Track & Field Star, Two-Time Olympian & Silver Medalist, Leo Manzano, Joins Cercacor as Athlete Ambassador

Cercacor today announced two-time Olympic runner Leo Manzano has joined the company as an Athlete Ambassador. Cercacor makes EmberTM – the world’s first non-invasive hemoglobin tracker for endurance athletes. Ember enables users and their trainers to non-invasively measure hemoglobin, oxygen content, oxygen saturation, perfusion index, pleth variability index, pulse rate, and respiration rate in approximately 30 seconds using only light.

When Manzano won the silver medal in the 1,500m at the 2012 London Summer Olympics, he became the first American to medal in this event since Jim Ryun won silver in 1968. He also represented the U.S. in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

Many athletes are unaware of factors that minimize their blood’s oxygen-carrying capacity, such as the presence of dyshemoglobins in their blood. While many may measure their oxygen saturation, they are only getting part of the story. The level of dyshemoglobins that may be present can negatively impact their bloods’ ability to efficiently carry oxygen. Ember now enables athletes and their trainers to non-invasively measure nine parameters without drawing blood. These parameters include: hemoglobin, oxygen saturation, oxygen content, pleth variability index, perfusion index, pulse rate, respiration rate and now carboxyhemoglobin and methemoglobin.

Manzano specializes in the 800m, 1,500m and mile. His current personal bests include: 800m: 1:44:56 (2010), 1,500m: 3:30:98 (2014), and mile: 3:50:64 (2010).

An Ember user since February 2017, Manzano will share his experiences using Ember through his and Cercacor’s websites, social media, limited appearances and a series of videos.

When he graduated from the University of Texas in 2008, Manzano became the first member of his family to graduate (and attend) college. While on a full scholarship for running, Manzano won five NCAA National Championship titles, and broke four school records, including: the indoor mile (3:58.78), 1,500m (3:35.29), and indoor and outdoor distance-medley relay.

Smaller than a smartphone and using only light, Ember enables users easy and immediate access to key data about their bodies as part of their strategic training regimen. Users download the Ember app to their (Apple / iOS) smartphone or tablet, which then connects to the Ember device via Bluetooth. Athletes and trainers use the app to view, build a historic record, and segment and track their collective data. Ember is available on Cercacor’s website, http://www.cercacor.com.

“Since I started using Ember in February, I can see so much more information about my body,” explained Manzano. “Seeing my data points today and over time help me to know I’m on the right track. This gives me confidence I can use in my training and my races to achieve greater success. If I didn’t have this data, I’d have a lot of unknowns.”

“Leo is a terrific athlete, competitor and person,” stated Cercacor’s VP of Marketing Mel Chiba. “He is a great representation of Cercacor’s focus on improving, persevering and achieving.”

About Cercacor:

Cercacor is an innovator of non-invasive, easy-to-use monitoring technologies. The company helps people access key health indicators – empowering them to better understand their bodies, enhance their fitness levels and reach their full potential. Cercacor is passionate about finding better ways to help endurance athletes and everyday people achieve the extraordinary. Its technologies are licensed by Masimo Corporation, a publicly traded, global leader in the development and distribution of non-invasive monitoring solutions in the healthcare professional market. (Online press kit: http://press.cercacor.com/).

Media contact:
Jason Sherman, 312-577-7650, [email protected]
SHERMAN communications & marketing, www.shermancm.com