28 Apr PURE SPORTS NUTRITION, one of MetaSport’s constant Event Partner
PURE SPORTS NUTRITION has increasingly become one of the brands of choice for triathletes, cyclists, and runners as fuel for their training and races. We spoke with Brent Morgans, who owns the distribution rights of the brands in Singapore.
- What is your number one advice to an athlete with regards to sport nutrition / hydration?
Hydration – In my view, pre-hydration is the key – the 48 hours leading into a race you should be constantly hydrating, and including electrolytes, through a product like PURE Electrolyte Hydration powder, or PURE Electrolyte capsules if you prefer to avoid the carbohydrates.
Nutrition – a coach once told me that 70% of his athletes race day failures were due to nutrition – this require an investment of time in researching your required calorie intake and experimenting with different products long before race day to see what works the best for you.
- What is the most common mistake in sport hydration and nutrition that athletes make?
For hydration I would say not coming into an event / hard trying session well enough hydrated.
For nutrition, more common in the longer events is the failure to calculate required calorie intake and rely on low quality products like Chocolate bars.
- You acquired last year the distribution of the Pure brand in Singapore. What motivated you to do so?
I had discovered PURE Electrolytes at an event in New Zealand a few years back, and having had some gastric issues with 2 of the better-known American brands, I switched over.
The opportunity to take over the business here came when the founder of Simply Active, Ali Tidy, invited me in as she had committed to a project down in New Zealand and wanted the business to have hands-on management. I was semi-retired, but very interested in nutrition and have always been involved in competitive sport, so it seemed like a good fit.
- The partnership between the MetaSport events and the Pure brand goes back to the early days of Pure in Singapore. It is still a strong partnership. How do you choose the events you sponsor?
It is a great question. I would love to sponsor every event! Of course, it isn’t that easy nor would it be economically feasible. It comes down to a balance between creating brand awareness and estimating the likely client acquisition. We generally find that people like the taste and benefits of PURE, and tend to stay with the brand once they have tried it. So, events like the MetaSprint Series are great, as there are many people just starting their journey of fitness and events.
That being said, we also like to be at the marquee events like Ironman, as the product range has been developed for Elite athletes and they expect high quality products on course. You may have read that for both Ironman New Zealand and Australia PURE is the official hydration and nutrition partner.
- You are an athlete yourself, how do you juggle promoting the Pure brand at an event and manning a booth with taking part in the race yourself? Which one has priority?
I have always believed it is important to be part of the community in which you are looking to sell your products. So being at races and interacting with athletes and potential buyers is critical to the success of the business. If I can also participate in the race I will and we have some helpful part time staff who help on the day. Ultimately though, as all small business owners will attest, juggling and multi-tasking is just part of the role.
- Which Pure product is your favourite as an athlete? And why?
I would say the “Exercise Recovery” product is my favourite – mixed with really cold water, it is what I take immediately on return from a hard run or ride in the Singapore heat. The necessity for instant carbs and some protein is well documented and it tastes great in addition to being functionally effective.
- Your daughters are into multi-sport as well. At Metasport, we love seeing families sharing a passion for the same sport but it’s not always a given. How did you achieve that?
I would say they are “getting into it”! I strongly believe that if your kids see you living a fit and healthy lifestyle, it will become embedded in them. They may not want to be competitive, but when they see parents doing it they can generally be convinced to at least have a go. The occasional trophy or medal goes a long way to generating some passion as well!
