The brands tapping into the running fever

Tens of thousands of runners will pound Melbourne’s pavement on Sunday for the Nike Melbourne Marathon, as the sport’s popularity reaches spectacular heights.

And for Australian brands and small businesses hoping to capitalise on the running boom, the marathon is a race for consumer attention.

Businesses across the city will host warm-up runs, brand activations, and special member events over the next week, chasing runners who have devoted countless hours, and dollars, to their athletic goals.

Here are some of the special events and brand tie-ins runners can expect in the days ahead.

The run-up

Melbourne marathon entries are a hot commodity, and general allocation tickets for the 42.2km road race are completely sold out. Brands have capitalised on this unprecedented demand in the weeks and months leading to raceday: Lune croissanterie, bed retailer Forty Winks, and burger chain Grill’d all ran promotions using race entries as prizes.

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Thursday, October 9

Runners won’t have to wait long to see how Australian brands are tapping into marathon fever.

On Thursday night, sugar-free lolly company Funday, apparel brand LSKD, and electrolyte brand Dr. Hydrate will sponsor an easy 6km run in Richmond. Launching from Greenstreat on Swan Street, the run will include complementary sweets and performance drinks, and end with freebies for the first 50 participants and a LSKD pop-up shop.

Up There Athletics, offering performance gear and cutting-edge running fashion, will host a race day Q&A session with top Nike athletes. The session, kicking off at 6pm at its Flinders Lane storefront, will feature food from konbini-style cafe SUUPAA and drinks from booming Melbourne brand Bobby.

Glasshouse Run Club will swap its usual track session for a 5km run, starting and ending at Fishbowl on Collins Street. The run, hosted in partnership with Lululemon, starts at 6.30pm.

Friday, October 10

Femmi is an Australian exercise training platform and smartphone app, offering tailored plans for women and those who menstruate. It will host an easy 3-4km run, starting at the Nike hub outside the Melbourne Cricket Ground, at 6.30pm. The run is open to all, with Femmi offering exclusive racing kits to subscribers.

Further south, Run the Tan will host breezy 3km and 5km runs starting at St Kilda Sea Baths at 6.30am. Those runs are supported by Nespresso, with giveaways commencing at 7am.

Saturday, October 11

Before the marathon comes the ‘shake-out’ run, a chance for runners to gently test their legs and ease some pre-race nerves.

The sessions begin at 6am where All Ours — the massively successful run club formerly known as Run South Yarra — take to the Tan, their traditional stomping ground. After a 3.8km loop of the Botanical Gardens, and support from sports nutrition brand Pillar Performance, the club will descend on Gilson for coffee and some extra carbs.

Up There Athletics will host its own shake-out run at 8am, starting at the shop, with refreshments provided by cafe hotspot Hector’s Deli.

Across the CBD, another shake-out run will begin at 8am. This 5km group session, hosted by the One Step At A Time (OSAAT) run club, will start and finish at the BloomWood cafe and croissanterie on Exhibition Lane. Attendees can expect 10% off food and coffee.

Another crucial component to a successful marathon: the carb-load. Blackburn running shop Runners Paradise is hosting a ticketed ‘pasta party’ at nearby The Food Republic cafe at 6pm. Attendees can expect extra racing drink mix from Maurten and a motivational pump-up.

Melbourne Marathon race day: Sunday, October 12

If previous iterations are anything to go by, runners can expect to see guerrilla marketing campaigns and brand activations all along the marathon route.

After runners cross the finish line, Better Beer and St Ali Coffee will serve very different drinks at the official event village.

For those with enough leftover energy to dance, All Ours is hosting a ticketed after-party at Gilson, with more backing from Better Beer and sparkling yerba maté brand Matéo Soda.

OSAAT will descend on Loop Roof in Meyers Place for a post-race celebration, while a coalition of clubs — Glasshouse Run Club, Aussie Beer Milers Club, Nobody Run Club, and Sunrise Long Run — will set up camp at St Andrews Beach Brewery.

If personal satisfaction and a finisher’s medal are not enough, runners can swoop into Operator venues — that is, Operator 25, Operator Diner, and Operator San — across Melbourne for free coffee on Sunday and Monday until 12pm. Simply flash your medal for a complimentary hot beverage.

Finishers can expect more free goodies post-race, too: Melbourne running brand Never and Collingwood running boutique CCACHE are teaming up to print custom posters with official marathon times.

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