The Competitor Group signed United Airlines as the first global sponsor of the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series, a deal that includes naming rights to its inaugural event in China this October, according to Ben Fischer of the SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL. Competitor Group President Josh Furlow said that the global designation was specifically designed for the travel category, and developed as United and CGI realized their common interests in int'l expansion. Sixty percent of Rock 'n' Roll participants travel from outside the race market, he said. The United Airlines Rock 'n' Roll Chengdu Marathon & Half Marathon will take place on Oct. 29, and will be CGI's seventh stop out of 29 this year outside of the U.S. Furlow said, "The conversation around United progressed pretty quickly from what we were concentrating on, which was a domestic deal." United Sponsorship & Brand Activation Dir Rahsaan Johnson said that the company will promote its Polaris brand int'l business class at Chengdu and every other stop where it has title rights, and is developing "some kind of large presence" at all other Rock 'n' Roll stops (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 4/3 issue).
