New York, September 4, 2018 – New York Road Runners (NYRR) and Poland Spring® Brand 100% Natural Spring Water will continue their long-standing relationship through the end of 2019, in which Poland Spring Brand will continue to serve as the Official Bottled Water of the TCS New York City Marathon; Poland Spring Marathon Kickoff; and the NYRR Five-Borough Series, which consists of the United Airlines NYC Half, Popular Brooklyn Half, NYRR Queens 10K, New Balance Bronx 10 Mile, and Staten Island Half.  

The Poland Spring Marathon Kickoff is a five-mile road race that traverses parts of the TCS New York City Marathon course and finishes at the famed marathon finish line in Central Park. The event, which annually welcomes approximately 5,000 runners, kicks off the TCS New York City Marathon festivities as the first event of race week each year. The 2018 edition of the race is scheduled for Sunday, October 28.

“Commitment to advancing the field of endurance sports, and more specifically road racing, is what we are looking for in our strategic partners, and we work closely with the team at Poland Spring Brand to do just that,” said Sarah Cummins, vice president of business development and strategic partnerships at NYRR. “We are thrilled to be extending our partnership with a brand that has become a staple of New York Road Runners’ world-class events and is valued year round by our event participants.”

Poland Spring Brand has been an NYRR Strategic Partner since 2002, allowing them exclusivity at marquee events, pre-race expos, and recovery bags. The partnership also allows Poland Spring product integration at NYRR’s year-round events, as well as activation opportunities at the NYRR RUNCENTER featuring the New Balance Run Hub and during Global Running Day.

“We are thrilled to continue our partnership with New York Road Runners and again be part of this iconic New York City celebration,” said Sara Mayer, brand manager at Poland Spring. “We are passionate about being good neighbors in the local communities in which we live and work, and we look forward to supporting all the runners competing in these races.” 

Over 111,000 bottles of Poland Spring® Brand 100% Natural Spring Water were distributed to the more than 50,000 participants at the start and finish of the 2017 TCS New York City Marathon, and more than 44,000 gallons of water were distributed by race volunteers along the course through water stations.

This year Poland Spring has launched an innovative solution to on-the-go hydration, the Poland Spring Hydration Station. The hydration station brings water to race participants and spectators in an eco-friendly and convenient way, helping reduce packaging waste. Designed around a system that dispenses Poland Spring® brand spring water from five-gallon refillable containers, the trailer operates on wheels and can easily be transported to multiple points along race routes. This 16-foot, self-contained mobile trailer allows community members to fill up their reusable bottles with Poland Spring® Brand 100% Natural Spring Water, free of charge. The hydration station will travel to the Poland Spring Marathon Kickoff race on Sunday, October 28, in Central Park. Poland Spring will also be sampling their new sparkling water to runners and spectators.

Beyond keeping runners hydrated and refreshed along the course, Poland Spring continues to take steps to reduce its impact on the environment. The brand has reduced plastic in its half-liter bottles by over 60% since 1994, and the bottles are 100% recyclable.

Bottles discarded at the TCS New York City Marathon and all other NYRR events are recycled through NYRR’s partnership with Royal Waste Industries, which handles all trash recycling at NYRR events. Within their Queens facility, Royal Waste Industries sorts all the garbage collected and pulls out all metals, cardboards, garbage bags and plastic.  

About New York Road Runners (NYRR)

In 2018, NYRR is celebrating 60 years of helping and inspiring people through running. Since 1958, New York Road Runners has grown from a local running club to the world’s premier community running organization. NYRR’s commitment to New York City’s five boroughs features races, community events, free youth running initiatives and school programs, the NYRR RUNCENTER featuring the New Balance Run Hub, and training resources that provide hundreds of thousands of people each year, from children to seniors, with the motivation, know-how, and opportunity to Run for Life. NYRR’s premier event, and the largest marathon in the world, is the TCS New York City Marathon. Held annually on the first Sunday in November, the race features 50,000 runners, from the world’s top professional athletes to a vast range of competitive, recreational, and charity runners.  To learn more, visit www.nyrr.org.

About Poland Spring® Brand Natural Spring Water

A regional brand since 1845, Poland Spring® Brand 100% Natural Spring Water is sourced from natural spring sources in Maine. Each spring source is carefully selected based on geologic formation, mineral composition, quality and taste. Poland Spring Brand 100% Natural Spring Water is distributed across New England and the Northeast. To learn more visit: https://www.polandspring.com/sparkling-water.

About Nestlé Waters North America

Nestlé Waters North America offers an unrivaled portfolio of bottled water brands for healthy hydration, including Poland Spring®, Nestlé® Pure Life®, Perrier® and S. Pellegrino®. The company also owns and operates ReadyRefresh^SM by Nestlé®, a customizable water and beverage delivery service. Just Click and Quench^SM.  Based in Stamford, Connecticut with some 8,500 associates located across North America, we are committed to reducing our environmental footprint across our operations. As a natural resource company, we sustainably manage 47 spring sources and conserve nearly 21,000 acres of natural watershed area. We are also committed to creating shared value and being a good neighbor in the 140 communities where we operate in the U.S. For more information, visit us at www.nestle-watersna.com/en and follow us on Twitter and Facebook: @NestleWatersNA.