Emerald Nuts Sponsors 'Final Five' at ING NYC Marathon

The Emerald snack nut brand will appear in this weekend's ING New York City Marathon when runners need it the most - the final five miles. Diamond Foods announced today that it is sponsoring the final five miles of the 2009 ING New York City Marathon to reach thousands of runners and millions of spectators with its natural energy message.

When runners reach mile 23, just as they turn into Central Park at 90th Street and 5th Avenue, they will be greeted by members of the Emerald cheer zone welcoming them to the final miles of the race. During the race, an Emerald street team will be sharing product samples with spectators at several spots along the final five miles of the ING New York City Marathon course, including Central Park South. Before and after the race, runners will receive Emerald`s natural energy products such as Cocoa Roast Almonds and Dry Roasted Almonds, along with discount coupons for future purchases.

"This is the 2nd year of Emerald`s successful "Final Five" program which educates runners across the country about the natural energy benefits of Emerald nuts," said Jeff Ngo, Director of Marketing for Diamond Foods. "We are thrilled to sponsor the 40th running of the New York City Marathonand encourage all runners to factor good nutrition into their training regimen."

Emerald is the title sponsor of several runs and sporting events throughout the year. Emerald will return to New York City at the end of this year as the title sponsor of The Emerald Nuts Midnight Run through Central Park, which will be held on New Year`s Eve, December 31, 2009. The 2009 Emerald Bowl, college football's only postseason bowl game to match opponents from the Pacific-10 and Atlantic Coast Conferences, will be played Saturday, December 26 at AT&T Park in downtown San Francisco, the home of the San Francisco Giants. The Emerald Across the Bay 12K over the Golden Gate Bridge, which is held each March in San Francisco, has been called the best bridge run in America by Runner`s World magazine.