Emma Bates has a new fueling sponsor. About two months after a public falling-out with UCAN, she’s announced a partnership with NeverSecond, a younger endurance nutrition brand that’s been building a quiet following among serious distance runners.
The announcement came via Instagram, and Bates — who has never been one to keep things vague — was direct about what drew her in. “I have tried countless different fueling sources and NeverSecond is by far my favorite from a product standpoint,” she wrote. But the product was almost secondary to the pitch. She described the founders as people who make it feel like “a Ma and Pa shop,” talked about their belief in athletes going through big life changes, and said they “see the vision” — that her best years are still ahead of her, pregnant or not.
It’s a pointed thing to say, given the context.
What Happened With UCAN
In March, Bates posted a video saying her fueling company had dropped her after she told them she was pregnant. UCAN disputed that, saying the decision to end the partnership had been made back in September 2025 — months before any knowledge of her pregnancy — as part of routine business planning. They also said they’d offered her a new deal, which she declined.
Her agent at Flynn Sports Management told Front Office Sports that negotiations were still active after September, that UCAN made an offer in December, and then changed it. UCAN and Bates’ camp never landed on the same version of events, and neither side has budged since. We covered the full dispute here.
What’s true is that the partnership ended, the circumstances remain disputed, and Bates is now with someone else.
Who Is NeverSecond?
They’re not a household name yet, but they’ve earned genuine respect in endurance circles for their high-carbohydrate fueling approach — the kind of nutrition strategy that’s become increasingly central to marathon performance as sports science has evolved. For a brand at their stage, signing Bates is significant.
She is a 2:23:18 marathoner, 14th fastest American woman in history, runner-up at the 2021 Chicago Marathon, and top-five at Boston in 2023. She also ran 2:25:51 in Valencia last December while in the early stages of pregnancy — a detail she confirmed later, almost casually, as if to make a point.
For Bates, the fit seems to go beyond gels. She’s been open throughout her pregnancy about wanting sponsors who see her as a long-term athlete, not a short-term liability. NeverSecond, at least publicly, is playing that role. Whether the partnership delivers on the vision she described — “the best part is I believe in them too” — is something only time and a postpartum comeback will answer.
She closed her post simply: “Whatever the future holds, I just hope little me, and the little one I carry, is made proud.”
1 Comment
How much do they pay her ?