Run The Roads

Most people think of track and field and believe that it is a sport that isn’t all that exciting simply because they can’t participate in it, there are too many events and there are few ways to keep track of the top stars in the sport as they run the fastest times of the season in Europe.  I would say the same thing of road racing, except for the fact that many people that do road races don’t even know there is a professional side to it.

Like most individual sports, road racing from a professional perspective, lives and dies by sponsorship.  If athletes aren’t sponsored, they can’t make a living running, as well as prize money, which is barely existent if sponsors aren’t supporting races.  While this can be viewed as a problem, it should be viewed as an opportunity, and a creative one at that.

Many sports, including golf and tennis, live and die by sponsorships.  Many golf tournaments may not be around next year due to companies struggling in the current economic state.  However, many tournaments, and indeed many other sports, are organized properly, thriving with quality sponsorship, but also building up other ways to make money as well.

Where am I going with this…just hold on.

Often times, fans of the sport complain because there aren’t enough professional training groups around the United States, or there aren’t enough high profile competitions, or this isn’t enough prize money at the already existing top end competitions.  Money makes the world go ’round, and it seems like road racing and track and field simply don’t have the dollars necessary to take the sport to the next level in the sporting public’s eye.  I always thought this true, until now.

In the July 13 issue of Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal, there is an entire section on high-end sports, including sailfishing, sailing, polo, tennis and golf.  While those sports are historically known as wealthier sports, running is never mentioned.  However, when looking at the statistics (login may be required), running could very well be one of the top 3-4 wealthiest participant sports in the world.

The stats:

- While running ranks as the 14th sport in the $250,000+ category, it is tied for fifth in popularity in the $150,000-$249,999 category and is tied for first with golf in the $100,000-$149,999 category.

What do all these numbers tell me?  Well, for starters, they tell me that there is a great deal of personal wealth in road racing.  More so, it tells me that there are financial opportunities for the sport that simply aren’t being utilized.  If any of our sport’s leading organizations took the time to identify some of these high-income level participants, drawing them into the sport on the professional side, this could very easily fund the sport at a much higher level.  Heck, isn’t that why golf, tennis, sailing, skiing, triathlon, all thrive financially?

Road racing is by far the most untapped part of our sport.  Currently, it seems like the Wild West, with little structure, a million events, but few big players.  The opportunity is there to expand road racing, making it a much bigger sport than it currently claims to be.  With millions of people taking part each year in events, and knowing that there are some very wealthy individuals who participate in the sport, this should indicate that road running has limitless potential.  A sport with limitless potential seems like a sport many would eagerly invest in, right?

I’ve always been a big fan of what Nike does for the sport. They sponsor dozens, if not hundreds, of track and field athletes, they pump tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars into events (Pre Classic, NXN, NIN, NON, etc.) and they genuinely love the sport. However, time and time again, event after event, I wonder why they don’t try to monetize the runners they sponsor more, and why the agents don’t persist that they do so.

It isn’t just a Nike problem, it’s a sport problem. If you love basketball you can go by a LeBron James jersey, if you love baseball, basketball, soccer, hockey, you can go by your favorite jersey of your favorite athlete, or at least a t-shirt supporting those teams or players. However, limited merchandise is out there in our sport to purchase.

The other day I was at the Bix 7 in Iowa, a road race that has nearly 20,000 participants. While observing many of the people starting their races, I noticed that dozens of individuals were wearing LiveStrong jerseys, hats, shorts, t-shirts, etc. I know Lance Armstrong and his cause are much stronger and higher profile than anyone in our sport, but I didn’t see a single piece of clothing that celebrated our great athletes. Not a single one.

Last week I posted the top five most notable runners in our sport. The reason I did this was to go and see just how recognized these athletes are and how fans connect with them. While a marathoner probably has heard the name Kara Goucher, Deena Kastor or Ryan Hall, odds are they have no way to really connect to them. Kastor has a website, but few know about it, and I believe Hall does as well, but again it is low key.

