Running Insight 10.1.2020 by Running Insight

THERacing RACING ISSUE The Issue

THE NEWSMAGAZINE FOR RUNNING SPECIALTY RETAILERS / RUNNINGINSIGHT.COM

OCTOBER 1, 2020

BRIGHTER RACE DAYS AHEAD! A look at the future of racing in America. on-running.com

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RACE DAY

Where are races going in a post-pandemic world? / By Daniel P. Smith

RUNNING INSIGHT ® is a registered trademark of Diversified Communications. © 2020 all rights reserved. Running Insight is published twice each month, is edited for owners and top executives at running specialty stores and available only via email.The opinions by authors and contributors to Running Insight are not necessarily those of the editors or publishers. Articles appearing in Running Insight may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express permission of the publisher. Divesified Communications, 121 Free St, Portland, ME 04101; (207) 842-5500.

fter more than four months away, Mark Vescio returned to the starting line on July 13. T he head of Ru n For It! Productions, a suburban Atlanta full-service event management company involved with approximately 100 races each year, Vescio had not sounded the starting gun at a race since March 8, a mere three days before the World Health Organization labeled COVID-19 a pandemic and silenced the nation’s road racing scene. Vescio’s return to racing was an admittedly strange one. Race workers sporting masks and gloves scanned participants’ temperatures. Runners started in “socially distanced” waves and the finish line area lacked any traditional post-race revelry. “It was a real sterile environment, almost more of an organized group run than anything else,” Vescio says of the 110-person event at Etowah River Park north of Atlanta. Still, Vescio found participants excited for live racing’s return despite the COVID-era oddities. “But how long will this last?” he wonders. “We’ve got a ways to go to get people comfortable with live racing again and what that’s going to look like moving forward.” COVID-19 has unquestionably shifted

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A NEW

The Racing Issue

A New Race Day (continued)

On your mark, get set, go ... six-feet apart, please.

the thinking of race organizers like Vescio, whose foremost prepandemic concern was creating lively events that stood out from the flood of competition in the marketplace. “Now,” he begins, “it’s how do we survive? How do we ensure people are following protocols? It’s a completely different way of thinking.” As race operations and the race experience will be quite different for the foreseeable future, event organizers and their run retail partners must be more flexible, inventive and detail-oriented than ever before. “Will this be 12 months? Eighteen months? No one knows, so we have to take it day by day, build best practices and think about things creatively,” says Virginia Brophy Achman, executive director of Twin Cities in Motion (TCM), the force behind Minnesota’s Twin Cities Marathon. Expect Smaller Races One immediately notable change for those areas now permitting in-person racing: smaller events. 4

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With this fall’s Twin Cities Marathon weekend cancelled, an annual event attracting some 30,000 runners, Achman and her team responded by creating MNy 250s. A series of no-frills, timed 5Ks designed for up to 250 runners, TCM hosted its first MNy 250 on Aug. 26 at t he Min nesot a La ndscape Arboretum, providing runners a safe environment, an accurate course and the opportunity to cross a finish line. “On our end, we were looking to find our groove with guidelines and safety aspects,” says Achman, noting that the first three MNy 250s attracted about 100 participants each. “That just goes to show the unease that persists out there.” Ed Hartwell of Nova Timing Systems, a Delaware-based company that typically times about 200 events each year, including the heralded Cherry Blossom Ten Mile in Washington, D.C., oversaw timing operations for seven events this July and August, all of them in the 100150 participant range. “It was great to get people out there who wanted to be there, but

the day of the massive races is far off,” he says. “Smaller events are going to be the norm for a while.” Achman agrees. “Large-scale anything is going to be the last on the dial to come back at full capacity,” she says. Altered Race Operations From pre-event packet pickups – the most frequent way running stores benefitted from race partnerships – until the final runner departs the event, today’s races discard yesterday’s template. Vescio, whose Run For It! Productions works exclusively with Big Peach Running Co., assembled a lengthy list of protocols for packet pickup at Big Peach stores. Among them: staff must pass COVID-screening protocols such as temperature scans, while also completing a COVID questionnaire and signing a waiver; participants pick up their goods outside to avoid impacting the retail stores’ capacity limits; and an extended seven-to-eight hour pick-up window as opposed to the typical three-to-four hour stretch.

On race day, runners are greeted by hand sanitizing stations and, in some cases, race staff conducting pre-race COVID screenings. At Run For It! events, a bright red sticker on runner bibs indicates that they have passed the necessary health screenings. And masks are a given for everyone involved, though runners can remove their masks while on the course. Carefully coordinated staggered starts are now the norm as well. At the Park City Trail Series 10K on July 11, the Salt Lake Running Company crew assigned runners a start time based on their expected pace – fastest first, slowest last – and set one runner off every 20 seconds. Hartwell has started races in waves of 30-50 people, positioning three across in a grid-like arrangement, while TCM set off socially distanced waves off 25 runners every five minutes at its MNy 250s. In most cases, particularly 5K-distance events, race organizers have eliminated water stops. TCM, in fact, specifically chose the 5K distance for its MNy 250s to bypass water stops. Many other races, including longer distance events or races facing heat and humidity concerns, are either requesting runners carry their own hydration or dispensing individual bottles rather than cups. After runners cross the finish line, no vendors, live bands or food keep participants around. In fact, runners are encouraged to leave, perhaps sent away with a bottled water or a goodie bag as a parting gift. “It’s very simple and basic: Come, r un and go home,” Achman says. While Hartwell previously © 2020 Diversified Communications

A New Race Day (continued) positioned touchscreens around the post-race area for runners to access their results, staff now walk around with iPads, enter a runner’s bib number and turn the iPad toward the participant to display results. Others, including the Park City Trail Series 10K, have simply announced race results and raffle winners online. Notably, Salt Lake Running Company utilized Instagram Live for its raffles, while it also awarded participants a $1 per kilometer store credit to feed its retail store business.

From mandatory COVID-19 screenings to temperature checks for all participants and volunteers to stagged starts at smaller events like the MNy250s in Minnesota, Race Day 2021 is going to look a lot different from pre-pandemic days.

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Virtual Races Here To Stay? Though in-person races have returned in spots across the country, few expect virtual races, which surged amid the pandemic, to dissipate. In fact, many predict in-person events will offer a virtual race option. “There are still so many people who aren’t ready for in-person racing, so I think we’ll be looking at this dual option for quite some time,” Vescio says. Of late, a hybrid model has emerged with events combining virtual racing with a set course. To wit, Connecticut’s Ridgefield Running Company recently hosted its Where the Pavement Ends Trail Race. Participants had three days to complete the marked course at the Hemlock Hills/Pine Mountain trail system and upload their results with a file or screenshot. All runners received a “finisher cupcake” from a local bakery as well as entry into a post-race raffle. Philadelphia-based creative agency Runhouse, meanwhile, has been partnering with run specialty retailers across the

One immediately notable change for those areas now permitting in-person racing: smaller events. “Large-scale anything is going to be the last on the dial to come back at full capacity,” says Virginia Brophy Achman. U.S. to offer semi-virtual events. So-called Rundiscover events allow participants multiple days to complete a pre-determined course heavy in local flair, but not necessarily people. “We created Rundiscover because we wanted to provide a compelling virtual option that was still rooted in the local community and offered more value than the generic virtual run model,” Runhouse president Ryan Callahan says. Hartwell has been investigating apps like Charge Running and RaceJoy to inject some live, interactive elements into virtual runs. Charge Running offers live virtual races with real-time feedback, allowing race directors to define a date, time and distance for their virtual race, install a live leaderboard and employ a real-time DJ to create custom playlists. Comparatively, RaceJoy enables event directors to actively engage with virtual racers through custom audio messages as well as virtual scored results, live phone tracking, progress alerts and, for those at a defined race course, access to an interactive course map and off-course alerts. “The bottom line is we can’t approach things the way we did pre-COVID,” Hartwell says. “We have to be open to new ways of doing business.” n © 2020 Diversified Communications

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The Racing Issue

What’s Next?

Running races are returning on a small scale, but the business is still struggling with where to go from here. / By Brian Metzler

lthough the coronavirus scourge of 2020 was still gripping the U.S. as of late September, the running race industry was slowly starting to find its way back after a devastating spring and summer. But even with the return of some smaller races, there is a long way to go until the new normal sets in. And whenever it does, it figures to be more expensive. On Sept. 26, the New York Road Runners organized its first road race of the COVID19 era, debuting the NYRR Return to Racing Pilot 4M in Central Park with stringent social distancing practices in place to offset COVID-19 risks. The race was open only to 200 runners, all of whom had to wear masks and start two at a time, every 10 seconds in a time-trial format that allowed only 50 runners every half hour. Race bibs were mailed to runners ahead of time to avoid congestion at a registration table and the temperature of all runners was taken before the race. “I went to bed with butterflies in my stomach, but once I got here and I saw how organized it was, it felt really good to be back in the park to race,” says Denise Ryan, 51, from Jackson Heights, NY, who finished in 104th place wearing a light blue mask. The New World of Road Racing Welcome to the new world of road racing. At first glance, the event was a success, though continued feedback from runners to the NYRR will be crucial to help shape additional races this fall — if another spike in the coronavirus spread doesn’t put damper on events. After the vast majority of American

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A well-thought-out plan that included remote bib and medal pickup along with staggered start times allowed the Crown City Classic to be one of the first in-person races to return this year.

