U.S.-based Competitor Group made two announcements regarding the expansion of its int’l Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon brand with the establishment of a second Mexico race in Mérida and a new partnership with EDP as the title sponsor of its Madrid race. Continuing its partnership with Mexico City-based event operator As Deporte, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Mérida Half Marathon will take place on Oct. 31 over the Day of the Dead holiday weekend. “From a destination marketing standpoint, the Yucatán Peninsula was a great spot to market in terms of a runner base,” said Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series Exec VP of Global Events Josh Furlow. “It’s an hour flight from Cancun, with direct flights from Houston every day. It’s an easy jump point.” Furlow told SBD Global that the Yucatán Tourism Board was eager to bring the race to Yucatán’s capital city. “The Yucatán Tourism Board and the government of Mérida were very excited about it,” Furlow said. “They stepped up to the plate and said, ‘How can we bring the world-class brand into our city?’” Furlow said in addition to Yucatán Tourism, five other sponsors have come on board, which are yet to be announced. The establishment of the Mérida race comes after nearly two years of conversations with As Deporte, which centered around bringing the Rock ‘n’ Roll brand to Mexico. After the securing the Mexico City event, Competitor Group turned to the Yucatán Peninsula as the location for its next destination race.
MEXICO CITY SELL-OUT: Furlow said that for ’15, the Rock ‘n’ Roll presence in Mexico will be limited to Mexico City and Mérida, adding, “We’re working with a few other local entities, from the tourism board to the city governments, with how we take our time with the Mexican expansion. At the same evolution, we’re putting things on the calendar for ‘16.” Furlow said the demand was strong for the inaugural Mexico City half marathon on March 15, which sold out with 10,000 participants. “We could have taken a lot more than that, but we wanted to show an overall expertise and seamless transition with a new event coming to a new market,” Furlow said. “We wanted to be careful on the capacity.” In addition to deals with Gatorade and the Mexican Tourism Board, Furlow said the race is close to securing a sponsorship with an apparel company.
EDP DEAL: The Rock ‘n’ Roll Madrid Marathon recently announced Portuguese energy company EDP as the title sponsor of the April 26 race. As of Thursday, the race’s half marathon was sold out. “They value overall health and wellness from a company stand point,” Furlow said, referring to the EDP deal. “This is a real strong health and wellness play for their company and their brand.”
