For most of us, getting “sponsored” for an athletic occasion like a triathlon or half-marathon in all probability means sending emails to our buddies, household, and coworkers asking them to point out their assist with a donation. “Sponsorship” doesn’t normally embody a giant model getting concerned, like it could for an expert athlete.
This marathon season, that’s altering. Milk—as in, the dairy beverage—has launched a brand new marketing campaign referred to as 26.2 that’s particularly meant to assist feminine runners within the New York Metropolis Marathon, which takes place on November 6. In case you’re a girl runner doing the race, you’ll be able to signal as much as get “sponsored” by Milk, irrespective of your tempo or expertise stage. Have a look at you, massive shot!
Milk will match your registration charge ($295) with an in-kind donation to the non-profit group Women On The Run, which helps educate and empower ladies by way of working. (They’re matching charges for a complete donation of as much as $600,000). Members of #TeamMilk will even get working swag, a cheering part on the race, instructional prep and restoration supplies, and a web-based group.
The sponsorship marketing campaign is a method that Milk (which is definitely a commerce consortium referred to as America’s Milk Corporations) is attempting to place itself as a efficiency drink. Chocolate milk has lengthy been a go-to restoration beverage. And vitamins, energy, protein, and fats are all crucial to assist gasoline your physique for runs, so the thought is sensible! (That’s, if we will recover from the enduring Anchorman “milk was a foul alternative” scene. Oof, sorry, Milk.)
However the group additionally says they’re doing the marketing campaign to lift consciousness across the hole in sponsorships that women and men athletes get. The pay hole in skilled sports activities is well-known, however Milk says that, in line with Deloitte Insights, simply 7 % of the $30 billion spent globally on sponsorships goes to sportswomen.
America’s manufacturers can actually do higher than that, and it seems like Milk desires to be on the entrance of the pack.
Whether or not you are coaching for a marathon or a run across the block, here is a 10-minute mobility exercise that may assist get your legs run-ready.