running races were postponed or canceled or turned into virtual events in the spring and summer, a handful of races returned in late summer and more could be on the horizon for the early fall. Race directors have been trying to work within tight federal, state and local guidelines since the end of spring and early summer. Jamie Monroe, race director for the Crown City Classic 12K and 5K runs on

July 2 on San Diego’s Coronado Island, was one of the first event organizers to bring running back. He formulated a smart plan to mitigate COVID-19 risks in which runners would stop by the race headquarters to pick up their race bibs, run a new chip-timed course on bike paths that would allow for social distancing after starting one at a time and pick up their T-shirts and medals back at the race office. More than 1000 runners

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What’s Next? (continued) signed up and half opted to run in-person. Now a small race in Colorado could provide the key to more races coming back safely and responsibly. Or at least that’s the hope. Welcome Back Denver On Saturday, Oct. 10, the orga n i z er s of t he Col fa x Ma rathon a re hosting the Welcome Back Denver 5K, an event for 700 runners at Denver’s City Park. Although it’s branded as one event, it’s actually a series of four separate races of 175 runners with staggered starts held an hour apart starting at 8 a.m. It might not seem like a big deal, but the impact could be huge. The event was announced in August after organizers Creigh Kelley and Andrea Dowdy worked for months with Denver and Colorado officials to develop guidelines that would allow for the safe return of running and walking events. Those guidelines, which were developed in conjunction with Centers for Disease Control, state and local regulations, as well as input from numerous running industry experts, were accepted and approved by the health departments and special events departments of both the City of Denver and state of Colorado in July. The Welcome Back Denver 5K in-person races sold out in a matter of days at $45 apiece, but the virtual ($45) and virtual premium ($60) packages were still available leading up to race week. “We wanted to create those guidelines and make them available to everyone, so if there was 10

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a personal hydration source, will not invite spectators and will follow social distancing practices at the race, along with other key considerations. “We were trying to go after this in a way that would make sense to us — but also in a way that would make sense to a runner,” Dowdy says.

It is vital that race organizers work hand-in-hand with community authorities to organize their events following local guidelines. Photo: Crown City Classic

a race in another city or state they would be able to follow those,” Dowdy says. “And then once the guidelines were approved we wanted to create a race to welcome runners back so, if you’re a runner who is ready to do an in-person race, there is a nice way to do it where you can feel safe and not be running in a crowd.” Dowdy says she and Kelley spent long hours meeting with officials and discussing protocols, recommendations and possible new best practices. One of the specific details in the guidelines is that events need to start in socially distanced waves

of 175 people per time slot. That number that came specifically from the Colorado governor’s office and its statewide guidelines for phased reopening, but the number for public gatherings and events varies from 50 to 500 for other states. Another key aspect of the guidelines is the inclusion of a social contract with participants that would be signed off upon registration and re-verified when picking up one’s final race bib. The contract asks the runner to certify that they are healthy, will wear a mask (in the moments before and after but not while actually running), will bring

Hitting the Trail Dozens of trail running races have been held around the U.S. since early June, initially in states that had lower COVID19 infection rates like but lately in states that had approved similarly stringent trail-specific regulations crafted by Nancy Hobbs of the American Trail Running Association and several key trail race directors around the U.S. Using those guidelines, the USATF Half Marathon Trail Championships were successfully held in Cable, WI, on Sept. 26, as part of the Birkie Trail Running Festival. The half marathon drew 207 runners, while additional races and relays drew about 200 more. That event made significant modifications to ensure social distancing practices, including staggered starts and the elimination of the awards ceremony and the post-race party. But not all trail races have been reaching capacity, a sign that not all runners are eager to engage in public events with COVID-19 numbers still growing in many cities and states. “I think there’s a lot of people that are not ready to come back,” says Jessica Griffiths, race director for Colorado Runner Events, which organized the Greenland trail races of four miles to 50K © 2020 Diversified Communications

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What’s Next? (continued) on Aug. 29 near Denver. “There are people saying they’re ready, but they’re not actually signing up. Demand is very down. But for the people that are wanting to come out, they’re very enthusiastic, and they seem very, very grateful that we’re even trying to put on an event. It’s been a challenge.” Still A Ways To Run Even with the small success stories, the running events have a long way to go to fully come back. Just as with a lot of other American industries, the road ahead is long and still unknown. Several race directors said that, just as with the running industry’s response to the Boston ter rorist bombing incident in 2013, extra infrastructure, organization and money will be required to organize events going forward. The biggest events of the fall, including the New York City Marathon, Chicago Marathon and Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon in Las Vegas, will be held only as virtual events. But others – including an Ironman 70.3 race on Oct. 18 in Tempe, AZ, and a Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon multi-race festivals on Nov. 21 in Nashville, TN, and Dec. 5-6 in San Antonio, TX – appear to be going forward based on more favorable state, city and local guidelines. The London Marathon, postponed from April, will be held as a virtual race and a star-studded elites-only race on Oct. 4. The much-anticipated showdown between Eliud Kipchoge and Kenenisa Bekele should create a lot of excitement, as will the elite-only race on Dec. 20 on the Gila River Indian Reservation 12

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in Chandler, AZ. So what’s next? Most industry insiders are hoping the U.S. can finally get the coronavirus under control by early springtime, but that might take a successful vaccination program and a decline in the spread during the winter. And yes, when it comes to the pandemic and healthcare, there’s a lot riding on the Nov. 3 elections, too. In the meantime, most race directors and industry veterans are cautiously optimistic, but most agree that virtual races are a stop-gap trend that will likely dissipate in 2021. No matter what happens, it likely means most races will still be smaller and operated under strict guidelines in the spring. “It’s been a strange year for sure,” says Cliff Bosely, race director for the late-May Bolder Boulder 10K and Labor Day Fortitude 10K in Colorado, which were both held as virtual races in 2020. “It still feels a little bit like it’s not real. Here we are in September and we would have just put on our second in-person race of the year,” he adds. “Not having done any seems really strange to me. Running will come back and people will want to be a part of it when it comes back. Eventually things will normalize again, but it’s going to take a collective effort from the industry to understand best practices and go forward.” If there is any good news for the running industry when it comes to the pandemic and 2020, it’s that there’s a large but quiet running boom happening throughout the U.S. But as fall weather sets in and marathon season slips by without many

It’s tumbs up for smaller road races across America, but where will they end up finishing in 2021? Photo: NYRR Return to Racing Pilot 4M.

26.2-mile races, there are dozens of questions still facing the running world. • Will the Boston Marathon be able to go on as planned in April? • Will big city races have considerably smaller fields when they return next year? • Will races become markedly more expensive to enter and put on because of the reduced or hard-to-come-by nature of sponsorship deals? • Will big city marathons have to consider spring and fall events? • Will vaccinated runners get preferential treatment when signing up for races?

• Wi l l COV I D -19 t est s become mandatory for runners? • Will a sizable portion of smaller events go out of business before 2021? “It’s definitely been a tough yea r for ever ybody,” says Candice Burt, a trail running race director who had 15 of her 18 events canceled this year but is able to hold the Moab 240 ultra-distance event on Oct. 9-13 in Utah. “I think we’re going to get through it, but I know there are a lot of race directors struggling. We could see a lot of smaller to medium-sized events just go out of business and go away. That would be unfortunate.” n © 2020 Diversified Communications

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The Racing Issue

The Carbon Craze Continues No races? High price tags? No problem for carbon-plated running footwear. / By Daniel P. Smith

n Sept. 15, New Balance introduced its latest ballyhooed performance running shoe into the market when it dropped the FuelCell RC Elite, a $225 carbon-plated model the Boston-based brand touted as “the ideal marathon racer.” In a time of mass race cancellations due to COVID-19, the debut of a marathon racer might seem an odd turn. With no direct application for such footwear, one would think such performance-oriented product would languish on running store shelves. Far from it. Running retailers across the U.S. describe a hearty appetite for carbonplated footwear and manufacturers continue to oblige with innovative options that crash performance and price barriers. The FuelCell RC Elite’s drop – New Balance’s third carbon-plated running model following the FuelCell 5280 and FuelCell TC – comes on the pandemic-era heels of other heralded carbon-infused shoes, including Saucony’s Endorphin Pro ($200), the On Cloudboom ($200), Skechers’ GOrun Speed Elite Hyper ($195) and Brooks’ Hyperion Elite 2 ($250). Meanwhile, other compelling 14

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New Balance put a third carbon-plated running shoe in the market on Sept. 15 with the debut of the FuelCell RC Elite, a $225 marathon racer that follows the releases of the FuelCell 5280 and FuelCell TC.

