Duracell and the Great Run Series have announced that the Great North Run will feature pacemakers for the first time ever when the runners take to the streets of Tyneside on Sunday 11th September – and the first ever pacer will be Ryan McLeod, son of Mike McLeod, the first ever winner of the Great North Run.

Duracell has worked with the Great Run Series to recruit 50 experienced runners who will serve as pacemakers for the huge numbers of runners taking part.

As well as providing the pacers to help runners maximise their own performance, Duracell is helping runners of the Great North get the ultimate motivation. The Great North Run will feature the debut of the ‘Duracell Power Zone’. Located at Mile 10, one of the toughest stretches of the Great North Run, the Power Zone is designed to give runners a boost just when they may be struggling to keep going.

The Power Zone will feature music, cheering fans and a big screen displaying messages of support for runners and their pictures as they go by. Duracell will also be helping spectators cheer on their friends and family using the Duracell #PowerBoards. These customisable boards will allow fans to write their own personalised messages for runners as they go past.

The pacers will be the running embodiment of the Duracell Bunny, one of the nation’s most loved brand mascots, helping and encouraging runners to run for longer as they take on the half marathon. The innovation in the race is designed to help runners of any ability pace their race safely and successfully.

Founded in 1981, this is the first year that the Great North Run will feature pacemakers. Ryan McLeod, the son of Mike McLeod who won the first ever Great North Run in 1981 and again in 1982, has competed for Team GB at the European and World Cross Country Championships and is the 2015 British Half Marathon Champion.

The pacemakers in the Great North Run will be kitted out as the iconic Duracell Running Bunny, as part of the Series sponsor’s campaign to help runners unlock their power within and go for longer. The Duracell Bunny Pacers have already featured in previous races of the 2016 Great Run Series.

Brendan Foster, former Olympic Bronze medallist and founder of the Great North Run said: “The Great North Run is the world’s biggest half marathon and has huge numbers of supporters on the route. In events like this it’s easy to get a little over ambitious and set off too quickly. The introduction of pacers by Duracell will be of real benefit to runners who are looking for a time and will be an excellent addition to the day.”

Alex Haslam, Duracell UK Marketing Manager said: “With our partnership with the Great Run Series we have been proud to play an active role in helping runners all over the UK unlock their own power and improve their performance. Duracell lasts longer than the competition and we’ve been helping the runners of the UK last for longer throughout the Great Run Series. By bringing our iconic mascot, the Duracell Bunny, to the race in the form of the Duracell Bunny pacers, we’ve been able to help runners in a way that fits perfectly with what we believe in as a brand.”

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Ahead of the Great Newham London Run taking place this Saturday at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Official Partner of the 2016 Great Run Series Duracell has released a new film that celebrates three of the UK’s most inspiring runners.

Duracell is officially powering the 12 race series that sees 180,000 runners compete annually across the UK and includes marquee events such as the Great Manchester Run, the Great Newham London Run – which concludes with a lap inside the Stadium at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park – and the world’s biggest mass participation running event, the famous Great North Run.

The partnership also includes turning the race pace makers into the iconic Duracell Bunny at each race to champion their role in helping runners go for longer.

The brand is also reviving its iconic ‘running bunny’ commercial in a TV campaign later this summer.

In the new film, each of the three ‘hero’ runners tells the story of their own struggles and how running has helped them ultimately triumph. The three runners are:

• Christopher Goddard – a 25 year old who was diagnosed with MS last year;
• Maxine Langtree (pictured) – a 68 year old who started running at 66 and is now running 10 kilometres alongside people 50 years her junior;
• Emma O’Gorman – having quit smoking and started running, Emma is now much healthier and an example for anyone looking to improve their health.

The film is part of Duracell’s campaign to help runners of the UK unlock their own power within to go further.

Brendan Foster, former British Olympic medallist and founder of the Great Run Series, says: “Sport at the elite level is for only the dedicated few. For the vast majority it’s about converting the inspiration we get from champions in their field into personal goals. Films like this are very valuable in helping encourage people to get out and get active. I’m delighted that Duracell, a new sponsor of The Great Run Series this year, are helping to encourage greater participation in running across the UK.”

Alex Haslam, Duracell UK Marketing Manager, adds: “For all runners, motivation is a really important factor in them performing at their best. As part of our campaign we really want to help UK runners maximise their own performance and do the best they can, and we hope that the example given in this film by these three incredible individuals can help inspire the runners of the UK on to bigger and better things.

The film can be viewed on Duracell UK’s YouTube channel. 

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Duracell and Lucasfilm have announced a new partnership and creative campaign ahead of the highly anticipated release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, featuring limited edition packs with Blippar functionality to access additional content.
Consumers can use the Blippar app on their mobile phones to access film trailers, a ‘Making of the TV Commercial’ video and digitally ‘collect’ the various Star wars characters featured on the packaging.
The collaboration includes TV advertising, digital and social media support, as well as in-store activity and the limited edition Star Wars packs. In addition, the brand has been selected as the battery of choice for the newly issued Hasbro lightsabre.
Available now until February 2016, the limited edition packs feature Star Wars images including the newest member of the Dark Side, Kylo Ren, and new droid BB-8, as well as Stormtroopers, C-3PO and R2-D2 and the Millennium Falcon,
To support the initiative, a new TV ad features the iconic Duracell Bunny battling the dark side. The TV commercial was directed by Wilfred Brimo and featured martial arts choreographer Jan Loukota, who has worked on films including Kingsman and Skyfall.
Javier Hernandez, Western Europe marketing director for Duracell at P&G, says: “Since 1973, the Duracell Bunny has been at the heart of the brand, demonstrating its long lasting performance. Duracell batteries power many devices across the globe and we’re thrilled to be joining forces with Lucasfilm and Hasbro to bring avid fans a limited collection of Star Wars battery packs and lightsabres.”

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