On Your Mark, Get Set, Let’s Run!

With the TCS New York City Marathon next week, you can already feel the buzz building as the leaves start to turn in Central Park. The first Sunday in November holds a special place on the calendar and in my heart, as I grew up watching the marathon and later hosted watch parties with my now-husband Michael, who lived along the route in Manhattan. Michael and I even got married on Marathon weekend, and our wedding video is filled with people commenting about the marathon traffic!??

Recently, I’ve noticed the running community and brands in the space weaving themselves into everyday life and showing up well beyond just marathon weekends. While I may not be a runner myself, it’s become clear to me as a marketer that running is more than just a sport — it’s a culture driver. It’s also big business — a $20 billion market, just on apparel and footwear alone.?

But marathons are a smart place for many brands to show up. The TCS New York City Marathon , for instance, not only has 53,000+ runners but more than two million live spectators. That’s a lot of eyeballs and an engaged audience who can be quite loyal to brands that support this incredible feat. I was excited to see Maybelline New York stepping into the running world as the first-ever cosmetics partner of the New York City Marathon. Its planned activations, including a branded cheer zone and makeup booth at the expo, align with its mental health initiative Brave Together, reinforcing its commitment to wellbeing, which resonates perfectly with marathon culture. I’m surprised a beauty brand took this long to get in the NYC marathon game!?

It’s not just New York City holding the marathon mantle. Take the Bank of America Chicago Marathon earlier this month — adidas took the Midway marathon as an opportunity to showcase its inspiring Runner 321 campaign. Launched on World Down Syndrome Day, adidas created the bib number 321 to represent the extra chromosome in Down syndrome, inviting athletes like Chris Nikic to make history. They called on major marathons to reserve bib 321 for athletes with Down syndrome, and over 200 athletes have already signed up, turning this initiative into a powerful and needed movement for inclusion in sports. It also netted adidas a coveted Lion at Cannes this past summer.??

Anyone who has participated in or attended a running race has likely noticed the abundance of beer drinking; it’s pretty much a must-have post-finish line (the Chicago Marathon event timeline even notes the time they stop serving beer! I love that town). Chicago’s own Goose Island Beer Company always brings the fun, and this year, the brand once again brewed an exclusive beer available only on race day – “312 Electric.” For those interested, it was a wheat ale “with a jolt of watermelon and sea salt” – both ingredients known for hydration!?

Brands are getting involved with more than races, as run clubs have spiked in popularity. The WSJ published a piece recently about the emergence of run clubs for social and dating gain, “The Hottest (and Sweatiest) Place to Find a Date: Run Club.” Tapping into this, Tinder added a fresh twist with its Solemates Run Club, which partnered with Runna to help singles connect through fitness, swapping swipes for sprints. PepsiCo’s senior director of fitness says urban running clubs are the brand’s path to reaching its key audiences. With digital ad spending challenges to reach target audiences, brands like Pepsi’s Propel are showing up in IRL, investing cash and products with 16 clubs across the country like Newark’s Brick City Run Club in New Jersey and the Atlanta Run Club.??

Even smaller running clubs are becoming hotspots for brand engagement. Companies like YES! , Apples and Fulton use grassroots marketing to connect with running groups, offering product samples and hosting pre-race events to deepen community engagement. The hyper-local running market has become more than just a place for fitness — it’s a meaningful way to foster real-life connections between customers and brands.?

Meanwhile, Alexis Ohanian’s Athlos is showcasing the immense talent of women in track and field, putting athletes like Olympian Gabby Thomas (a personal fave from Paris!) in the spotlight and back on Vogue.com. Its recent first event in New York City drew 3 million viewers; DJ D-Nice spun the live soundtrack; celebs like Lupita Nyong’o, Shonda Rhimes and my new favorite women’s sports advocate Flavor Flav were in the stands; and a Megan Thee Stallion performance topped off the evening. Ohanian told Inc., “These athletes are special. They are phenomenal, some of the fastest humans on the planet. They shouldn’t disappear outside of the Olympics.” Agreed, and I especially loved hearing about the details Athlos took to support the women competitors, such as the smaller-sized bibs that fit women’s bodies better. By blending running competition with entertainment, Athlos is tapping into the running market with a fresh and compelling approach that I’m excited to see grow.?

I’ve always felt running events like the NYC Marathon are more than just races — they’re part of the fabric and culture of a city. It’s been fun to see how brands use high-profile events to boost loyalty or tap into local running clubs and culture to build meaningful connections. As the running market continues to grow, I think now’s the time for more brands to lace up and join the race. You in???

Stay fierce,?

Lisa?