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The Carbon Craze (continued)

Next spring, 361 Degrees will launch the Flame, an athlete-driven, carbon-plated racer that will also feature a new midsole material called QuikFlame.

models are slated to soon enter the market, including an “athlete-driven” racer from 361 Degrees called the Flame set to debut next spring, as well as the Skechers GOrun Razor Elite. Hungry for Carbon “There has never been more buzz or demand [for carbonplated footwear],” New Balance senior manager for performance running Rebekah Broe says. “More people are interested in the sport than ever before and though races are cancelled, people are still out there striving for improvement, aiming for personal bests and looking to salvage something amid a chaotic year.” 16

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At Performance Running O u t f i t t e r s, t h e s i x- u n i t , Milwaukee-area chain that carries carbon-plated models from New Balance, Nike, Brooks and Saucony, co-owner Trae Hoepner admits some early skepticism to the hype machine that accompanied carbon-plated shoes’ marketplace debut. Those feelings, however, have evaporated given the distinct, propulsive feel of the footwear. “When you put on these shoes, there’s a night and day difference compared to traditional running shoes — and when you’re selling product at these price points people need to feel that difference,” says Hoepner, who had previously shied away

from $200-plus footwear in his stores. “My slogan with these shoes is, ‘You’ve done all the work. Now, lace up the shoes that prove it.’” Per for ma nce Ru n n i ng Outfitters maintains a wait list for Nike’s carbon-plated product like the ZoomX Vaporfly NEXT% and the Air Zoom Alphafly NEXT%, and those models sell out the day they come in, Hoepner says. But Performance Running Outfitters’ success with the carbon-plate category extends well beyond the Swoosh’s anticipated offerings, as Hoepner reports lively interest in every carbon-carrying style on his shoe wall. “Whatever the marketing is

that got the brands to this point, they blew it through the roof,” Hoepner says. A similar success story is taking place at the three-store Salt Lake Running Company (SLRC) chain in Utah, which carries carbon-plated models from Nike, Hoka One One, Saucony and Brooks. “We can only have so many and I wish we could have more because whatever we bring in sells,” SLRC footwear buyer Cade Perry says. While SLRC is not accustomed to selling “high-ticket shoes,” Perry says carbon-plated footwear’s brawny price points have not chased away customers. At $180, the Hoka Carbon © 2020 Diversified Communications

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The Carbon Craze (continued) be an either/or proposition, as they stand confident they can successfully champion the fitness-oriented benefits of performance running footwear on a parallel track with the cuttingedge, carbon-plated footwear entering the market.

The Skechers GOrun Speed Elite Hyper (top) and Hoka One One Carbon X were two of the earliest carbon-plated performance running models to hit the market.

X is the least expensive option at SLRC. “We’re finding a good chunk of our customer base is willing to spend to get the top-of-the line shoes that the pros are wearing,” Perry says. I n t he Sept. 1 issue of Running Insight, sports industry 18

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analyst Dirk Sorensen of The NPD Group noted that opening price-point shoes recorded greater sales gains than premium running footwear over recent months. He attributed those results to an influx of new consumers seeking the health and fitness benefits of running

over “the experience of racing.” “With this knowledge, stores need to pivot towards messaging about the fitness benefits as opposed to the racing and speed benefits of product,” Sorensen suggested. For many running retailers, however, messaging need not

Selling Carbon Cody Angell of the St. Pete Running Company says the arrival of carbon-plated shoes at his Florida running store has given his store energizing product and enabled his staff to share a compelling new narrative with customers – much as minimalism and maximalism allowed previously – and facilitated the “two-shoe talk” with customers. “Not all runs are created equal, so there’s an opportunity here to sell a shoe for people interested in a fast shoe and something peppy to help with turnover and speed,” says Angell, who has owned and run in seven different carbon-plated shoes himself and sells models from Nike, Hoka and Saucony at his shop. “We understand this isn’t for everyone, but it’s been more than we expected.” With growing interest in the performance benefits of carbonplated footwear – the propulsive feel as well as the promised reduction in energy loss – and a swelling array of consumers intrigued by the idea of shifting gears on their runs or pursuing heightened results, Angell is among many running retailers predicting the continued ascent of carbon-plated footwear. Notably, brands are also experimenting with bouncy, responsive alternatives to carbon. The Under Armour HOVR Machina, for instance, uses a Pebax speed plate inspired by sprint spikes, while Mizuno recently began showing © 2020 Diversified Communications

The Carbon Craze (continued) retailers a peppy new shoe due out next summer that utilizes a glass fiber reinforced nylon plate evaluated to be 1141 percent snappier than the traditional Pebax material found in its signature Wave Rider plate. “I could see ‘propulsion’ becoming a category on running store shoe walls,” Angell says. It’s not a far-fetched idea as consumers continue to respond to carbon and manufacturers unleash innovative offerings. In fact, New Balance’s Broe sees immense opportunity for brands to deliver for retailers and consumers alike with dynamic carbon-plated models. “The appetite for this type of footwear is massive,” she says. “Once you go carbon, it’s hard to go back.” n

This past summer On released the Cloudboom, a racer featuring a carbon-fiber infused Speedboard.

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The Racing Issue

A Run With ...

Christine Bowen, Running USA An emphasis on collaboration has been one of the positives to come out of the race industry’s disruption in 2020. Running Insight: So, how has 2020 been for you? Are you looking forward to turning the calendar to 2021 yet? Christine Bowen: It has certainly been a wild six months, to say the least. The last event I was able to attend in person was the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Atlanta. After that, I sadly began cancelling my planned spring trips to events such as the Boston Marathon, Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon, Rite Aid Cleveland and many more. How has Running USA fared? As an organization, we rapidly switched our efforts from in-person education and networking opportunities to providing the industry with easily accessible resources. We’ve held nearly a dozen virtual training sessions that focus on the ability to connect and respond to situations with appropriate communications, event cancellation best practices, case studies, pivots to virtual events and more. We are definitely looking forward to next year, but know there may still be many hurdles for our industry ahead. With some many events cancelled in 2020 and now into 2021, how do you think the overall running business has adapted? Events with the resources to do so have morphed into a virtual experience, which has helped them stay visible and engaged with their participant audience. We’ve seen many of our vendor members pivot drastically but effectively, producing PPE and other pandemic-relevant products. This has certainly pushed the running industry 20

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and twin 16-year-old boys, so they all had no choice but to hang out with me. That’s one of the positives coming out of all this. Any other good things? Hands down, collaboration. We’ve seen the industry pull together to share revised event best practices that are being developed nationwide. We are all in this together and in order for the events to come out of this healthy, we need to use this time wisely. We are seeing events band together state by state to work on common plans to present to the local and state governments. It’s definitely admirable to see companies who might otherwise be competitors share ideas and energy to ultimately reach a common goal: resuming the events our participants love.

to adapt in the way they engage with their participants and event partners. Our cautiously optimistic hope is that we’ll come out a stronger, more resilient and flexible sport on the other side. How have you personally coped with the situation for the past six months? Personally, I’ve signed up for numerous virtual running/walking/biking events. It’s helped me go through the experience as a consumer and also allowed me to lend support where I could to industry colleagues. While the entire pandemic is terrible, I was thankful to be able to be home with my three kids. I have one college-aged daughter

Are you going to produce a 2020 survey as you have done in year’s past and, if so, what is that going to look like? We typically kick off that project right after the first of the year in collaboration with our vendor partners. We are in current discussions to see what form the 2020 trends report takes, but certainly we are looking to capture the virtual participation data and increased interest in running as an alternative to gyms or closely packed fitness classes. What trends that began in the COVID-19 environment do you see continuing as the running world returns to a next normal? We are already seeing races go back to basics with very small field sizes and a bare

calendar for the remainder of 2020 and then into 2021? We are intensely focused on member advocacy. While we can’t create the guidelines governments will need to approve to get events going again, we can bring our members in each region together as a collective and provide guidance as they work with their local and state representatives. Into 2021, we feel that our role will transition to helping the events with runner/consumer confidence as things (hopefully) get back to a new version of normal.

Christine Bowen meets with Peter Ciaccia, former NYC Marathon race director, and Jon Hughes, owner of Track Shack Orlando, at the 2020 Olympic Trials, the last event many in the running community were able to attend this year.

bones approach. This is likely to be temporary, but it’s a good start to getting going again. Event mainstays such as drop bag protocol, porta-potties, water stations and post-event food are just a few areas that are having to be completely rethought. Can that be accomplished and still have successful events? Event directors are nothing but creative and we’re already seeing innovative and unique solutions to the current race day challenges. Do you have any advice for run specialty retailers on how to survive in this business and 21

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“We’ve seen the industry pull together to share revised event best practices that are being developed nationwide. We are all in this together and in order for the events to come out of this healthy, we need to use this time wisely.”

Finally, what do you think happens next for the racing and running businesses in America? Unfortunately, we may see some events not recover for some time and that’s hard on the sport. We do feel that the events that are using the downtime wisely, developing content and marketing communication plans, relationships with government approvers and shifting to local partnerships will have an advantage when live events are allowed to return at scale. n

social environment, especially in relation to their involvement with races/events? My advice is to keep working together. It sounds cliche, but events and specialty retailers share the same consumer base and need each other now more than ever. This is a great time for events that have pivoted to virtual to connect with their local specialty retailer to organize a safe swag/packet pick up. It gives the consumer a sense of normalcy for that one portion, even if they are going to run the event on their own.

Christine Bowen is VP–programming, operations and partnerships for Running USA. Since 1999, Running USA has been the non-profit trade association for the sport of road running. They produce the largest conference for the road race industry globally, with its pre-pandemic February 2020 edition in Las Vegas the largest in the event’s history.

What is on the Running USA

www.runningusa.org

The Racing Issue

A Run With ...

Tim Murphy, BibRave

An increased emphasis on partnerships and marketing virtual races is driving innovation and growth in a pandemic.

