Virgin Group will "deepen its involvement in health and fitness with its latest venture Virgin Sport which is aiming to help people overcome the everyday hurdles which prevent them from taking up exercise with the help of sporting festivals," according to Tony Connelly of THE DRUM. The new brand will "attempt to change the way people think about mass participation sporting events" by working with local groups to offer a range of activities and events that are "not only fun but can have a positive impact on local communities." Virgin Sport will be built around festivals of sport in the U.K. and U.S. and "will target both experienced fitness enthusiasts and those new to working out." They will initially be based around running and cycling activities with the goal of expanding to include more sports. The idea for the group's new venture came from Founder Richard Branson after he ran the Virgin Money London Marathon and took part in the Cape Argus Cycle Tour. Branson, who was "blown away" by the support from fans and those participating, decided that his company should endeavor to create such experiences while making it "easier for people to take up exercise" (THE DRUM, 1/17).
FITNESS FESTIVALS: More than 18 months after its founding, Virgin Sport is announcing its inaugural series of events: Four fitness festivals designed to appeal to a wide range of experience and enthusiasm levels. The first will be in the London borough of Hackney on April 30, with the first American event slated for Oct. 14-15 in San Francisco. The Hackney event will include a half marathon, a 5.5K fun run and an outdoor fitness bootcamp, along with a post-race festival for all attendees. Virgin Sport Global CEO Mary Wittenberg said the company will continue to experiment with the festival concept, adding other distances, fitness events or sports -- cycling is a goal -- as more are developed. Wittenberg, the former N.Y. Road Runners CEO, said she has learned firsthand how large group fitness events can inspire people, but they are too often targeted to a relatively narrow group of participants. "Instead of having a situation where one person among a group of friends or a family participates, why not create a weekend where people who love distance running can run their event, and people who love doing bootcamps or boxing, can come be a part of that?" she said. "And how about a fun, shorter distance that's more about just getting people out?" Pricing for the Hackney event starts at $58 now and will increase to $70 by registration close, with the 5.5K at $30 and the bootcamp at $108. A package of all three is $108. Virgin has set a target of 15,000 participants (Ben Fischer, Staff Writer).
