{"id":967264,"date":"2026-05-17T20:13:22","date_gmt":"2026-05-17T20:13:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/967264\/"},"modified":"2026-05-17T20:13:22","modified_gmt":"2026-05-17T20:13:22","slug":"aldi-reveals-the-surprising-benefits-of-carrots-in-powering-marathon-runners-the-nen-north-edinburgh-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/967264\/","title":{"rendered":"Aldi reveals the surprising benefits of carrots in powering marathon runners \u2013 The NEN \u2013 North Edinburgh News"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Aldi Scotland is claiming that a simple supermarket staple could help fuel runners through one of the country\u2019s toughest endurance challenges, as excitement builds for the return of the Edinburgh Marathon Festival.<\/strong><\/p>\n

With just over a week to go until Scotland\u2019s largest marathon event, the retailer has teamed up with Edinburgh Running Network to inspire runners in a very unusual way, turning the streets of the capital into a giant carrot-shaped running route using Strava. The playful campaign is designed to spotlight the benefits of the humble vegetable as a natural training fuel.<\/p>\n

Fronted by its iconic mascot, Kevin the Carrot, Aldi is promoting the unexpected benefits of carrots for runners preparing to go the distance.<\/p>\n

While high-performance gels and protein bars often dominate marathon training plans, Aldi Scotland is championing a more natural option, highlighting its Scottish-grown supply chain and the farmers behind it.<\/p>\n

The retailer sources its carrots from Benzies, a fourth-generation family-run farm in Aberdeenshire operated by Philip Benzie alongside his wife Hazel and stepson Charles.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Philip Benzie, owner, Benzies, said:<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cCarrots might not be the first things runners reach for, but they offer a surprising mix of benefits.<\/strong> <\/p>\n

\u201cThey provide a gentle, steady source of energy thanks to natural sugars, while their high water content helps support hydration. They also contain potassium for muscle function and beta-carotene, which supports recovery and immune health, which are all important for anyone training consistently.\u201d<\/p>\n

Producing between 20,000 and 30,000 tonnes of Scottish carrots every year, Benzies also noted that carrots are easy to digest, particularly when cooked, making them a practical option for pre and post run meals, or as a light snack during busy training days.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Lynne Cowden, coach co-ordinator and run leader, Edinburgh Running Network, said:<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cWe loved the idea of turning Edinburgh\u2019s streets into something a bit more playful in the run-up to the marathon.<\/strong> <\/p>\n

\u201cThe carrot Strava art was a fun challenge for our community and a great way to keep motivation high as race day approaches.\u201d<\/p>\n

Benzies\u2019 range of carrots is available across Aldi\u2019s 113 Scottish stores. <\/p>\n

You can find your nearest Aldi\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Aldi Scotland is claiming that a simple supermarket staple could help fuel runners through one of the country\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":967265,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8816],"tags":[748,1102,4884,712,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-967264","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-edinburgh","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-edinburgh","10":"tag-great-britain","11":"tag-scotland","12":"tag-uk","13":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116591749462774577","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/967264","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=967264"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/967264\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/967265"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=967264"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=967264"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=967264"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}