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ASSIST Creative resources Ltd, the UK's leading distributor of specialist sports fitness and performance brands, is launching a campaign to find the sporting talent of tomorrow.
The aim of the campaign is to identify promising individuals in a number of endurance and specialist sports - and bring them together under the banner of teamASSIST.
Each individual will be granted access to sportASSIST's comprehensive portfolio of performance brands which includes Timex Ironman, Shotz Sports Nutrition, Powerlung and Oregon scientific, as well as access to some of the most advanced performance monitoring and fitness measurement equipment available in the UK in the sportASSIST Performance Labs.
The lucky individuals will also get access to products not yet available on the market as part of the New Product Test Team. The package will also include contribution and support in other areas which will all help to benefit any athlete who wishes to take their chosen sport further.
sportASSIST is looking to recruit a number of talented individuals aged between 16-26 in sports such as running, cycling, triathlon, swimming, rugby and adventure or ultra racing. And, while sporting potential will be the key factor, sportASSIST is also looking for individuals to demonstrate their commitment to developing their talent - and become the winners of tomorrow.
"We will be looking for some special individuals who not only possess the talent to become the winner's of tomorrow, but who will also be able to communicate about their sport, their training and their commitment via a range of modern media, such as YouTube, blogs and press events," said Simon Bradeley, general manager of ASSIST.
The initiative will also dovetail with sportASSIST's newly-founded charitable organisation, Street Talent, which aims to fund talented, upcoming athletes with the new technologies that will help them achieve their full athletic potential.
"The development of a support system for young athletes from any sport to help them realise their potential is immensely close to my heart," said Steve Raven, CEO of ASSIST. "I would like to see our search for these talented athletes develop into an active charity such as StreetTalent, which I think explains in two simple words what we are trying to achieve."
sportASSIST will be looking to have the team in place for September 1st and will be liaising with sports governing bodies, agents and selected individuals to identify contenders for positions on the team. Each candidate will be asked to submit a sporting CV via email to the marketing manager (carolyn.holland@assist.co.uk) or upload a video of themselves to a video-sharing service such as YouTube and email the link to the above address.
For more information on about this press release, please contact the media division:
Tel: 01978 664743
media.centre@assist.co.uk
If there's one thing that's predictable about the British weather, it's its unpredictability.
After the coldest winter on record, runners, cyclists, triathletes and endurance sports enthusiasts have been enjoying the recent spell of warm weather to the full.
But, warns sportASSIST, the distributor of Shotz Electrolyte, training and racing when the sun shines might be a welcome relief - but ignore the importance of proper hydration at your peril.
When you're training in the hot weather, the body's need for fluid increases. The hot environment challenges the body, which has to work harder to maintain a steady core temperature. In order to do this the heat is shuttled to the skin, increasing your sweat rate. This is our body's main method of cooling and, although sweating is a vital mechanism for losing heat, it comes at a price - dehydration!
An increased sweat rate leads to loss of not only water but also important minerals including sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium. What's more, as your body becomes more used to the heat, your cooling mechanisms improve, your sweat rate is further increased and you need to drink more to offset this.
With fluid losses equal to just 2% of body weight being shown to have a detrimental effect on performance, just how much should you drink to avoid dehydration? One thing's for sure, drinking water will not replace all the importance electrolytes - or minerals - we lose when we sweat. Studies show clear performance advantages when consuming an electrolyte drink such as Shotz Electrolyte, compared to water.
When fluid loss is significant, as occurs when the weather is hot, hydration can be impaired if these are not replaced. The most significant mineral concerned is sodium as losses can lead to headache, confusion, nausea and cramping [see editor's note].
Having a good hydration plan in place for training and racing means you will at least minimise the negative effects energy and fluid loss has on the body.
The electrolyteSHOTZ Tablet is an effervescent tablet that dissolves in water, is sugar free, has no artificial colours, is simple to use and is so amazingly portable that you can stay hydrated for the duration of your event - whatever that happens to be.
Staying hydrated and replacing electrolytes is a smart move for anyone who wants to perform well and the Shotz Electrolyte Tablet has all the answers.
Editor's note
In the 1996 New Zealand Ironman Triathlon, 9% of those who suffered medical complaints during the race and had to drop out were suffering from low sodium concentrations in the body. One individual had consumed 16 litres of water during the course but as a result of low sodium concentrations had had suffered from cramping, nausea and confusion. The water on its own actually diluted sodium content in the body exacerbating the condition.
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For more information on about this press release, please contact the media division:
Tel: 01978 664743
media.centre@assist.co.uk
For additional SHOTZ product information: www.assist.co.uk/brands/shotz
The half marathon is one of the most popular running distances. More of a challenge than a 10k, but not quite the feat of endurance of the full marathon distance, half marathons have all the kudos - with only a fraction of the pain.
Still, at 13.1 miles, it's a distance not to be under-estimated. Survive on water alone and the last three to five miles can be a very painful experience (as many have found out at their peril).
Despite a wealth of scientific data examining physiological and nutritional demands of marathon running, there's surprisingly little scientific data investigating half marathons. A study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine remains one of the few to comprehensively examine the demands faced by competitors during a half marathon race.
