Club MARATHON® Hitting The Road This Summer to Reward Runners Who 'rock on with MARATHON'

HACKETTSTOWN, N.J., June 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Life isn't a sprint, it's a marathon. That's why today, Mars Chocolate North America announced that its MARATHON® Brand, the 'official energy bar' of the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series®, will be pounding the pavement this summer rallying and rewarding marathon fans from coast to coast with the launch of the Club MARATHON® Rock On cross-country tour.

Club MARATHON captains will be on tour in search of Rock 'n' Roll runners who prove that they 'rock on with MARATHON.' Whether it is an avid marathoner averaging six-minute miles or a mother of three finishing her first marathon, Club MARATHON captains will be on the lookout for those who "rock on" during the 'MARATHON Bar Home Stretch' – the final 500 yards of each Rock 'n' Roll race.

One lucky runner from each of the tour's five markets will be rewarded with an official Club MARATHON Sponsorship Package – complete with a free registration to a future Rock 'n' Roll race, a VIP post-race experience, a month's supply of MARATHON bars, branded apparel, and more. The Club MARATHON Rock On tour kicks off during the Dodge Rock 'n' Roll San Diego Marathon on June 5 and will stop at four additional Rock 'n' Roll races across the country – Chicago (8/14), Philadelphia (9/18), San Antonio (11/13), and Las Vegas (12/4).

"With its tremendous growth and exciting fitness-focused environment, the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series® is the perfect platform to showcase the taste and nutrition credentials of our MARATHON bars," said John Wyckoff, director of chocolate new ventures, Mars Chocolate North America. "We are excited to celebrate and reward fans who 'rock on with MARATHON' from coast to coast this race season."

"The two-day Health & Fitness Expos and event day provide an engaged audience for MARATHON bar to educate runners on the benefits of sustained energy during training," said Bouker Pool, SVP of Marketing for Competitor Group, Inc., which owns and operates the series.  "By combining a musical activation component in conjunction with the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon theme, MARATHON creates a perfect marriage between our consumers' core passions of music and running."

TASTE AND NUTRITION IN EVERY BITE

MARATHON bars are delicious, satisfying energy snacks that provide the long lasting energy needed for active consumers to run their day, their way. Every bar is packed full of protein and essential vitamins with 150-290 calories per serving for simple or substantial snacking, and is powered by the satisfying taste you've grown to love from the SNICKERS® brand.

MARATHON bars can be found at select mass, food, drug and convenience stores or online at www.marathonbars.com, and are available in both protein and energy bars – both available in seven delicious flavors.

• MARATHON® Energy (10-14g protein, 16-18 vitamins & minerals)
  • Available in Chewy Peanut Butter, Chewy Chocolatey Peanut, Crunchy Multi Grain, Crunchy Dark Chocolate and Crunchy Honey Toasted Almond
• MARATHON® Protein (20-12g protein, 16 vitamins and minerals)
  • Available in Caramel Nut Rush and Chocolatey Nut Burst

To join "Club Marathon" or for more information on the MARATHON Bar Rock On tour, visit www.facebook.com/MarathonBar  or www.marathonbars.com.

About Competitor Group, Inc.

Headquartered in San Diego, Calif., Competitor Group, Inc. (CGI) is the leading active lifestyle resource dedicated to promoting the sports of running, cycling and triathlon. CGI owns and operates 55 events around the world, including the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series, TriRock Triathlon Series and Columbia Muddy Buddy Series; which will deliver more than 400,000 professional and amateur participants in 2011. CGI publishes four magazine titles including VeloNews, Inside Triathlon, Triathlete and Competitor magazine with a combined monthly circulation of more than 620,000. In addition, the company hosts a captive lifestyle community online at competitor.com, delivering over 1.5 million monthly unique visitors and 25 million page views. Further information about Competitor and its media properties can be found at www.competitormediakit.com.

About Mars Chocolate North America:

Mars Chocolate North America is the North American chocolate operations of Mars, Incorporated.  In 1911, Frank C. Mars made the first Mars candies in his Tacoma, Washington kitchen and established Mars' first roots as a confectionery company.  In the 1920s, Forrest E. Mars, Sr. joined his father in business and together they launched the MILKY WAY® bar.  In 1932, Forrest, Sr. moved to the United Kingdom with a dream of  building a business based on the philosophy of a "mutuality of benefits" for all stakeholders – this vision serves as the foundation of the Mars, Incorporated we are today.  Based in McLean, Virginia, Mars has net sales of more than $30 billion and six business segments including Petcare, Chocolate, Wrigley, Food, Drinks and Symbioscience.  More than 65,000 Associates worldwide are putting our Mars Principles in action every day to make a difference for people and the planet through our performance.

Mars brands include: Chocolate – M&M'S®, SNICKERS®, DOVE®, GALAXY®, MARS®, MILKY WAY® and TWIX®; Petcare – PEDIGREE®, WHISKAS®, SHEBA®, CESAR® and ROYAL CANIN®; Wrigley – ORBIT®, EXTRA®, STARBURST®, DOUBLEMINT® and SKITTLES®; Food – UNCLE BEN'S®, DOLMIO®, EBLY®, MASTERFOODS® and SEEDS OF CHANGE®; Drinks – ALTERRA COFFEE ROASTERS™, THE BRIGHT TEA CO.™, KLIX® and FLAVIA®; Symbioscience –SERAMIS®, CIRKU™ and COCOAVIA™.

For more information, please visit www.mars.com.

SOURCE Mars Chocolate North America