Running Insight

flagship product – Nuun Electrolytes – stands as the top-selling sport drink in the run, bike and outdoor specialty channels. "Culture drives our innovation strategy and that's reflected in what's on the shelves of our retail partners," says Rutherford, who's committed to making even deeper inroads in the specialty run category, in particular. The making of Nuun Founded in 2004, Nuun was the first to separate electrolyte replacement from carbohydrates, adhering to research showing that additional sugar or carbohydrates weren't needed for most workouts under 90 minutes. "Nuun was the first brand at any scale to f lip nutrition on its head," Rutherford says. "Nuun separated hydration from fuel because the science suggested the traditional sports drinks had it all wrong." But Nuun Electrolytes aimed to shift the game in other ways as well. First, Nuun offered its flagship product as an effervescent tablet, a novel approach that promised portability and convenience. Second, it toned down the sugar and leaned on natural ingredients such as beet juice powder and monk fruit extract – without sacrificing performance attributes – just at the time American consumers were shifting en masse toward cleaner food labels. "Our approach is clean product, clean planet and clean sport," Rutherford says. T hat com m it ment to clea n product has continued to serve as Nuun's guiding light as it has developed new product lines for exercise and health. There are, for instance, Nuun Vitamins, designed for daily, healthy hydration with low sugar and an optimal electrolyte blend to aid in the absorption of fluids and nutrients, as well as Nuun Performance, the first Non-GMO Project Verified sports drink powder. Nuun created Performance in collaboration with world-renowned exercise physiologist and sports nutritionist Stacy Sims and made the endurance drink mix exclusive to the sports specialty channel. "A lot of competition has come and gone over the last 14 years, but we've stayed the course and invested more to stay fresh and relevant," Rutherford says. That's especially true in the run specialty channel, where Nuun has become a fixture in store showrooms and worked to ingratiate itself with running retailers over the last 14 years with more than just compelling product. Eager to be a true partner to run specialty As Nuun has grown in popularity and demand over recent years, director of sports specialty sales Tyler Smith says the company has been deliberate with its partnerships, specifically invested in specialty retail. Though Nuun has distribution in grocers, it favors higher-end shops like Whole Foods and Sprouts. That limits oversaturation and 4 runninginsight.com © 2018 Formula4media LLC. Getting to Know Nuun (continued) RUNNING INSIGHT "Our approach is clean product, clean planet and clean sport." KEVIN RUTHERFORD CEO, NUUN Nuun has crafted deals to be the designated course drink at hundreds of North American running events. RUNNING INSIGHT RUNNING INSIGHT

• Cover