Running Insight: What has 2020 been like for you and BibRave? Looking forward to turning the calendar to 2021 yet? Tim Murphy: Haha, well, 2020 has been pretty “2020” for us, but we feel very lucky overall. In the past two years or so our brand/product marketing business has outgrown our race promotion business, so we were able to weather the storm of early race shut-downs relatively well. How have you been able to do that? We’ve stepped up a number of our key race partnerships to support and innovate on the virtual event side. More and more races and brands are tapping us for guidance on how their virtual event can stand out — something deeply important to us and the entire running ecosystem. Virtual events are going to be the only option for a while, so it’s critical for events to host creative, high-quality experiences rather than generic virtual races that run the risk of generating consumer fatigue. Consumers will lose interest very quickly. Has the BibRave business model changed at all as we begin to emerge from a pandemic-mandated lockdown? We haven’t changed our model, but we’ve had to shift our focus like everyone else. One shift has been a much deeper level of customization for a select amount of partners that recognize the imperative to innovate. Any examples of that? We mentioned our support of virtual 22

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Starting as early as last spring we’ve been helping brands and events re-imagine what sponsor activations look like in the virtual world beyond email and social posts. Thankfully our background in digital marketing and activation has made us a key thought-partner for many of our partner organizations.

Tim Murphy (above) and (opposite page) the BibRave team gathers, pre-COVID, of course.

events – concepting, executing, and promoting – but we’ve also had to shift our own IRL events to virtual experiences. We were weeks away from our annual summit for the BibRave Pros – our network of turn-key storytellers that we use to help races and brands reach more runners – in March when we had to cancel the in-person event and create a totally new virtual experience. By creating our own virtual experience early on, we were able to parlay those lessons and best practices into a truly outstanding virtual ambassador summit for the Brooks Run Happy Team, which we planned and executed with our partners at Brooks. How about with sponsors and events?

With so many events cancelled in 2020 and now into 2021, how do you think the overall running business has adapted? It’s been mixed. At first, everyone was in reaction mode and had to pivot to virtual with very little lead time and room for creativity. Now that we are six months in, some races have done a great job of pushing their creative efforts and putting together some amazing (and very well-subscribed) races. Those that haven’t used the past few months to innovate will definitely struggle as larger IRL gatherings will be on-hold into 2021, and consumer demand for compelling virtual experiences grows. Similar to many industries, we’ll see the event landscape change based on those that innovated. And on the brand side? It’s been a bit better. Brands that have well-established, properly-invested communities have really reaped the benefits of having those voices to champion their brand and new initiatives during these uncertain times. What trends that began in the COVID-19 environment do you see continuing as

these elements to life, complete with an emcee, music, a lobster roll cooking demo, beer tasting and pairing tips, and giveaways. Finally, what do you think happens next for racing? It’s been well-reported that more people are running and staying active during COVID, so the running industry has a really valuable opportunity and imperative to capitalize on that growth. As an industry, we need to wow these newcomers to the sport, while continuing to serve our core consumers with gear or experiences that delight them in new ways. the running world returns to a “next normal?” For the events doing it right – and even for the ones doing it “wrong” and being not super successful right away but at least trying something new – virtual events will represent an attractive and lasting revenue stream. There are so many creative ways to engage consumers and COVID has forced everyone to become a lot more comfortable doing things virtually. For events and brands who are ready to embrace this new world, we think there’s a lot of upside. Any advice for run specialty retailers on how to survive in this business and social environment, especially in relation to their involvement with races and other events? Without IRL events, races need consumer touchpoints right now like never before. Because retailers are so ingrained into their local communities they have access to the athletes and 23

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inspirational stories, which makes them a huge asset. How about for retailers that operate their own local events” There may be opportunities to rethink how they serve both their race athletes and their event sponsors in new and different ways via their retail doors. This could be new programs that inspire and incentivize people to run and engage. And those that don’t have their own races? Now is a time to think creatively about how to work with other local events to create new, innovative experiences that enhance your store’s value and position within the community. How do they do that? The key when approaching any brainstorming or creative exercise is to lead with what the consumer needs right now. So often we as businesses and organizations get caught in what

we need and we often put out products/events/experiences that serve us and not the end-user. What is on the BibRave calendar for the remainder of 2020 and then into 2021? Our white label ambassador management services will be a big part of the fall as we open applications, recruit, contract and on-board our client communities for 2021. We’re also helping more and more races rethink not just their event structure and marketing strategy, but also the consumer engagement experience. Anything in particular? Our team is working with the Smuttynose Rockfest Half Marathon and 5K to put together a fun and engaging virtual post-race party. This race is well-known for its beachside party that includes lobster rolls, craft beer and ’80’s tunes. The digital experience will enhance the virtual race by bringing

How do they do that? Traditionally when there’s been growth in the sport we’ve seen a lot of new players and non-endemic organizations try to capitalize on this growth. It’s critical that the industry at its core – brands, retailers, events – deliver creative, meaningful and impressive experiences, not just transactions. We’ll likely see a divide between the organizations that really lean into innovation and ones that are uncertain or uncommitted to change. We know running isn’t going away, so it’s up to us as an industry how we shape the future. n BibRave is a consumer-facing brand with a community of runners and a digital marketing agency with deep specialization in the running space. They work with hundreds of races and dozens of brands every year using their insights as a consumer-driven running brand to inform how they guide clients to reach athletes differently. www.bibrave.com © 2020 Diversified Communications

The Racing Issue

A Run With ...

Troy Busot, Athlinks The changes forced by the pandemic are leading to a different – and even more exciting – race business.

Running Insight: So, how’s 2020 been for you? Troy Busot: Endurance racing is definitely one of the industries hardest hit by COVID. Race organizers and timers are service businesses, which means that their inventory is their expertise and the experiences they create and this is an inventory that expires minute-by-minute as time passes. When these races are cancelled, you don’t get to stick those experiences in a box in the warehouse and sell twice as many next season — those opportunities are gone. It was insanely tough to watch the impact COVID had across an entire industry where so many friends and colleagues have their lives turned upside down almost overnight. Have you seen anything like this before? When the 2008 financial crisis had fully unfolded we looked back at millions of race results across several decades and found that it was the only period on record where we saw sharp increases in both participation and performance in endurance races. This means that not only did significantly more people race, but average and best times also improved in meaningful ways. So what is different this time? The wrinkle this time has been the social distancing aspect, but I think we’re going to see a very similar, albeit delayed, reaction this time as races start coming back online. People have been using this time to find a new sport, or maybe renewed passion for the road or trails, and we’re excited to see the impact of that increased training on race results. What does a race timing/results business do when there are no races? 24

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Virtual has played a big part of our business in 2020 for sure — at last count, we were well over a couple hundred thousand virtual results in just a handful of months. In addition to building a Virtual Race product, we used this time to pay down technical debt and refactor some of our core systems. You can’t hope for downtime, but you can certainly take advantage of it when it falls into your lap. Any specifics on what you accomplished in this time? With so few races on the weekends, we rewrote several big chunks of the Athlinks backend — cans that we had been kicking down the road for years simply because there were never big enough windows of downtime to execute on them. When it became clear that COVID was going to be long-term disruptive, we just took a big step back and asked ourselves how far we could take things if we had 30, 60, 90, 120 days of time to focus, and it really opened up the possibilities. How so? For example, our results and series scoring applications are now around 80 times – not 80 percent, but 80 times – faster. We built an athlete notification infrastructure into the results pipeline to help with real-time communication of new results, rivals activity, etc., that we’ll be building on through the fall. We also started some fun content projects that involve our athlete community. And we launched a new services platform called PartnerSync in Beta with a handful of registration partners like RunSignUp, CT Live and Spartan Race/ Ticketsocket that we’re really excited about. More on that to come.

How can the race business ever recover from what has admittedly been a disastrous year? Well, going back to the idea that the inventory of our industry is expertise and experiences — none of those fundamentals have changed. Leadville is still Leadville and Boston is still Boston — and people are still people. We have a deep need for competition, accomplishment and socialization. Races will look a bit different for the foreseeable future. We’re likely going to see the trend toward dirt and mountain continue as it requires fewer – if any – road closures and expensive municipal fees and typically have fewer participants, but we’re already seeing upticks in participation throughout the world. What other factors are you seeing influence the run business? Anecdotally, you look at bike and run shoe inventories around the world — just like 2008 there is a huge surge in people turning toward health and fitness to combat stress and to turn the tables on COVID and make their bodies more resistant to the worst of it. So there’s an army of willing participants being trained as we speak, but it’s up to the collective endurance industry to embrace and invite them into our world. Lots of people who have been most affected are going to have to take big risks in the fall and into 2021 putting on races and building momentum. I’d love to see run and bike specialty and brands take a more active role in helping to stoke those fires and actively marketing events. It’s definitely going to take the entire community to welcome these new athletes into event participation and convert them from hobbyists to racers.

What are some of the good things you have seen come out of all of this? Medicine tastes bad. It makes you want to change enough to never get sick again. Tragedy is a recurring theme in hero stories — people rising from personal misfortune to accomplish things they never before thought possible. More often than not it takes something big to affect real change in people. Neighborhoods around the world are full of people walking, running, riding bikes and hiking — making real changes in their lives. So what will you remember about 2020? When I look back at this time what I will remember most will be the children from our neighborhood playing outside. And I mean really, actually playing with one another – no phones, no video games – just throwing balls, running around, riding bikes, playing hide and seek ... it’s fantastic. So if we can hold onto some of that, it will definitely be a positive. What do you think the mood of runners out there is? Anxious. Anxious to return to competition. Anxious to compete for the first time. Anxious about getting to a start line and finding themselves around a bunch of strangers. But people will want to return to that start line and it’s up to the industry to find a way to make it safe and accommodating, while still being a viable business for these (largely) small business owners. How about of race organizers? Even in the best of times, 25

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event organizers have struggled with how to integrate them with their in-person events, but we were all forced into solving some of those problems and we will continue to refine the way that we score and report those races — normalizing for course differences, treadmills, that sort of thing.