They examined ten recreational standard runners during a competitive race around the university campus, and found that they ran at speeds equivalent to almost 80 per cent of their maximum oxygen uptake (VO2 max). There was a strong correlation between VO2 max and performance - in other words, those runners with the highest VO2 max completed the race in the fastest time.
The same study also found that the average energy expenditure for the group of runners when completing the 13.1 miles was just under 1,500 calories, the majority of which came from the body's stores of carbohydrate (in the form of muscle glycogen).
Many other studies have shown that the body's stores of muscle glycogen are generally sufficient to provide around 1,800-2,000 calories of energy, so the need for pre-race carbohydrate loading, to boost muscle glycogen stores, would seem to be far less important than it is during the preparation for a marathon. Nevertheless, the energy expended during a half marathon is significant, and it's essential that runners stand on the start line with a full complement of muscle glycogen stores. Anything less could mean running out of energy before the race has been completed, so eating plenty of high carbohydrate foods in the build-up to a half marathon (and to support the pre-race training programme) is crucial.
As with any running event with a duration of more than an hour, hydration will be crucial if performance is to be optimised. Depending on climatic conditions and pace, runners could lose between one and four litres of fluid an hour. Since fluid losses equivalent to just two per cent of body weight will soon start to impair physical and mental performance, it's essential that half marathon runners start a race properly hydrated, and wherever possible consume fluid during the race itself. Sweating is the body's way of cooling down (the hotter it is, the more likely you are to sweat) but, with the fluid loss, will also be valuable vitamins and minerals - electrolytes - which could impact on performance. Loss of sodium, for example, means the rate at which oxygen, nutrients and carbohydrate is carried to the active muscles decreases. Electrolyte replacement drinks are highly advanced these days and lots of research has gone into their efficacy. But watch out for the imposters that are simply loaded with sugar, and no better than the average soft drink. The electrolyteSHOTZ Tablet, on the other hand, is an effervescent tablet that dissolves in water, is sugar free, has no artificial colours, is simple to use and so amazingly portable that you can stay hydrated for the whole half marathon.
As with any long run or intensive race, replacing lost fluid and energy after completion is an essential part of the recovery process. Drinking to regain lost body weight and to return urine to a clear straw colour is the best way to ensure adequate rehydration, while consuming a high carbohydrate snack, meal or drink during the first few hours after a half marathon will kick-start the replacement of the muscle glycogen that has been used during the run.
The physiological and metabolic challenges of a half marathon are high, and should not be underestimated. A proper training plan is, of course, the essential ingredient for successful performance, but this must be supported with a sensible strategy for nutrition and hydration before, during and after the event: electrolyteSHOTZ should be an integral part of this strategy.
sportASSIST, the UK's leading distributor of sports specialist products, is launching a new campaign to promote its CarboSHOTZ Energy Gels' ability to improve endurance performance.
Dubbed ‘Avoid the Wall', the campaign is designed to educate endurance athletes of all standards about the potential for ‘hitting the wall' - the point in a race or training when the body's glycogen stores are used up - and how they can avoid it by using a quality carbohydrate-based energy gel such as CarboSHOTZ.
The average runner, for example, can store approximately 8000 kj or 2000 kcal of glycogen in the liver and muscles; this is enough for 18-20 miles. When glycogen runs low our bodies are forced to burn fat to compensate. Fat is not as easily converted into glycogen. At this point the runner will experience a dramatic increase in fatigue - this is known as ‘hitting the wall.'
CarboSHOTZ Energy Gel is a complex carbohydrate liquid/gel that is designed to fuel the active muscles during activity. The science behind CarboSHOTZ gels is to minimise the amount of time required to process food into glycogen - and therefore help people avoid the wall altogether!
So convinced is sportASSIST of the effectiveness for CarboSHOTZ for endurance sports like running, cycling and triathlon that it is offering 100 people the chance to get their hands on free energy gels - to try the product for themselves in an upcoming event.
All people need to do is visit the ASSIST website and look for the ‘Avoid the Wall' icon or alternatively register at: www.assist.co.uk/avoidthewall
There they can register their contact details - and be sent their free product. They'll have to be quick - the offer is open to the first 100 people to register with the site.
sportASSIST will also be encouraging the users to email back their experiences of using the product to a dedicated email address, complete with details of the event, how they fared - and whether that was better than their previous performance.
Steve Raven, managing director of sportASSIST, believes people will be surprised when they see the results. "There are plenty of energy gel products on the market, but we believe that CarboSHOTZ is unique," he says. "What differentiates the CarboSHOTZ Energy Gel is that it is low in sugar, is gluten free and does not contain any fructose, it is a simple formula and for good reason.
"The Avoid the Wall campaign is our attempt to educate endurance athletes about the benefits of fuelling their bodies properly. We believe that, by using CarboSHOTZ, people of all abilities will see the benefit - and hopefully avoid that wall!"
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For more information on about this press release, please contact the media division:
Tel: 01978 664743
media.centre@assist.co.uk
For additional SHOTZ product information: www.assist.co.uk/brands/shotz