Steamboat Springs, CO, October 21, 2019 —Honey Stinger, the award-winning maker of sports nutrition products featuring honey, today announced the signing of elite American distance runner Jared Ward as the brand’s first “Hive Platinum” athlete.
Ward, who is aiming for a top-three finish at the upcoming TCS New York City Marathon, boasts a stacked resume of achievements across his elite distance running career. Highlights include a first-place finish at the 2016 US 25k National Championship, a third-place finish at the 2016 US Olympic Marathon trials, and top-10 finishes at both the 2017 (10th) and 2019 (8th) Boston Marathon races.
With the 2020 Olympic Games on the horizon, Ward has proven himself to be among the top contenders to represent Team USA in the Olympic Marathon event. He currently holds the third-fastest Olympic Trials Qualifying time (2:09:25), and is one of just a few US athletes who have met the Olympic Standard this year.
With Honey Stinger as his official sports nutrition partner, Ward will utilize the full lineup of Honey Stinger products to fuel his training and racing, and help elevate his performance, through 2020.
“I only partner with brands that create products I believe in and have company values I trust,” said Ward. “Honey Stinger fits that bill. I’ve been fueling with honey for years, so I understand just how effective that natural energy source is. With honey at the heart of all its products in combination with other natural ingredients, Honey Stinger will be the ideal fuel source for me as I chase down some big dreams over this next year.”
In adding Ward to its robust contingent of athlete partners, Honey Stinger has created an all-new, premiere sponsorship tier for the elite runner, to offer a level of support that meets the high demands of his international racing schedule. Ward is the first – and currently the only – Hive Platinum athlete for Honey Stinger, and will receive both financial and nutritional support from the brand through this partnership.
The new Hive Platinum program builds on Honey Stinger’s already extensive “Hive” sponsorship lineup, which includes several additional tiers ranging from the select Hive Gold team, for highly distinguished elite athlete partners, to a broader team of amateur athlete ambassadors representing the brand in their respective communities.
“We could not be more excited to add Jared to the Honey Stinger team, and to be able to offer this enhanced level of sponsorship for the first time,” said Katie Black, Honey Stinger’s sponsorship coordinator. “The addition of the Hive Platinum program demonstrates Honey Stinger’s immense commitment to supporting athletes of all levels and providing the resources they need to achieve their goals. It is also indicative of the value that Jared brings to our brand. He is an exceptional representative, both on and off the course.”
In addition to his race career, Ward balances coaching, raising four children and teaching statistics at Brigham Young University in his hometown of Salt Lake City.
To learn more about Ward, and for a complete list of Honey Stinger’s sponsored athletes and teams, visit honeystinger.com/athletes.