Troy Busot on the run.

everyone handles stress differently. We have seen the difficulty facing race organizers as they attempt to balance the risk/reward of putting on races. This, too, will improve with time and athletes have to be patient and compliant with the safety protocols that are being put into place. We all want to get back to racing and it only takes a couple of incidents to set us all the way back to square one. What trends that began in this environment do you see continuing as the running world returns to a next normal? Virtual races are definitely here to stay. Athletes have wanted them for a long time and

How about the size and scope of future races? Events a re now b e i ng c a p p e d by local regulations and are therefore much smaller than they were before. For instance, 10 0 0 p a r t i c i p a n t events are now capped at 100. While this presents obvious challenges, down-scaling these events actually m a kes orga n i z i ng events more approachable and possible from players that might not have thought they could get into the events game. So, we’re seeing local businesses, nonprofits, run clubs, etc., putting on small races in parks and on trails partly because the expectations and event operations are now much more attainable. And hitting the trail? We were already trending off-road, with gravel and trail races making huge jumps in popularity over the past five years, and that shows no signs of slowing. Along with that, I think you’re going to see novelty races make a big comeback

— not like the Color Runs and big festivals from before, but races that combine disciplines like cyclocross triathlons or ÖTILLÖ ultra swim + run races, and Spartan/OCR type races going indoors with events like DEKAFIT. When you hit rock bottom, organizers have nothing to lose by making changes Can that be done? I would love to see an entrepreneur break things down to their basic parts and come up with something new — similar to how Spartan Race took OCR from zero to a million participants. Just blow it up and start over with a totally blank canvas and create something new and exciting. Then watch as content and brands and technology swarm on solving the problems that are created. So you’re optimistic? I’m actually really excited about the next five years. For the first time in a long time I see the possibilities for our industry completely opened up. Expectations have been reset and we’ll start seeing people taking more risks and being more creative. More people, racing more often, having more fun along the way. n With 240 million results from 1.4 million plus races from around the world, Athlinks is the world’s largest results database. It was created in 2006 as a place for event participants to access all of their past race results, research upcoming events and connect with other athletes and content related to the joys of racing. www.athlinks.com © 2020 Diversified Communications

The Racing Issue

A Run With ...

Ryan Callahan, Runhouse

From cancelled events to optimism for a renewed emphasis on smaller events and local retail. Running Insight: How’s 2020 been for you? Looking forward to turning the calendar to 2021 yet? Ryan Callahan: Like everybody, 2020 was been complicated and difficult for us. I think it was a shock to the system for our industry and will be for quite some time. I’m excited for 2021, but I was also excited for fall at one point, so I’m not circling any specific date on the calendar that I’m looking forward to. With some many events cancelled in 2020 and now into 2021, how have you been able to adapt? We are doing everything we can. I think one thing that has been a bright spot is that the overall economy hasn’t collapsed on the level that some people were worried it might. You look at a company like Peloton or how running stores have been performing since re-opening and you see that there is as much interest in being active as ever before, it just looks different right now. Even though we can’t gather in large groups at a race, there is clearly opportunity out there. How so? We are looking at ways to give runners opportunities, but looking at the why more than the how. The how is impossible right now. We aren’t gathering thousands of people at start lines anytime soon. So what is the why? The why remains: runners want to run, they want to connect, they want community 26

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Ryan Callahan hits the trails for Runhouse. Photo by Matt Stanley

and they want to connect their running journey to something bigger. We are focusing on this both with our own events and with our clients. How do we take the why and re-work our offerings to give runners new kinds of options right now while we wait for a return to normal. How can the race business ever recover from what has been a disastrous year? Look, some of what is happening is just a massive acceleration of trends that were popping up pre-COVID. The industry was a little overstretched in the last five or six years. The bad news is a lot of races are going to go away for good or won’t come back the same. The good news is I think runners will still want to race, maybe even more than before at some point, and so supply will need to be there. People who stick with it and are able to ride this out will be able to recover because there should be more opportunity. How do you do that? You need to stay lean and innovative right now and then be ready to ramp up fast as soon as you see the opportunities come back. Has any good come out of all this? People have had to really sit down and ask a lot of hard questions about their business and have had to adapt accordingly. I don’t think that’s a bad thing. We think about our business all the time, but we never have time to really reflect and change accordingly. This has forced us to take the time to think really 27

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hard about our value proposition to our runners and I think that will make us all stronger on the other side of this. What trends that began in the COVID-19 environment do you see continuing as the running world returns to a next normal? The buying local thing will stick a bit more this time around. I don’t think many people in society like that Amazon stock is up more than 50 percent since this happened and their favorite local shops are closed, going out of business, or downsizing. I think the connection between how buying local really impacts your neighborhood has been more obvious than ever before and my hope is that people become more thoughtful about how their purchasing decisions affect their community. How do you spend your days as we begin to (hopefully) emerge? I spend most of my days vetting ideas and trying to find new revenue opportunities that are driven by what runners actually want and not what I wish they wanted. We planned a pretty successful real-life event called Rundiscover that sold well in Philly, our hometown. The event balanced social distancing and flexibility, but required runners to run real-life courses that had to be completed locally. I spend most of my days thinking about how we can scale ideas like that or what other opportunities are there to create value for runners that isn’t a simple “run a distance and we’ll send you a medal” virtual event.

So any advice to the running business – and our run specialty retail readers – on how to survive in this business and social environment? Don’t forget what makes you great. I truly think customers, at least in our industry, are going to care about supporting local more than ever before as things return to normal. You need to show them why that matters and how you fit into the community.

“We will see a gradual return to normal, but I’m just not certain how fast. Racing will obviously take longer because of how difficult it is to host a large-scale event in a safe manner until there is a vaccine.”

Finally, what do you think happens next for the racing and running businesses? We will see a gradual return to normal, but I’m just not certain how fast. Racing will obviously take longer because of how difficult it is to host a large-scale event in a safe manner until there is a vaccine. After that I think there will be a period of time where people are just hesitant to be in crowds, maybe three to six months. And then what happens? But then I think there will be exuberance and momentum in the space, I really do. People are going to be thrilled to be out racing again and to be part of the race day experience. I don’t know when it will be, but when it happens I definitely want to be in the business of creating finish lines. As long as people want to cross those finish lines, we’ll be in good shape. n Ryan Callahan is president of Runhouse, a marketing and creative agency in Philadelphia that focuses on the run business. www.runhouse.com

The Racing Issue

A Run With ...

Jens Jakob Andersen,

RunRepeat.com

With a new baby born during the pandemic, 2020 has been quite a year for the online database’s founder. Let’s get right down to it. What running shoes should I buy? Buying running shoes is complex and whenever someone asks me “what shoes should I buy” or “what are the best shoes” I tell them to go to a run specialty store because that’s where you’d get the best advice. I know how demotivating it is to get an injury and I sincerely do not want people to just go online and buy a pair of shoes. What has 2020 been like for you personally, and for Runrepeat as a business? Personally, I became a father for the first time. In the middle of the pandemic. It was hectic. Our little son had a challenging start with two weeks at the hospital, but fortunately we were in good hands and everything is good and normal now. While everyone was panicking, it was amazing to see the operations of the hospital and what they could do to help us. Good to hear things are better. How has business been during all of that? Business-wise, it has been the most turbulent year I’ve ever experienced and yet I feel that I cannot complain when I compare to what others have experienced. It happened in three phases. First everyone panicked, and no one was thinking about buying running shoes. It was rough. Then, things settled and at the same time running stores shut down, so a lot of runners went 28

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online. We doubled our business with no extra costs. Business-wise, I was personally happy, but my feeling about it wasn’t good as I knew it was an unfair battleground and I felt sorry for all who couldn’t have their shops open.

How did Runrepeat.com fare through it all? We had some internal challenges and lost some rankings in Google. It means that we’re basically down by 50 percent right now compared to pre-COVID. I feel like

it’s so unfair. Macroeconomics is favoring a service as ours now, yet we ourselves haven’t been good enough and are therefore not performing well. Most often, people would complain about external factors, but in our case the external factors are in our favor yet we’re still highly underperforming. It’s 100 percent of our own fault. How have you been able to adapt? I personally had a trail run that I was looking much forward to which didn’t turn out as I had hoped. To be honest, I have not adapted at all. Many do virtual races, but it’s just not the same. Also, fairs and knowledge sharing have decreased dramatically, which hurts us a lot. How do you think the overall running business has adapted? It has adopted badly because of the circumstances. If you are a race organizer, there’s not much you can do, and so how should you adapt? Or if you have a running store, others would say that the right thing could be to focus more on online, but is it really? If you’re good at giving your customers that personalized experience, is it then really the right thing for you to go online and to compete with the established players in this market? I don’t think so. What are some of the good trends you have seen coming out of this situation? If I should say something positive, it is that the community is there and the desire to participate in races and to shop local is there. And once this is 29

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over, people will come back. I personally have no doubt about that. It’s not that everyone will suddenly only shop online. What trends that began in the COVID-19 environment do you see continuing as the running world returns to a next normal? Naturally, some that previously shopped locally will have had good experiences buying online and might be keener on buying online in the future. Another aspect would be where to get knowledge about shoes. Some that previously learned about new releases in-store might learn about it online. That being said, I don’t think that this will be so significant that running specialty stores will have to shut down. We’re talking a few percent here and there, but it will accelerate things. How do you spend your days as we begin to emerge from a pandemic-mandated lockdown? As RunRepeat.com is 100 percent online, and we have no office and everyone is working remotely, there hasn’t been any significant work changes for us. We were fortunate that we didn’t have to adapt the same way as many others had to. Do you have any advice to the running business – and our run specialty retail readers – on how to survive in this business and social environment? I’m not the right person to ask here, I would say. I think that the store owners themselves and the community around them can answer that better than what I can. But I would focus on giving

what online cannot. If specialty stores try and compete on the home pitch of online, they will fail. It means that competing on price and product assortment is not where specialty stores have an edge. Online would win any time. How so? On RunRepeat we have 1000 unique running shoe models, most in many colorways. Some of the popular models, we have in 50-plus colorways. A local store cannot, and should not, compete with that. It’s the service, the guidance, the human touch that will win customers.