With the second running boom still going strong despite the economy, it seems like now is the time for companies to really capitalize on the popularity of our sport. If I was an agent of a high profile athlete, being recruited to run Chicago or New York, I’d make it part of the participation contract that not only does the athlete get paid, but they are also allowed to have their own small booth at the expo, where the agent can hire 1-2 people to hand out information on that athlete to everyone that passes by, can sell t-shirts with that athlete’s profile on it, and whatever other ways to really promote that athlete. Don’t just leave it up to the shoe companies to promote the athlete, because they won’t do much of it, rather take a proactive approach and really take it upon their own shoulders because it is great for both them and their athlete(s).

Earlier this morning I received an email from my friend Jayson Jackson. He asked if I had seen the new Eastbay catalog. While I don’t receive it, Jayson stated that for football, basketball and baseball gear they had pro athletes modeling the gear and labeled exactly who the athletes were. In the running section, most of the shoe companies had models sporting the gear, but Asics had Ryan Hall and Sara Hall. However, they weren’t labeled as professional runners, which would mean that most people that flip through that catalog would identify them, but rather believe they are “only” models.

It’s simple things like that which are constantly hurting our sport. Few runners can actually put faces to names, and even less can put the stories of those pro runners to their faces and names. I understand it takes a lot of energy and desire to create greater profiles for athletes, but agents and shoe companies hiring passionate interns could easily rise the profile of their respective athletes. It is going to take a concerted effort to improve our sport and its profile, and it’ll take a long time, but it can be done. The question is now, how does everyone involved rally together to make this happen? An answer to that would certainly start everyone in the right direction.

One of the most versatile American distance runners seems to be taking a hard look at running a marathon soon.  At the Bix 7, Anthony Famiglietti told Run the Roads that he’s seriously considering it.  When asked, Fam stated in a business-like manner, “I’ve taken a serious, serious look at it.  I’ve put together some serious training programs if I want to do that.”

The multiple national champion then went on to tell Run the Roads, “I have this whole thing laid out if that’s what I want to do.”  Elaborating a bit more, Fam said part of the reason he raced the Bix 7 (which is a seven mile race), was to test himself over a longer distance against a high quality competition, most notably race winner Meb Keflezighi.

While Fam is still pondering what his next major move may be, a jump to the marathon could create some major buzz around the always energetic distance runner.  With American distance runners starting to see success in a variety of distances on the international stage, it seems as if Fam is testing out to see what he can be best at in the coming years.  Who knows, maybe it is the marathon.

Universal Sports, who have broadcasted most of the top track and field meets throughout the season thus far, will air the Aviva London Grand Prix on Friday, June 24 and Saturday, June 25.  The Aviva London Grand Prix will host a slew of talented individuals, including many U.S. distance stars.  Here’s the TV information for the weekend:

UniversalSports.com - Website / Live Feed

Friday, July 24 - 12:45pm – 4:00pm ET (LIVE)

Saturday, July 25 - 9:00am – 1:00pm ET (LIVE)

Universal Sports TV Schedule

Friday, July 24 - 3:00pm – 5:30pm ET

Saturday, July 25 - 3:00pm – 6:00pm ET

CHICAGO CONFIRMS WANJIRU FOR MARATHON
By David Monti
(c) 2009 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved

Organizers of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon confirmed this morning that Beijing Olympic Marathon champion Samuel Wanjiru would run their race on Sunday, Oct. 11.  It will be Wanjiru’s first-ever marathon in the United States, and the 22 year-old is hoping for a fast time on Chicago’s famously flat and fast course.

“My only focus between now and October is to prepare and train aggressively for my best performance yet,” said Wanjiru who has won the Fukuoka, London and Olympic Marathons and has a career best time of 2:05:10 set in London this year.

