NATHAN Sports Partners with Black Girls RUN!, Supporting Black Women in the BGR! Community Seeking to Develop and Maintain an Active Lifestyle

February 4, 2021

Fountain Valley, CA (February 4, 2021) — NATHAN Sports is proud to announce a new partnership with Black Girls RUN!, providing gear and financial support to further the mission of the organization—inspiring women to develop and maintain an active and healthy lifestyle.

Black Girls RUN! was founded in 2009 in an effort to tackle the growing obesity epidemic in the African-American community and provide encouragement and resources to both new and veteran runners. The mission of Black Girls RUN! is to encourage African-American women to make fitness and healthy living a priority. According to the CDC, obesity is prevalent among 51% of African-American women. BGR! created a movement to lower that percentage and subsequently lower the number of women with chronic diseases associated with unhealthy diets and sedentary lifestyles. Black Girls Run! CEO, Jay Ell Alexander, says “Partnering with NATHAN is like finding the perfect running shoe. We are excited to be able to work with a brand of this magnitude that understands the value of fitness and health in our community and is able to provide resources for our members to continue on their journey. This partnership will be able to break down those barriers women face as they take the first step to getting healthier. NATHAN’s mission of focusing on purpose driven products to support a runner is a great compliment to what the BGR! community provides our members on the pavement.”

Running should be accessible to everyone, and a goal of the partnership between NATHAN and BGR! is removing barriers to make getting healthy and active more attainable. “Black Girls RUN! is an incredible organization and resource for Black women to take charge of their health, and we are excited to contribute to their efforts,” says Mary Harden, Director of Brand Marketing for NATHAN. “We stand by our motto ‘We Run with You’, providing hydration and gear solutions for runners of all levels and from all communities. We look forward to championing the BGR! organization in every and any way possible.”.

With the support of Bregal Helps Initiative, a financial donation was made on behalf of United Sports Brands. This donation will help support various BGR! initiatives including a participant stipend, which provides a payment to first timers so that they may purchase shoes, apparel and race entry fees, as well as funding the BGR! run coaches and nutritionists. Additionally, BGR! ambassadors will be provided with NATHAN hydration products and other running essentials as they put in their miles. NATHAN’s sister brand NSpire, carrying socks and sunglasses, will be sold at Walmart stores across the country, with a portion of the proceeds going back to BGR! This partnership stems from the belief of both NATHAN and BGR! that running helps people push their potential, ultimately creating a healthier and happier lifestyle.

About NATHAN Sports

NATHAN designs purpose-driven running essentials that help athletes at all levels run stronger and run longer. At NATHAN, we believe that if you run, then you are a runner. No matter where or why, how far or fast, NATHAN creates the market-leading hydration, visibility, and performance essentials that empower runners to go out and have their best run. NATHAN is part of the United Sports Brands portfolio of sports performance and protective product brands including Shock Doctor, McDavid, and Cutters, which are owned by Bregal Partners, a private equity investment firm. For more information, visit NATHAN at www.NathanSports.com or United Sports Brands at www.unitedspb.com.

About the Black Girls RUN! Foundation

Black Girls RUN! is a national running group launched in 2009. The organization has grown to include more than 75 running groups across the nation with more than 250,000 members. The group was created to combat the obesity epidemic among women in the African- American community and dispel the myth that black women do not run. The Foundation was created in 2018 as a way to impact the local groups in the communities we serve across the country. The groups include beginner and experienced runners and provide a support system and resources to help members reach their fitness goals. Black Girls RUN! provides a community and sisterhood and inspires all women to run. For more information about Black Girls RUN!, visit www.BlackGirlsRUN.com.