“Many will discontinue their races, especially races from the larger organizations as they’re driven by the business side of things. I believe that the small races will continue once we’re back on track because they’re driven by community and experiences and not by dollars.”

Finally, what do you think happens next for the racing and running businesses? It’s harsh to say, but many will discontinue their races, especially races from the larger organizations as they’re driven by the business side of things. I believe that the small races will continue once we’re back on track because they’re driven by community and experiences and not by dollars. The grassroots will make it through this. The passionate ones will make it. n Jens Jakob Andersen is founder of RunRepeat.com, a database with all sorts of information on running shoes. The goal of the site is to have one source of information where runners can find any running shoe — not just the most popular ones. These days Andersen is working on the first phase of building a running shoe laboratory to independently test running shoes for mechanical features. www.runrepeat.com

The Racing Issue

A Different Kind of Race Saucony and prinkshop Collaborating on ‘Women Running’ Initiative

aucony has joined forces with prinkshop, the “wear what you care about” apparel and accessories brand, to rally behind women with a collaboration called “Women Running,” celebrating women who run for sport or for political office. Women Running is the brainchild of prinkshop founder and creative director Pamela Bell, along with Saucony marketing director Jessica Newton and director of apparel Sarah Clark, in an effort, the company says, “to weave Saucony into the 2020 cultural conversation.” “Whether running a marathon or running for political office, win or lose, it’s all about showing up,” says Saucony president Anne Cavassa, in a statement on the brand’s website. “The Saucony x prinkshop Women Running Collection demonstrates the shared commitment between Saucony, prinkshop and She Should Run to encourage more women to experience the goodness that comes with running for a place on the political or sport podium. “With this collaboration, we are taking a 30

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stand to further support gender parity and encourage women everywhere to find their personal pathway to leadership,” Cavassa adds. “We invite everyone to join us as we rally behind the women who are committed to the race with their eye on the finish line. When women run, we all win.” Women Running is the first footwear collaboration for prinkshop. Ten percent of proceeds of this collection will be donated to She Should Run, a non-partisan, nonprofit organization that supports female leadership in politics by encouraging women to run for office and providing them with the tools they need to get to the starting line. The collection’s Hero T-Shirt and Hero Tote are made from 100 percent organic cotton — a material choice that is easier on the environment than conventional cotton. The female symbol which is used as a repeat pattern on the Kinvara and Jazz and in the “o” of Hero is actually called the Venus symbol and symbolizes love, ambition, passion and balance. It represents

bonds and people with opposite natures being able to come together. The collection’s color palette of red and blue symbolizes a non-partisan approach to supporting female candidates running for office. It’s not about party, it’s about participation, Saucony emphasizes. The Center for American Women and Politics has noted that there are a record number of women seeking seats in Congress this year. Women make up 29.2 percent of major-party U.S. House primary candidates in 2020. For racial and ethnic diversity, 2020 will also be a record. In the 22 states that have already held primaries, 30.6 percent of House candidates were Black, Latinx, Asian American or Native American. The collection was shot by award-winning photographer and visual anthropologist, Laurel Golio. The women featured in the campaign photography, fitness editor and health activist Tamara Pridgett and artist and designer Cassandra Mayela, are advocates of political activism and equality. n

The Racing Issue

Holy Marathon News item: Nun runs treadmill marathon, raises more than $130,000 for Chicago charity.

alk about divine inspiration in running. It seems that when the Chicago Marathon was canceled this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sister Stephanie Baliga decided to take matters into her own hands – er, feet – and go ahead and run 26.2 miles — in her convent’s basement. It seems that Sister Stephanie had promised her running partners that if the marathon they were training for was cancelled, she’d run a treadmill marathon to continue to raise money for the Mission of Our Lady of the Angels food pantry in Chicago. She planned to do it alone, starting at 4 a.m., to music from a boom box. “But then my friend convinced me that this is kind of a crazy thing that most people don’t do,” she told ABC News. “That most people don’t run marathons on their treadmill in their basement and that I should let other people know about it.” Apparently taking her inspiration from above, on August 23 Sister Stephanie’s run was livestreamed on Zoom and posted on YouTube and the 32-year-old nun ran next to statues of St. Francis Assisi and the Virgin Mary. Her high school and college friends, clergy and family members who popped up on a screen cheered her on. “It seems to have allowed people to have some encouragement and happiness and joy in this time of extreme difficulty for lots of people,” Baliga said. “I’m really humbled by the extraordinary support that so many people have shown me along this journey.” Helping her along the grueling 26.2 were prayers on her rosary, prayers for her supporters and above all, prayers for for the people who have contracted the virus and for those isolated during the COVID-19 crisis. “This is nothing compared to what so many people have been through during this pandemic,” she said. The last 30 minutes, though, were 31

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grueling, she admitted. “I was praying that I could make it and not fall off and just survive.” The final push came from a surprise on-screen appearance by Deena Kastor, the 2004 Olympic bronze medalist. “She’s like my childhood hero, so that was super cool,” Baliga said. “That distracted me from the pain.” Baliga also submitted her time of three hours and 33 minutes to Guinness World Records for timed treadmill marathon. “The only reason I was able to do it was because no one had ever done it before,” she said, smiling. More importantly, so far her treadmill marathon has raised more than $130,000 for her mission’s community outreach.

Baliga, who began to run at the age of nine, previously competed on the Division I cross-country and track teams at the University of Illinois, where she studied economics and geography. She said her life changed after a powerful prayer experience and she felt the calling to become a nun. But Baliga kept running. After she joined the order of the Franciscans of the Eucharist of Chicago, she launched the Our Lady of Angels running team to raise funds for the poor. “All of us play this really important role. All of our actions are connected,” she said. “It’s so important, especially right now, when a lot of people feel isolated and far away, that people continue to sacrifice for each other and to be kind.” n

running shorts Fleet Feet Upgrades In-Store Fitting Process With Integrated Dynamic Pressure Mapping FLEET FEET RECENTLY LAUNCHED integrated dynamic pressure mapping as part of its in-store outfitting experience, fit id. The integration, which includes both pressure mapping software and hardware, allows Fleet Feet to offer individualized footwear solutions for customers that are both personalized off of biometric data captured in the store and account for differences between the left and right foot. The launch marks a significant milestone of a collaborative initiative between Fleet Feet and Volumental, the footwear technology company behind Fleet Feet’s in-store 3D foot scanner; Superfeet, the premium insole brand; and Superfeet’s partnership with HP, which provides an end-to-end solution for data scanning. This means Fleet Feet outfitters can evaluate a customer’s stride and weight distribution using dynamic pressure mapping. As they walk across the pressure plate, it will record their path of motion to show exactly how they move and the differences between the left and right foot. This data will not only help identify the correct footwear, but Fleet Feet can now also offer custom insoles designed to fit

Garmin Unveils Two Devices Two new products from Garmin are aimed at improving runners’ performance. • Featuring dual transmission, the new Garmin HRM-Pro premium chest strap (in photo) lets athletes share accurate heart rate data with their Garmin device, compatible fitness equipment and third-party training apps. It also helps athletes improve their running form by providing running dynamics, including vertical oscillation, ground contact time and stride length. • Designed for athletes aiming to

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each customer. Developed by Superfeet, the ME3D insoles can be built and shipped to customers in less than two weeks. Dynamic pressure mapping launches in phases at Fleet Feet locations across the country beginning last month. In addition to insoles, Fleet Feet will offer Superfeet ME3D custom Aftersport recovery slides utilizing the same data and process as the

insoles. Customers will have the ability to order slides from Fleet Feet later this year. The dynamic pressure mapping platform measures unique foot path and weight distribution of each foot as an individual walks across a three-and-a-half-foot long force plate. Within seconds, Fleet Feet outfitters are able to capture and share that data using an iPad.

chase down new PRs, the Forerunner 745 features detailed training stats, daily suggested workouts and smartwatch functions. Featuring dozens of built-in activity profiles, including track running, athletes can round out their training routine and seamlessly switch between activities with the press of a button during a race or brick workout. When athletes aren’t working out, the Forerunner 745 will continue to monitor their overall well-being with features such as 24/7 heart rate, a wrist-based Pulse Ox sensor and Body Battery energy monitor.

running shorts On Launches Sustainable Subscription Service, Experiential Laboratory ON HAS BEEN BUSY THIS FALL WITH a number of initiatives aimed at the run specialty market. • First, On launched its subscription-based service to support recyclable sportswear. The subscription service, named Cyclon, will allow subscribers to receive and wear running sportswear and then return endof-life products back to On in exchange for the latest version. Once the used item is returned, it will be fully recycled by On, which will then re-use the materials to create new running gear. On says the Cyclon subscription service incentivizes customers to participate in On’s sustainability initiative and actively contribute to the brand’s commitment to drive zero waste. “The Cyclon service is a groundbreaking new way to become more sustainable, while also ensuring the running performance is never compromised for our customers,” explains On co-founder Caspar Coppetti. “Customers who sign up today will be the first ones to get the latest in sustainable running technology.”

