The Coromandel's K2 is the toughest one-day cycle challenge in the Southern Hemisphere, and it's getting an energy boost with a new major sponsor MitoQ, a Kiwi company selling healthy ageing and energy support supplements.

'The K2 has become an iconic New Zealand endurance event, and as a successful New Zealand endurance event, and as a successful New Zealand health brand, supporting things that the country can be proud of is important to us, so there's real synergies in us supporting this event,” says chief marketing officer of MitoQ John Marshall.

'The K2 is an event that motivates and inspires people to have a crack at something that is physically and mentally challenging, for which they need to prepare and in which they need to bring a positive, resilient attitude.”

MitoQ's products deliver a breakthrough form of the antioxidant CoQ10 directly into the body's mitochondria, supporting natural function, health and neutralising potential damage.

'We feel a responsibility to educate the world about mitochondrial health and one way of doing this is connecting to groups of people for whom taking a positive approach to mitochondrial health along with benefits of taking MitoQ and the positive impact this can have on performance.

'Our company goal is about helping people to achieve their personal best whatever they do, so finding events where we can proactively support participants to do this is ideal. Based on the research we have undertaken, we can see a strong link between smart training programmes and MitoQ supplementation delivering performance gains, and consequently we think we can develop a strong connection with K2 participatns and help them achieve their personal best,” he says.

As well as sponsoring and promoting the K2, MitoQ has a team that will be competing as well. The company have also been helping the organisers with training advice for the community, and they will be at the event, so make sure you go down and say hi.

The next MitoQ K2 is on Saturday November 2 2019, and will start from Thames, so you if want to be part of the fun, visit the K2 website. There is also shorter course distances, 96k, and 53km.