis marathon allowed MBIC to successfully target an audience who is physically active and health-conscious. Booth visitors were very receptive to the health benefits of lean beef and are interested in learning more about providing nutrient-rich beef to their families.
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Audio Files:
Ada Gallup :34 - MBIC at Go! St. Louis
Ada Gallup :18 - Team Beef members
Ada Gallup :15 - beef in a healthy diet
Glendoria Elliott :14 - why she is a Team Beef member
Glendoria Elliott :23 - when people ask about her Team Beef jersey
Image Files:
Image 1 – Team Beef members (LtoR) Glendoria Elliott, Bill Nash, Lucy McGowan, Sierra Angell ready to participate in Go! St. Louis half marathon
Image 2 - Team Beef member Glendoria Elliott running in Go! St. Louis half marathon
To see photos from the event and to interact with Team Beef runners, visit http://facebook.com/BeefCouncil.
Team Beef participants and home towns
Full Marathon
Scott Griffith, Republic
Lee Smith, Centralia
Tiffany Teel, Springfield
Elizabeth Wilkinson, Boonville
Half Marathon
Sierra Angell, Centralia
Tara Cassidy, St. Charles
Glendoria Elliott, Florrisant
Lisa Gerlemann, New Haven
Andrew Grabau, Columbia
Susan Griffith, Republic
Karla Klinger-Diaz, Columbia
Tom May, Columbia
Mike Miller, Warrenton
William Nash, Imperial
Lucy McGowan, Columbia
Steve Roth, New Haven
Jim Werner, Valley Park
Colleen White, St. Charles
Connie Wilkinson, Boonville
5K
Shane Kinne, Ashland
Whitney Wallace, Columbia
To find out how you can run for Team Beef Missouri, contact Ada Gallup at Ada@mobeef.com. To find out more about lean beef, go to mobeef.org.
To see photos from the event and to interact with Team Beef runners, visit http://facebook.com/BeefCouncil.