This week, a look at the upcoming NYC Marathon. With 60,000 runners and 2 million spectators expected, both running and non-running apparel brands have a heavy presence in the city leading up to race day as they try to stay on top of what has become a major cultural moment.<\/p>\n
The New York City Marathon is one of the year\u2019s biggest, and most disruptive, events for New Yorkers. It draws tens of thousands of runners and millions of spectators, shuts down many of the city\u2019s roads, and sends hordes of sweaty, fatigued runners riding the subway home with a warm blanket and a bottle of Gatorade.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s also a prime marketing opportunity for fashion brands. On race day and in the days leading up to the marathon on November 1, fashion brands are hosting a variety of pop-ups, shake-out runs, carb-loading dinners and cooldown parties. It\u2019s one of many ways fashion brands are tapping into timely cultural moments to build their communities.<\/p>\n
The most obvious connection is for activewear and running brands. It\u2019s no surprise that major brands like New Balance are top-level sponsors of the NYC Marathon. Many running brands are hosting both official and unofficial \u201cshakeout runs\u201d the day before the race. These include short runs of three to five miles, followed by parties, dinners, and other events to celebrate the end of the training period and prep for race day.<\/p>\n
New Balance, Nike, Adidas, On Running, Puma, Saucony and Hoka are all hosting shakeout runs around the city in the days before the race.<\/p>\n
Nike is hosting several, including a Women\u2019s Night run on Tuesday accompanied by a live recording of the running- and health-focused podcast \u201cHurdle,\u201d and a wider 5K shakeout run on Saturday morning. Saucony\u2019s take is more humorous, with the \u201cJorts Mile\u201d on Friday evening, asking participants to run a mile in a pair of jean shorts before the festivities start.<\/p>\n
These warm-up events are a better bet for fostering a fun, engaged atmosphere than anything on race day, according to Julie Wandzilak, head of physical culture at the fitness-focused Manhattan social club Moss. Moss teamed with the running brand Salomon for a shakeout run for its members on Wednesday afternoon.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are hundreds of activations happening around the marathon, and it\u2019s not just about the actual race day,\u201d Wandzilak told Glossy. \u201cThe runners are training for weeks leading up to it. I ran the marathon in 2022, and when I was thinking of what the ideal activation I would have wanted was, I knew a pre-race shakeout run was the right move. It\u2019s the perfect time because the training is over and you\u2019ve got a little time to just rest and recover.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the activewear brand Vuori, participating in marathon week is a way to reinforce its brand values. In addition to a pre-race party the day before and a post-race party on the evening of the race, Vuori is also hosting a pop-up event on race day.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe NYC Marathon celebrates movement and community in a way that naturally aligns with the values of Vuori,\u201d Ashley Kechter, global president of Vuori told Glossy in an email statement. \u201cFor us, marathon weekend was an opportunity to bring people together around those shared values, deepen connections with our existing community and welcome new people to experience the brand.\u201d<\/p>\n
The brand activations aren\u2019t limited to running brands, or even just activewear brands. H&M hosted a run on Tuesday followed by saunas and red light therapy at the Altar, a wellness spa in Manhattan. The event was timed to the marathon and to the release of a new running-focused capsule collection from H&M Move, the brand\u2019s activewear line.<\/p>\n
Marie Fredros, head of design at H&M, told Glossy that the capsule was meant to reflect the energy of running in New York City.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt reflects how running can move naturally between sport, style and the city,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The numbers back up the NYC Marathon\u2019s reputation as a major cultural moment for the city. This year, NYC expects 60,000 runners and 2 million spectators.<\/p>\n
Often, brands\u2019 focus isn\u2019t necessarily on sales. Salomon isn\u2019t selling any gear at its event with Moss, for example. Instead, it\u2019s about being a part of the conversation. TikTok brand mentions related to the marathon have\u00a0tripled<\/a>\u00a0in the last three years, and non-running brands mentioned in running content on social have grown from about 25% last year to 30% this year.<\/p>\n For brands, the marathon is a great way to tap into the city\u2019s vibrant running community. At a marathon event hosted by Nike and Substack on Wednesday evening, Raz Rauf, writer of the running Substack newsletter Running Sucks, said the community around running and the emotional intensity the marathon brings are unlike anything else.<\/p>\n \u201cCheering a marathon brings this crazy intimacy of emotions,\u201d Rauf said. \u201cPeople cry. You don\u2019t often go out and cry with your friends. In Los Angeles in March, it was unseasonably warm, and I was handing out popsicles. The joy you see on their face from getting a popsicle from a stranger that\u2019s going to get them through the next 15 miles \u2014\u00a0you can\u2019t get that anywhere else.\u201d<\/p>\n News to know<\/p>\n Speaking of running, Nike is teaming with Our Legacy on a\u00a0new running-focused line<\/a>, announced on Monday. It\u2019s set to launch in spring next year.<\/p>\n