Pictured above: (l-r) David Kemp, Mark Bray and David Bray

As thousands of runners descend on the Embankment for the annual 'Experian Robin Hood Festival of Running' on September 12, RH Freight will be relied upon to provide the essential element: water, and lots of it. When lined up end to end the 60,000 water bottles being supplied will go round the Nottingham Forest football pitch 35 times.

RH, which has its headquarters and a major hub in Nottingham, has responsibility for distributing all of the bottled drinks and tables to the 10 drinks stations across the 26 mile race route on the morning of the event. 

From serious athletes to fundraisers and even those dressed as chickens, the refreshments are vitally important for the 14,000 runners. The eager masses will be taking part in what the organisers are hoping will be 'the biggest and best event the UK has to offer!'

RH's team has an early start on the morning of the race as they begin setting up the tables and delivering water bottles from 3am. An impressive amount of muscle is required with three 18 tonne trucks and forklifts to transport and drop the 19 pallets of water and dozens of trestle tables to the stations. 

After the event starts, the RH team will also be helping with the clean up operation, with trucks following the cleaning team and collecting empty bottles and litter from the route.

Andrew Baxter, Deputy Group Manager at RH Freight commented: "The Experian Robin Hood Festival of Running is a fantastic event not just for us but for the city as well, we are proud to be a part of it. Everyone involved in it works hard to make each year a big success and there is a real sense of satisfaction in helping the runners reach their goal."

Chris Sumner, Events Director at Sweatshop (organisers of the marathon) added: "RH Freight has become an integral part of the event and they play a vital role. We rely on them to distribute the water around the course and with thousands of bottles to be delivered this is one of the most important parts of the race. We need a reliable partner who will ensure they're going to get to the right place on time." 

Runners participating in the full marathon will be running for up to 6 ½ hours, travelling distances of up to 26 miles, a feat that would be extremely difficult without each water station being fully equipped. Chris added, "RH Freight takes all the worry out of this for us, which is a huge help on a busy day."

RH has built up extensive expertise in the food sector, working with national and international brands ranging from soft drinks to herbs and spices and canned food. Celebrating its 40th birthday 2011, RH estimates that this year it will handle over 425,000 consignments.