The Hindu Business Line : A run for their money

If anyone has doubts about the growth of the marathon story in India, the sight of corporate czar Sunil Mittal alongside superstar Shah Rukh Khan cheering on thousands of participants to move ahead at the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon recently should be an eye-opener.

It is not unusual now to see Shah Rukh Khan at sporting events. In fact, he is well entrenched in the business as co-owner of the prominent IPL cricket team, Kolkata Knight Riders. And as brand ambassador for Airtel, the title sponsor of one of the world’s richest half marathons, his presence could also have been considered a given. But the Mittal brothers’ presence speaks volumes for how the corporate world has embraced distance running.

It’s probably not wrong to hazard a guess that the numbers of brands and corporates associated with the various marathons in the country are second only to cricket, leaving most other sports which have been around for much longer way behind in the race for sponsorship money and active participation.

The marathon is not an alien concept to the country with the Pune international marathon having completed 23 editions in 2008. However, it was the advent of the Standard Chartered Mumbai International in 2003 that changed the rules of the game and the corporate world saw new potential in the phrase ‘distance running’.

“The marathon required a leap of faith from Standard Chartered Bank. It helped that the bank was already associated with five other marathons around the world. However, the challenge was that each of these events was much smaller in scale and size to what we had planned,” says Vivek Singh, joint managing director, Procam International, organiser of the event.

It wouldn’t be wrong to say that this sports management company has been individually responsible for putting India on the global marathon map and providing the impetus for growth, and for driving corporate India to see the merit in being associated with marathons. Procam had been keen to promote an international marathon in Mumbai for some time. However, it was only in April 2003 that the company’s top management made it a point to witness the London Marathon live. That experience of standing on the start line with over 36,000 people - men and women, young and old, able and physically challenged, rich and poor, all together, with the determination and look of a professional athlete in their eyes – was life-changing and moved the company head honchos to bring the event to India.

“Many people advised us that we should not set our sights not too high, because there were several unknowns. But we were determined to not only conduct an international marathon but also pitched for it to be the largest of its kind in Asia. Our belief and perseverance in setting the bar so very high from the beginning has definitely contributed to the success of the running revolution,” Singh explains.

But it still doesn’t explain the high involvement from business houses across the country in various marathons, the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon being the most recent. And not when you have an easy and almost risk-free choice called cricket to associate with and justify the obscene amounts pumped into this passion. However, though it is just a half-day event where thousands line up to run for a few hours, the marathon is now being seen as possessing several USPs for the corporate world, the most important being the health and fitness commitment as well as emotional connect with target audiences.

A good example is the processed foods and juices company Dabur India. This is its first association with long-distance running where the company got headlong into the event with a team of 60, led by vice-chairman Amit Burman. A fitness addict himself who runs 7-12 km four times a week, Burman is possibly the best brand ambassador for his company’s Real Activ range of fruit juices. The company is using the marathon to reinforce its positioning of being the manufacturer of a healthy range of fruit juices and food products such as honey. “Running is an activity that fosters good health and well-being, so our association with the event seems a natural fit,” says Burman.

To run seven, 21 or 42 kilometres is no mean task. It requires determination, commitment and sacrifice for a good period of time. Thus it helps change lifestyles and mindsets. This has a ripple effect across society, making people more conscious of their health and fitness and keeping the sponsor and his brand alive for a longer period.

Related Stories:
Marathon: A new track to `run' the brands
Mumbai marathon to kick off from CST
Delhi's half marathon in Oct gets corporate backing
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