After his swim/bike/run to victory at the 2010 Ford Ironman World Championship, Chris McCormack is the first Ironman World Champion to appear on Wheaties and Wheaties FUEL boxes. The boxes featuring the Ironman champion will hit store shelves in March 2011.
"Chris McCormack is an inspiring athlete, and we are proud to recognise the multisport endurance triathlon events and competitors that Chris represents by featuring him as our first Ironman champion to grace Wheaties and Wheaties FUEL boxes," said Wheaties FUEL Marketing Manager Dan Stangler.
"Wheaties FUEL, designed to fuel athletic performance, is a great nutrition source for athletes looking to jumpstart their morning as they pursue excellence on and off of the race course and Chris is certainly a perfect example of that journey."
"Breakfast is such an important meal of the day for any athlete,” added McCormack. “Given the long hours I train, I really need a nutrition source with a blend of simple and complex carbohydrates that can help fuel me.
"I never miss breakfast, and I include whole grains and B vitamins to provide the long-lasting energy I need to endure a gruelling workout, so I can’t think of a bigger honour than being on a Wheaties box and representing the accolades of being an Ironman. I know my kids will get so excited to see my face in the cereal aisle."
McCormack’s appearance on the Wheaties box will be accompanied by the cover of the Wheaties FUEL box, which was the official cereal and sponsor of the Ford Ironman World Championship.
Wheaties Fuel provides a blend of carbohydrates: simple carbs for rapid supply of energy, complex carbohydrates from whole grain to provide long-lasting energy and help fuel working muscles, and fibre to help curb hunger while limiting feelings of fullness. B-vitamins help unlock the energy contained in the carbohydrates.
Wheaties FUEL was developed by a team of elite athletes in the various sports of triathlon (Hunter Kemper), decathlon (Bryan Clay), basketball (Kevin Garnett), baseball (Albert Pujols) and football (Peyton Manning), and a leading sports nutritionist (Dr John Ivy, University of Texas).
Not only is McCormack the first Ironman World Champion to be featured on a Wheaties box, he will also be the first athlete featured on the cover of the Wheaties FUEL box outside of the cereal’s elite co-creators.
"It is a great day for the sport, and for triathletes everywhere, to have Chris McCormack featured on Wheaties and Wheaties FUEL boxes as the first ever Ironman to receive this great honour," said Ben Fertic, Ironman Chief Executive Officer.
"He joins an elite list of athletes, and it’s exciting to see the sport – and its accomplished athletes – receive this recognition by such a highly regarded brand as Wheaties."
Wheaties FUEL recently unveiled Wheaties FUEL Prepare to Win nutrition tips from Ironman competitors all over the world. The first three videos in the series are available to view on the Wheaties Facebook page. The latest addition features nutrition tips from McCormack.
The brand is challenging Ironman athletes from around the globe to submit their nutrition tips via video submissions to the Wheaties Facebook page in order to share their personal learnings with other athletes.