Hoka Signs Sponsorship With NAZ Elite Looking to increase its exposure within the elite running community, Hoka One One has entered into a multi-year agreement with the Northern Arizona (NAZ) Elite, whose members include top marathoners Aliphine Tuliamuk and Scott Fauble. The new four-year agreement begins January 1, spans two Olympic cycles and is intended to increase not only the personal level of support for each of the club’s individual athletes but also the club’s overall infrastructure. The funding will provide for an increase in the size of the club, an increase in the coaching resources and will also enable the club

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The first product to be released as part of the Cyclon service will be a fully recyclable running shoe, also named Cyclon. The shoe will be available exclusively via the subscription service in the latter half of 2021. • Also recently, On partnered on an instore activation with Fred Segal, including a monthly rotating experiential laboratory at the chain’s flagship location on Sunset Blvd. in West Hollywood, CA. The experiential laboratory will showcase the movement,

textiles, sustainability and versatility central to On’s collection. An On in-store shop will also be available at Fred Segal Malibu, CA. The space itself was designed for that purpose in mind — to showcase the next generation of design through a research and innovation lab concept. Highlighting stories that convey movement, sustainability, product innovation and design, the space will feature the brand’s most premium product across running, outdoor and all-day performance.

to offer health insurance to each of its athletes — a rarity for distance running sponsor-ships. Based out of Flagstaff, AZ, and

sponsored by Hoka since 2015, NAZ, under the leadership of head coach and club founder Ben Rosario, has become one of the premier distance running collectives in the world. Among its runners’ accomplishments are Tuliamuk’s winning the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials and Fauble’s first American finish at the 2019 Boston Marathon. In addition to Fauble and Tuliamuk, the Hoka NAZ Elite roster includes American track and road stars Stephanie Bruce, Kellyn Taylor and Lauren Paquette, as well as rising international stars such as New Zealand’s Matt Baxter, Canadian Rory Linkletter and Alice Wright of Great Britain.

running shorts Balega Debuts ‘Grit and Grace’ Collection to Benefit Breast Cancer Prevention Partners BALEGA IS CONTINUING ITS SUPPORT of Breast Cancer Prevention Partners (BCPP) with the release of its Fall 2020 limited edition Grit and Grace collection. One dollar from every pair of Grit and Grace socks sold will benefit BCPP, which is a science-based advocacy organization that works to prevent breast cancer by eliminating exposure to toxic chemicals and radiation. This year’s collection of Grit and Grace socks includes three inspirational phrases that embody the Balega spirit of Ubuntu, which is the Zulu word for “shared humanity,” or “I am because we are.” This year, the phrases Embrace Kindness, Defy Gravity and Brave Badass are embroidered on six unique and brightly colored socks. New for this year, the sock style featuring the phrase Brave Badass will also be available in size large. Designed with Drynamix moisture management technology to keep feet cool and dry and a seamless toe that eliminates

abrasion, the socks also feature the V-Tech Arch Support System that offers structure along the arch of the foot and extra cushioning on the heel. “The three inspirational phrases in this year’s collection represent the life of Balega Ambassador and lifelong runner, Kim Stemple,” explains Tanya Pictor, VP of Balega Marketing. “We were devastated by her passing last year, but she continues

to inspire our Grit and Grace collection by having lived her life to the fullest and being a pure symbol of Ubuntu in sharing her love and goodwill. We dedicate our collection to Kim and her relentless efforts to make our world a better place for everyone.” The 2020 Grit and Grace collection became available at run specialty stores for a limited time, beginning September 15, and retail for $14 per pair.

Blyss Running Celebrates Five Years Blyss Running, the Asheville-based maker of women’s athletic apparel, has partnered with Darby Communications to amplify the celebration of its fifth anniversary and new product for Fall ‘20. Blyss Running was founded by Alyson Neel in 2015, who recognized a lack of running apparel that offered what she was looking for — a functional pocket for her phone, longer lengths that didn’t ride up, higher waistbands and stylish prints that weren’t costumey. “I was looking for something that looked sophisticated, but felt completely comfortable, like my favorite sweater,” Neel says. “When you feel comfortable, you feel confident and, honestly that’s half the battle when running.” In 2015, Neel produced her first Blyss Running design and soon after began offering Blyss Running skirts, crops and

shorts at running expos. The apparel offered longer lengths to prevent chafing and riding up, a broader waistband with a continuous drawcord for a comfortable fit and three highly functional pockets. Neel has been able to pivot her sales and marketing to e-commerce, but she is looking forward to the return of running

events and in-person sales. “Nothing can replace connecting with my customers in person. We’ve become a community of women who support each other and go after impossible goals together,” she says. “Building those relationships with each other is what makes Blyss Running really special.”

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running shorts Saucony Introducing Switchback With BOA Fit System IN LATE SEPTEMBER SAUCONY OFFICIALLY launched the Switchback 2 with the BOA Fit System. The Switchback 2 features the BOA Fit System integrated into the Mono-Panel upper that wraps the foot and secures with a lateral mounted, durable BOA dial. It is available in a version for men, women and kids. One of the key elements of the new shoe is the BOA Fit System, which activates the Mono-Panel configuration that connects the foot to the midsole to improve agility and speed. The bootie construction keeps debris out and works seamlessly with the Mono-Panel for a connected fit. Other upgrades include the new PWRRUN+ midsole, reducing weight by one ounce, and an added rock-guard for increased protection and durability. MSRP is $140.

Skirt Sports Acquired By ZOOMA Race Series Skirt Sports, the originator of the running skirt, has been acquired by ZOOMA Women’s Race Series, bringing together two companies that have been an important part of the growth of women’s running. Based in Boulder, CO, Skirt Sports was launched in 2004 by Nicole DeBoom, a professional triathlete who wanted to add extra inspiration, style and fun – and coverage – to her workouts. Skirt Sports makes performance gear for women of all body types and fitness levels and is sold online and through select retailers. The combined businesses will offer fitness challenges, an online running club, destination races, running skirts, athletic apparel and arguably one of the largest active female communities around. Hyperice Partners With Ja Morant Hyperice has signed Ja Morant, NBA Rookie of the Year and star point guard of the Memphis Grizzlies, as a brand ambassador. The partnership includes

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original content from Morant within the Hyperice App. Morant joins a roster of Hyperice athletes that includes Blake Griffin, Lindsey Vonn, Juju Smith-Schuster and Naomi Osaka. Morant has used Hyperice technology since his days at Murray State University. Therabody Signs DeAndre Hopkins Therabody has added professional football player DeAndre Hopkins to the company as its newest investor and athlete brand ambassador. “Since the first time I used a Theragun, it quickly became a staple in my everyday routine and a key asset in how I take care of my body,” says Hopkins. “Therabody champions whole-body wellness — an industry that I think will only continue to grow as people prioritize their health more than ever.” The company has recently announced that tennis champion Maria Sharapova had joined it as an investor and Strategic Advisor. Additional ambassadors include professional basketball player Paul George, professional golfer Collin

Morikawa, tennis phenom Amanda Anisimova, triathlete and Ironman champion Lucy Charles-Barclay and Paralympic champion Jessica Long. Feetures Enters The Bike Lane Feetures has made its first move into the cycling market with the launch of

Feetures Cycling, featuring its CustomLike Fit technology. The cycling collection incorporates many of the same qualities of its running socks, including customlike fit, moisture-wicking fabric and a seamless toe to reduce irritation. The Cycling collection is built with proprietary iWick fibers to keep feet cool and dry and provide comfort.

running shorts Under Armour Unveils Trail Shoe With HOVR Cushioning

U N DER A R MOU R T H IS MON T H launched its first two trail running shoes featuring the UA HOVR cushioning platform — the UA HOVR Machina Off-Road and the UA HOVR Velociti Trail. The UA HOVR Machina Off-Road provides trail runners with the same upper

and midsole design found in the road version of the UA HOVR Machina, which was created to provide faster, softer and lighter performance tuned cushion. This version features a Vibram Litebase outsole to provide durability and grip without adding excess weight.

The UA HOVR Velociti Trail is designed to be lightweight and springy, with a durable upper and reliable Vibram Megagrip outsole for slippery and muddy terrain. Both shoes connect seamlessly to the UA MapMyRun app for data-driven personalized coaching.

Zwift Raises $450 Million Zwift, the online fitness platform for runners, has raised a $450 million minority investment led by global investment firm KKR, accompanied by other new investors Permira, Specialized Bicycle Components’ venture capital fund, Zone 5 Ventures, and the Amazon Alexa Fund, along with existing investors True, Highland Europe, Novator, and Causeway Media. The investment will be used to accelerate the development of Zwift’s software platform and bring Zwift-designed hardware to market. Since launching in 2015, Zwift has

registered 2.5 million users in 190 countries. Zwift’s prominence has increased significantly in 2020 and has hosted a number of professional events, including the first Virtual Tour de France in July, an event broadcast to over 130 countries.

rate of perceived exertion, stress level, sleep quality and pre-existing conditions) and dynamically collects optional variable data collected on a user’s wearable device (including workout data and heart rate variability) to determine appropriate treatments from among millions of therapy variations. It then wirelessly programs the Addaday device to change intensities and duration, supported by a simple step-by-step video guide of the routine showcasing movement of both the device and the body to mimic techniques used by professionals.

