Hartford Marathon officials yesterday said that ING is dropping its title sponsorship "after this year's race" on Oct. 12, ending a six-year association with the event, according to Kirsten Banta of HARTFORD BUSINESS JOURNAL. Race Dir Beth Shluger said that the Hartford Marathon Foundation is "already searching for a new 2014 title sponsor, which it hopes to have in place by the end of the year." ING first partnered with the race in '08, replacing Hartford-based United Technologies Corp. as the title sponsor. ING U.S. will rebrand as Voya Financial next year, and Head of Strategic Communications Phil Margolis said that the company is shifting its "marketing and sponsorship strategy, moving away from putting its name and logo on running events." The Hartford race joins marathons in N.Y. and Miami that have lost ING as title sponsor (HARTFORDBUSINESS.com, 9/30). Shluger said, "I've been talking to some other companies. I'm optimistic about the future. I have four companies that are very interested." Shluger did not disclose how much ING's sponsorship is worth, but she said it was "definitely six figures" (HARTFORD COURANT, 10/1).
