Gleukos Performance Beverage introduced

05/10/05 Gleukos Performance Beverages have arrived. Heralding a new era in sports performance solutions for athletes, Gleukos is a revolution in energy replenishment and hydration. Gleukos utilizes the body's direct source of fuel, glucose, to quicken replenishment times and eradicate unnecessary energy dips associated with traditional sports drinks. Gleukos requires no digestion. It is instantly absorbed by the blood stream and muscles, giving athletes immediate energy.

Gleukos was developed by Mark Jensen, a Nike employee and distance runner who was disappointed with the sports and energy drinks available to athletes. He wanted more than flavored sugar water or a bottle of protein. He wanted something that would make him a better runner. Working independently with a group of Nike employees after hours in an undisclosed downtown Portland laboratory, Jensen teamed up with the world's best athletes, coaches and chemists. His goal: to create a unique and cutting edge drink that enhanced athletic performance.

What Mark found will forever change the way athletes think about picking up a sports drink and led him to develop the most innovative product for athletes in decades. As Jensen explains, "What I found was that the sports drinks I had been using, while adequate for rehydration, actually hindered my performance. The ingredients in sports and energy drinks must first be converted by the body into a simpler form before they can be used as energy which means athletes actually have to expend energy to get energy from traditional sports drinks. After this I knew there had to be a better way to deliver a pure energy."

The answer was glucose. The most simplified form of energy the body can use -- glucose requires no digestion. It is instantly absorbed by the blood stream and muscles, giving athletes immediate energy. This became the basis of Jensen's formula.

High performance athletes are recognizing the benefits of this innovative new tool. Gleukos has been selected as the Official Sports Performance Beverage of USA Track & Field (USATF), the national governing body of track & field, long distance running and race walking. The partnership with USATF gives testimony to the world-class hydration and energy replacement that athletes of all abilities stand to derive from Gleukos.

Not only is Gleukos' formula innovative, so is its packaging. Gleukos is the only sports drink to come in a unique pouch form. The Gleukos pouch is more convenient than any other beverage packaging, as it is 80% lighter, and takes up 50% less space than its competitors. Other unique features include a hydration tube accessory that serves bikers, kayakers and extreme sport athletes alike.

Two flavors of Gleukos beverage, Lemon and Punch, will be sold exclusively at participating U.S. 7-Eleven® stores nationwide. Gleukos will introduce new flavors about every two months.

Gleukos has retained The Meriwether Group, a Portland based brand asset Management Company, to assist with the strategic vision, management and execution of the brands launch.

GLEUKOS, Inc. based in Portland, Oregon formulates and sells scientifically based beverages and nutritional products that assimilate into the human body's blood stream quicker than any other form of carbohydrate available.

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