This week, a look at the upcoming NYC Marathon. With 60,000 runners and 2 million spectators expected, both running and non-running apparel brands have a heavy presence in the city leading up to race day as they try to stay on top of what has become a major cultural moment.
The New York City Marathon is one of the year’s biggest, and most disruptive, events for New Yorkers. It draws tens of thousands of runners and millions of spectators, shuts down many of the city’s roads, and sends hordes of sweaty, fatigued runners riding the subway home with a warm blanket and a bottle of Gatorade.
It’s also a prime marketing opportunity for fashion brands. On race day and in the days leading up to the marathon on November 1, fashion brands are hosting a variety of pop-ups, shake-out runs, carb-loading dinners and cooldown parties. It’s one of many ways fashion brands are tapping into timely cultural moments to build their communities.
The most obvious connection is for activewear and running brands. It’s no surprise that major brands like New Balance are top-level sponsors of the NYC Marathon. Many running brands are hosting both official and unofficial “shakeout runs” the day before the race. These include short runs of three to five miles, followed by parties, dinners, and other events to celebrate the end of the training period and prep for race day.
New Balance, Nike, Adidas, On Running, Puma, Saucony and Hoka are all hosting shakeout runs around the city in the days before the race.
Nike is hosting several, including a Women’s Night run on Tuesday accompanied by a live recording of the running- and health-focused podcast “Hurdle,” and a wider 5K shakeout run on Saturday morning. Saucony’s take is more humorous, with the “Jorts Mile” on Friday evening, asking participants to run a mile in a pair of jean shorts before the festivities start.
These warm-up events are a better bet for fostering a fun, engaged atmosphere than anything on race day, according to Julie Wandzilak, head of physical culture at the fitness-focused Manhattan social club Moss. Moss teamed with the running brand Salomon for a shakeout run for its members on Wednesday afternoon.
“There are hundreds of activations happening around the marathon, and it’s not just about the actual race day,” Wandzilak told Glossy. “The runners are training for weeks leading up to it. I ran the marathon in 2022, and when I was thinking of what the ideal activation I would have wanted was, I knew a pre-race shakeout run was the right move. It’s the perfect time because the training is over and you’ve got a little time to just rest and recover.”
For the activewear brand Vuori, participating in marathon week is a way to reinforce its brand values. In addition to a pre-race party the day before and a post-race party on the evening of the race, Vuori is also hosting a pop-up event on race day.
“The NYC Marathon celebrates movement and community in a way that naturally aligns with the values of Vuori,” Ashley Kechter, global president of Vuori told Glossy in an email statement. “For us, marathon weekend was an opportunity to bring people together around those shared values, deepen connections with our existing community and welcome new people to experience the brand.”
The brand activations aren’t limited to running brands, or even just activewear brands. H&M hosted a run on Tuesday followed by saunas and red light therapy at the Altar, a wellness spa in Manhattan. The event was timed to the marathon and to the release of a new running-focused capsule collection from H&M Move, the brand’s activewear line.
Marie Fredros, head of design at H&M, told Glossy that the capsule was meant to reflect the energy of running in New York City.
“It reflects how running can move naturally between sport, style and the city,” she said.
The numbers back up the NYC Marathon’s reputation as a major cultural moment for the city. This year, NYC expects 60,000 runners and 2 million spectators.
Often, brands’ focus isn’t necessarily on sales. Salomon isn’t selling any gear at its event with Moss, for example. Instead, it’s about being a part of the conversation. TikTok brand mentions related to the marathon have tripled in the last three years, and non-running brands mentioned in running content on social have grown from about 25% last year to 30% this year.
For brands, the marathon is a great way to tap into the city’s vibrant running community. At a marathon event hosted by Nike and Substack on Wednesday evening, Raz Rauf, writer of the running Substack newsletter Running Sucks, said the community around running and the emotional intensity the marathon brings are unlike anything else.
“Cheering a marathon brings this crazy intimacy of emotions,” Rauf said. “People cry. You don’t often go out and cry with your friends. In Los Angeles in March, it was unseasonably warm, and I was handing out popsicles. The joy you see on their face from getting a popsicle from a stranger that’s going to get them through the next 15 miles — you can’t get that anywhere else.”
News to know
- Speaking of running, Nike is teaming with Our Legacy on a new running-focused line, announced on Monday. It’s set to launch in spring next year.
- Aritzia announced plans to double its revenue to around $7 billion over the next five years.
- Zegna announced plans to show its spring-summer 2028 collection in Beijing next year. The announcement comes as Zegna remains one of the few Western luxury groups still growing in China.