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Addaday Unveils Adaptive Learning Addaday has introduced its Adaptive Learning Technology platform, which features a range of Bluetooth-enabled portable massage devices powered by the intelligent Addaday app. The Addaday app analyzes user inputs (such as location and intensity of pain,

running shorts Tecnica Unveils Magma Trail Shoe TECNICA’S NEW TRAIL SHOE FOR SPRING/SUMMER 2021 addresses the reality of how many Americans hike these days, using one style of shoe — a trail runner. The new Magma bridges the gap between a trail running shoe, hiking shoe and approach shoe by delivering protection, stability and grip in a lightweight package. The Magma upper and footbed are pre-shaped around a specific anatomical last to deliver feel and fit. This anatomical fit also provides greater midfoot support and heel hold. Highly durable, the lightweight construction offers a classic tongue design for a faster step-in, combined with an integrated lacing system for improved precision.

Tecnica Group Amplifies Buying Experience with NuORDER Continuing to invest in its relationships with specialty retailers, Tecnica Group North America has added NuORDER’s collaborative buying platform. Blizzard, Nordica and Tecnica will use the platform to streamline the product research, buying and order management process for outdoor and run specialty retailers. Tecnica Group North America brands will be able to manage their entire sales process through the NuORDER platform, which includes the presentation of digital linesheets, catalogs and virtual showrooms for a more dynamic and rich shopping experience. Retailers will be able to shop products, place orders and browse live inventory. U.S. and Canadian retailers will begin using the NuORDER system starting in January 2021 for the 2021-22 buying season. Champs Sports Offering Virtual Sneaker Try-On Tech Champs Sports is the first sportswear retailer to offer virtual try-ons of sneakers using a new technology in Snapchat. As part of its “Refresh Your Game”

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see a digital image of the shoes overlaid on their feet before buying them directly with the tap of a “Shop Now” button. Hoka One One, Sally Hansen and Gucci are among the brands that have also created virtual try-on experiences with SnapML, a machine learning technology Snap introduced in June. The augmented reality (AR) experience has seen an average share rate of eight percent among users of the photo-messaging app, which is five times higher than the benchmark for average retailers, according to an announcement Snap shared with Mobile Marketer.

campaign to promote the rollout of the Nike Air Vapormax 2020 Flyknit and Nike Air Max 95, Champs is using Snapchat’s shoppable AR that lets mobile consumers

Foot Solutions Acquires Noene America Foot Solutions has acquired Noene (pronounced “Know-EEN) America, the exclusive U.S. distributor of a highfrequency shock absorption material. Noene claims to absorb and disperse more than 90 percent of the highfrequency shock that travels through the body when feet strike the ground. Popular with tennis players, runners and the medical community, Noene is available consumers through the Foot Solutions network of specialty retailers in the U.S.

running shorts Kahtoola Launches EXOspikes Footwear

K A H TOOLA, CR EATOR OF T H E MICROspikes and NANOspikes footwear traction products, has launched a cross-terrain traction product called EXOspi kes. They a re billed as “the first footwear traction product to truly serve the versatile needs of trail runners, hikers and outdoor enthusiasts when navigating everything from snowcovered mountain trails to icy roads, all with one product.” P r ior to EXOspi kes, t raction was designed specifically for use on either roads or trails, but none that provided safe, comfortable and trustworthy crossterrain performance for both during the same outdoor adventure. EXOspikes footwear traction features 12 spikes per foot, each with three levels of traction: extremely durable tungsten car-bide tips for bite into ice, aluminum steps for grip on uneven surfaces and TPU lugs for grip on loose terrain. Designed with open TPU Traction

Matrix, EXOspikes keep footwear tread engaged with the terrain for additional grip and per-formance and a revised TPE

elastomer harness allows EXO-spikes to fit over trail or hiking shoes and stay stretchy down to -22°F.

BOA Acquired By Compass Diversified Compass Diversified has acquired BOA Technology, creators of the BOA Fit System, for a purchase price of $454 million. BOA was founded in 2001 with a performance fit system that transformed how snowboarders “dialed in” their boots and offered an alternative to the traditional lace system. Nearly two decades later, the BOA Fit System has become a performance fit solution integrated into market-leading premium brand partner products across an array of segments, including running. “BOA’s disruptive, innovative and highquality products are utilized by millions of consumers around the world and

we are pleased to partner with a true industry pioneer as the company builds upon its mission to advance human performance,” says Elias Sabo, CEO of Compass Diversified. “BOA has a proven, relentless focus on excellence, a unique culture and a passion for innovation, making the company an ideal addition to our diverse holdings.” “Born out of a simple, yet innovative idea to dramatically improve the fit and performance of snowboard lacing systems, BOA has continued to push the boundaries of what is possible, developing new ways to improve performance across a range of products with the BOA Fit System,” adds Shawn Neville, CEO of BOA.

BOA will continue to be led by Neville and its current management team and will maintain its HQ in Denver, CO. Designed to address the deficiencies found in traditional closures, the BOA rotational dial-based fit system is an alternative to traditional laces, buckles or straps, delivering a fast, effortless, precision fit that improves performance for elite athletes and enthusiasts. With more than 400 collaborative global brand partners integrating BOA Fit Systems in performance footwear, headwear and medical bracing products, and a large and diverse intellectual property portfolio with nearly 160 patents issued globally, BOA has established itself as a market leader.

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VENDOR FOCUS

VJ Shoes Growing company is bringing Finnish technology and innovation to the U.S. running market. BACKGROUND: VJ was founded 39 years ago in Finland to make better orienteering shoes for the founder — once his competitors saw the shoes, they asked him to make shoes for them and VJ has been making lightweight performance shoes ever since. Today the company makes a full line of orienteering (spiked) shoes, winter running shoes and OCR/Trail running shoes. One of their shoes caught the discerning eye of an up-and-coming Sky Runner and OCR runner named Jon Albon, who started regularly winning a number of races wearing them. Albon brought them to the United States for his competitions, but frustrated North Americans could not buy the shoes here. In 2018, VJ caught the attention of Matt Gorsk i as he watched Albon’s f i n i s h e s i n t h e To u g h e s t Mu d d e r World Championships, Spartan World Championship and the OCRWC. At that point Gorski, whose company, Six Corners Marketing, is now the distributor for VJ Shoes North America, reached out to VJ about bringing them to the North American market. The brand was launched domestically in January, 2019. THE VJ DIFFERENCE: For almost 40 years the shoes have been designed for performance — lightweight, stable and durable. “They are a runner’s shoe, made for the forests of Finland where traction is needed even for a walk,” Gorski explains. “They have been doing this type of shoe for longer than most other companies and with a singular focus on off-road performance shoes.” “BEST GRIP ON THE PLANET:” The company’s slogan is a natural marketing outgrowth of its philosophy and is now used for social media, on packaging and on its web. 40

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T H E T ECH STORY: T he cu r rent North American lineup of three models of VJ shoes all include the tentpole features that VJ is famous for: durabi l it y, f it a nd, of cou rse, t he G r ip — TheBestGripOnThePlanet!, with 100 percent butyl outsole, FitLock and Kevlar in the uppers for durability. The 2021

collection will continues that trend with new models that fit perfectly into the product line up at the upper and lower ends, as well as a planned replacement of a current favorite model. THE FINNISH INFLUENCE: “The Finnish design is what has kept VJ around

VENDOR FOCUS

www.VJShoesUSA.com • www.VJShoesUSA.com/reseller Ambassadors have maintained a connection with the trail running community and with fall weather coming, the trails are going to get muddy. “Just the place for some grip,” Gorski says.

The VJ Maxx (above) and Xtrm feature “The Best Grip on the Planet” for those challenging trail runs.

for almost 40 years, so I don’t want to change too much,” says Gorski, who points out that current designs are getting wider to accommodate the wider toe box preferences of North American runners. More cushioning is also being added for wearing on longer trail runs and Ultras.

THE COVID-19 IMPACT: This was supposed to be the year that VJ Shoes pushed hard for a retail presence after being mostly DTC in 2019, but those plans have been delayed due to the pandemic. “But we are eager to work with retailers who are ready to bring in a new, upcoming brand,” Gorski

emphasizes. On the product side, VJ has pushed out and delayed some shoe int ro ductions due to worldwide constraints at the distribution and retail levels. THE TRAIL CONNECTION: Even wit h so ma ny races ca ncel le d, VJ’s P ros a nd

SOCIAL MEDIA EFFORT: Social media is a significant part of the company’s marketing effort and it has put together a large community, tagging VJShoesUSA and TheBestGripOnThePlanet. “Athletes love to post about their adventures in our shoes and we love the stories, posts and messages we get,” Gorski says. ADVICE FOR RETAILERS: “From a new brand, I would ask that they be open to our shoes, our core audience and realize that right now VJ is slightly more known in the OCR and sky running and swim run sports, but all of those are growing in North America,” Gorski says. “At the same time, we are expanding even more into the trail and ultra sports, which are far larger and growing also. We have passionate customers who rave about the shoes, want to buy them at retail and want stores to carry VJ.” T H E 2 0 21 O U T L O O K : VJ will spend the next year expanding its shoe lineup, both at the lower and upper ends, replacing a classic and, hopefully, says Gorski, “acceptance and success at running specialty.” n

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