Bananas take lead as the European Marathon season kicks off
Costa Rica bananas go the extra mile to keep runners going

Whether training, competing, or recovering from one of Europe’s gruelling marathons, bananas from Costa Rica are the super food for any serious runner – professional or amateur. Bananas provide more carbohydrates than any other fruit and give an instant energy boost as well as slowly releasing the energy that enables athletes to go the extra mile. The high potassium content in bananas prevents fatigue, muscle cramps and dehydration, any of which can stop a runner dead in his tracks.

The power behind bananas lies in its carbohydrates: glucose and fructose. Glucose is quickly and easily digested and rapidly enters the bloodstream, providing athletes with an immediate energy boost. Fructose, on the other hand, is absorbed slowly, releasing its energy over a prolonged period. Also, the carbohydrates in ripe bananas are present in their simplest form which means that they can be digested with minimal energy loss. To keep runners going, bananas are also packed with magnesium to help keep endurance levels up.

Bananas are perhaps most famous as an excellent source of potassium. This critical mineral helps muscles function efficiently, as potassium stimulates the nerve impulses for muscle contractions. Potassium also reacts with sodium to balance electrolyte levels to regulate heartbeat and prevent cramps, fatigue and dehydration. In short, bananas restore energy and balance fluid levels – no wonder they have become a staple of marathon post-race tents throughout the world.

“Bananas are one the world’s finest foods for supplying fuel-energy to the body,” says Dr Douglas Graham, DC, advisor to world athletes such as Martina Navratilova, sports expert and author of several health and nutrition books. “I tell the athletes I train that they should reach for a banana to prevent fatigue, muscle cramping and dehydration. I advise them to eat bananas before, during, and after long physical activities.”

Bananas are an important food not only during a competition but also whilst training. Running is infamous for causing a lot of stress on runners’ knees. Bananas provide 17% of the daily value of vitamin C which helps to produce collagen, one of the building blocks of tendons and cartilage that keeps knees strong.

The world’s ethical banana

Costa Rica bananas go the extra mile. While Costa Rica bananas offer all the nutritional benefits of other bananas, Costa Rica bananas maintain high quality standards, environmental protection, and sustainable social conditions for its workers. Costa Rican banana workers enjoy higher wages and better social services than in many other banana producing countries. Though it may be the world’s third largest banana exporter, Costa Rica dedicates less than 1% of the national territory to the banana production and has transformed 25% of the country into protected natural parks, thanks to intense reforestation projects. Corbana research centres are developing stronger banana species in order to limit the use of agrochemicals and guaranteeing better ground sustainability. Corbana plantations recycle 100% of their organic waste, 97% of the plastic materials (such as the protective bags used to wrap banana racemes) and have reforested 95% of the riverbanks. These standards are comparable to or better than those applied in similar European industries.

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About CORBANA
CORBANA (the National Banana Corporation of Costa Rica) regulates Costa Rica’s banana industry. Founded in 1971, CORBANA is a public non-governmental association with a mission to “serve the national producers”. Its main objectives are to foster the development of the banana industry, to advise the Government in the area of internal policies likely to affect the banana industry and to carry out research in the agricultural sector.

Dr. Douglas Graham
For more information, please visit his website

Major European Marathons
22 April – London Marathon
09 June – Stockholm Marathon
29-30 Sept – Berlin Marathon
14 Oct – Brussels Marathon
28 Oct – Venice Marathon

For further information, please contact:
Stéphanie Simonis
Weber Shandwick
50, rue Wiertz
B-1050 Brussels
Tel.: +32 2 282 16 13
Website