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March 31st 2020 ・ 10 min reading
Chiquita has helped track and field coach Melvin Nyairo to achieve his dream of breaking a Guinness World Record™ for the fastest half marathon dressed as a fruit.
Melvin’s dream fitted well with Chiquita’s mission to highlight that fitness and a healthy lifestyle can be fun. It has worked with and supported runners and athletes throughout its history. After gaining attention for running a half marathon in California dressed as a banana, Chiquita decided to help Melvin by providing an ap-peeling new banana suit, training gear, nutritious Chiquita bananas and a round trip ticket to Toronto. On October 20, Melvin’s dream became reality at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Half-Marathon.
Melvin crossed the finishing line in style, in a time of 1:15:35, breaking the previous record of 1:19:13. To celebrate this half marathon, Chiquita has offered him a year’s supply of his favorite fruit (bananas, naturally!) to help fuel his future training runs. Melvin is now Officially Amazing™.
Jamie Postell, Director of Sales North America, said: “Chiquita has always been committed to demonstrating the fun side of healthy snacking, and it doesn’t get more fun than running a race dressed as an iconic yellow banana. We’re thrilled to help Melvin accomplish his dream and hope he enjoys snacking on our delicious bananas as he continues to train for upcoming races.”
Growing up in Kenya, I have always loved bananas as they've helped fuel my training throughout the years. It was such a natural choice to run the marathon dressed as a Chiquita banana to break the record. Racing on behalf of a reputable brand such as Chiquita has been an honor, and breaking a world record will be an experience that I will cherish for the rest of my life.
Melvin Nyairo
Chiquita bananas are full of healthy nutrients and an easy, portable snack that is easy to fit into a backpack or gym bag. Bananas have a generous helping of potassium that is important for building lean muscle, and their fiber and natural sugars offer a long-lasting energy boost.
Chiquita’s tasty bananas can be an important part of your daily health and fitness drive, and our website has many great healthy recipes to help make getting fit as enjoyable and tasty as possible. Here is a selection:
