Press Release from Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative following the 2017 Marine Corps Marathon. I am proud to have assisted NEBPI with weekend events and team promotion in return for their sponsorship to participate in the marathon. More details on my personal experiences during marathon weekend coming in a future post.
Forty-two runners sponsored by the beef checkoff’s Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative (NEBPI), took to the streets of Washington, D.C., on Oct. 30. Fueled by beef, these runners were among more than 25,000 who participated in the 41st running of the Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) and 10K. Members of Team Beef received nutrition education on how to incorporate lean beef into their diets during training and wore team jerseys during the race. A Team Beef cheer location was established between miles 15 and 16 along the 26.2-mile marathon route to support the Team Beef members during the race.
Long before the team’s participation in the Marine Corps Marathon, an incentive contest called Prime Cuts encouraged members to share their training experience on social media, take the 30-day Protein Challenge, become Masters of Beef Advocacy graduates, and view Farmland — among many other opportunities to become involved in the beef community. The top three-point earners for the 2016 Prime Cuts Incentive Program included Loan O’Brien of Baytown, TX, J. Duane Rimmer of Rockwall, TX, and Lisa Voicheck of Aston, PA.
The fastest overall finisher for Team Beef was Sam Brandt, a Liberty University student in Lynchburg, VA. He finished with a time of 3:02:15. Jessica Lundgren of Ashburn, VA was the fastest female finisher on Team Beef with a time of 3:51:07.
The beef checkoff participated in the two-day health and fitness expo that drew a crowd of 110,000 runners and their families. Additionally, the beef checkoff was a sponsor of the bRUNch 5K and the Kids Race. Around 3,300 youth runners participated in a one-mile run around the Pentagon; the Kid’s Race expo; and Camp Miles, which provided checkoff staff the opportunity to share kid-friendly beef recipes and educational materials with the children and their families.
D.C. area runner and mommy blogger Dorothy Beal, of the Mile Posts blog, represented the Beef Checkoff as a panelist at the Runner’s Conference and the First Timer’s Pep Rally. Agriculture’s own Team Beef member and blogger, Ryan Goodman of the “Agriculture Proud” blog, ran the marathon and assisted at the various beef checkoff-funded booth activities.
Following the event weekend, Goodman commented, “Presence during the MCM weekend was a great opportunity for Team Beef, and I was thrilled to be part of the experience. Working the Team Beef booth at the race expo provided many positive interactions with MCM participants, and that experience continued throughout the weekend with race participants and spectators. This was my third marathon of 2016 and MCM definitely provided a fun challenge for my training and continual improvement as a member of Team Beef and the running community. I’m very thankful for the work the NEBPI is doing to share the beef message for farmers and ranchers across the country.”
To listen in on the conversations from Team BEEF members and to catch photos of the weekend activities surrounding the Marine Corps Marathon, follow @NortheastBeef on Twitter, @NortheastLovesBeef on Instagram and search #BeefFuelsMCM to follow the conversation.
For more about the beef checkoff, please visit the NEBPI website or MyBeefCheckoff.com, and follow them on Twitter @NortheastBeef.
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