The fastest time ever in Chicago was 2:05:42 set in 1999 by Khalid Khannouchi, a Moroccan who became an American citizen the following year.  Performances at Chicago were held back the last two years by unusually hot weather, especially in 2007 when the temperature reached 27°C (80°F) by the time the men’s winner, Kenyan Patrick Ivuti, hit finish tape in 2:11:11.  In good weather Wanjiru could challenge Haile Gebrselassie’s world record of 2:03:59 set in Berlin last year.  Indeed, Wanjiru told reporters after his Beijing victory last August that he wanted to break the world record this year.

“Sammy is certainly the athlete to watch in this sport right now and we are honored to be able to host him at such a pivotal point in his career,” said Carey Pinkowski who directs the race and recruits the event’s top athletes.  ”We have had the pleasure of witnessing four previous world records in Chicago and if conditions are right, the enthusiastic sports fans in this city could have the opportunity to see that again.”

Three other former Chicago champions were also announced by Pinkowski, including Ivuti, Kenyan Evans Cheruiyot (the defending champion), and Russian Lidiya Grigoryeva (the defending women’s champion).  American women’s record holder, Deena Kastor, will also compete, Pinkowski said.  It will be Kastor’s first marathon since breaking a bone in her foot before the 5 km mark at last summer’s Olympic Marathon; she was unable to finish the race.

“Today’s announcement significantly advances the depth of our elite athlete field for the October 11 race, and continues the tradition of world class marathon competition in Chicago,” Pinkowski concluded.

The Bank of America Chicago Marathon is the second-largest marathon in the United States and helps raise about $10 million for charity.  Last year’s race had 33,033 starters and 31,401 finishers.  Only the ING New York City Marathon is larger with 38,832 starters and 38,096 finishers last year.

ENDS

Every summer many, if not most, of the top American middle and long-distance runners head over to Europe to take part in the annual summer track and field circuit that Europe is known for.  With few opportunities, if any, to race in the United States, this annual migration sees the best of the best perform at their peak away from the American media and American track and field fans.

While the U.S. track and field community is in no shape to put on their own circuit just yet, one American decided to take a shot at earning the “A” standard here at home.  Oregon Track Club’s Stephen Pifer, who finished fourth at the U.S. T&F Championships in the 1,500m only a few short weeks ago, raced at a small meet at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon last night.

Pifer was paced by a few OTC teammates, while trying to run even splits towards the 1,500m “A” standard.  While Pifer came up just short, winning in 3:38.06, he did improve his personal best and showed with another race or two he could certainly drop more time.  Pifer also showed that with the right circumstances, top American distance runners don’t need to go over to Europe to chase PR’s, rather they can stay here in the U.S. and run their fastest.

While the European circuit starts to really heat up this week and next, Pifer’s performances should get some minds churning in the track and field world that there is no reason the U.S. should not have their own circuit.  While prize money may wane a bit compared to the established European meets, the funding of travel would obviously be reduced, while allowing American track and field fans to watch their favorite stars past the U.S. T&F Championships.

Congrats to Mr. Pifer at to the OTC for showing that it can be done a different way.

Video Courtesy of Runnerspace

WHERE ARE THE MEN MARATHONERS IN SEATTLE?

Courtesy of The Biz Runner

I read A LOT of different sources every day to find material for this blog. While interesting, not all of it fits into my marketing, money and marathoning mantra.

I recently came across a stat that has stayed with me. So I’m going to throw it out to you readers. Here’s a look at the demographics of last weeks Seattle Marathon, according to KING5 TV:

Organizers said 80 percent of the runners are from outside Seattle and 60 percent are from outside King County. Seventy percent of the entrants are women.

70% percent of the runners were women? This seems unusually high to me, though to be honest I have no idea how out of the ordinary it might be. I’m going to reach out to the RnR organizers and see what they can tell me about their typical marathon demographics.

If true though, it strikes me as an amazing marketing opportunity for the Seattle event. If you’re a single male marathoner interested in meeting single female runners - this seems like the place to be. You’d have to like your odds in the post-race beer garden - and in what other bar type atmosphere could you ask a woman if she is into negative splits and not get slapped?

Original Blog Post (The Biz Runner)