May 27, 2010
In This Issue
Newsmakers
Online Seminars
Join Our Mailing List
 
 
Endurance Sports
Business News
 
Brought to you this week by  Ashworth Awards, Mike Plant & Associates,  and Club Running, the official magazine of the RRCA.
Latest News
ING Ends Sponsorship of Bay to Breakers
San Francisco Chronicle
ING has decided to end its title sponsorship of San Francisco's annual Bay to Breakers race. "All I can say officially is, they were a wonderful sponsor and chose not to renew for the 100th anniversary next year," said Sam Singer, a spokesman for the race, which is run by Anschutz Entertainment Group. More
 
Gloucester to Host New Summer 7-mile Race
Gloucester Daily Times
The historic Massachusetts seaside city of Gloucester has announced that it will host the new Run Gloucester 7-mile road race on August 22.  The city, in coordination with Dave McGillivray and DMSE Sports, are planning for up to 5,000 runners to participate in the race that will start and finish at the city's famous Man at the Wheel statue. The event's primarily sponsors are the Gloucester Daily Times and Saucony. More 
 
Ford to Provide Flex's for Timex Multisport Team
Xtri.com
Five new Ford Flex vehicles are part of a new program between Timex and Ford to support the athletes of the Timex Multisport Team. The new Flex's will be based in San Diego, Boulder, Denver, Milwaukee, WI, and Middlebury, CT, and will be shared among the local team members for use around town and at races. Each car will sport Timex's logo and will be outfitted with flip cams and other toys. More
 
Ironman, PowerBar Launch New Sports Drink
Ironman.com
A new line of Ironman-branded premium sports drinks developed by the sports nutrition experts at PowerBar is being launched today. Ironman PERFORM™ sports drink features PowerBar's state-of-the-art C2MAX carbohydrate blend. The sports drinks are an extension of PowerBar's  partnership with Ironman and its role as the official energy bar and energy gel supplier of all Ironman and 70.3 events. More
Always Advantage
SGMA Report Shows Growth in Triathlon Participation
USATriathlon.com
Recent reports from the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association, coupled with the continued rise of USA Triathlon's annual membership total, demonstrate the sustained growth of multisport - specifically triathlon - within the United States. According to the SGMA, there were 1.2 million on-road triathlon participants in the United States in 2009, and another 666,000 Americans participated in an off-road triathlon last year. The 1.2 million on-road triathletes represent a growth of 11.1 percent over the last year and a 51.4 percent growth since 2007, according to the SGMA. More 
 
OptimisSport, Heal the Bay to Host 12.6 Ocean Swim Event
 
OptimisSport and Heal the Bay have jointly announced an endurance swimming competition featuring a 12.6-mile course, to be held October 16 in California's Santa Monica Bay.  The Distance Swim Challenge will go from the Manhattan Beach Pier to the Santa Monica Pier. In addition to the 12.6 mile race there will be competitions at 4.8, 2.4 and 1.2 miles as well as relay options. More
 
Women's Half Marathon Series Expands to Arizona
 
Women's Running magazine announced this week that Scottsdale and Tempe, AZ will co-host the newest event in The Women's Half Marathon Series. The inaugural event will be held on November 7.  The Women's Half Marathon Series is part of Women's Running. The series also includes race in St. Petersburg and Nashville.
 
New Montana Cycling Shop Includes Fitness Center, Cafe
Billings Gazette
Montana Cycling, which opened this month in Billings, has been designed by owner Mark Soueidi to be more than the typical bike store.  The new business has 12,000 square feet that includes retail space, a repair shop, a two-way fireplace built into a wall separating a café area from the bike shop, restrooms, two showers off the main shop floor and a third shower in the fitness center. More
 
Blue Ridge Marathon Provides Economic Boost for Roanoke
The Roanoke Times
Roanoke's first marathon in 24 years brought with them $350,000 in economic activity, event organizers said. The Blue Ridge Marathon on the Parkway helped generate revenue for hotels, restaurants and retailers when it was held over the last weekend in April, organizers said. The race also announced a donation of $20,000 to the Friends of the Blue Ridge Parkway. More
 
Eugene Women's Half Signs Deal with Zen Spot
 
The Eugene Women's Half has announced that Zen Spot has agreed to be a partner for the September 5 event. Zen Spot will be providing a yoga studio for participants before and after the race.
Mike Plant
Newsmakers  
Leslie Lane, Nike's vice president of global running, has been named managing director and vice president of the Nike Foundation. Lane joined Nike in 2003 to lead the acquisition and integration of Converse. He also managed Nike's global footwear strategy.
 
Colleen Riley has joined Fuel Belt as the company's U.S. Retail Account Manager.  Riley previously worked for Rhode Island marketing and advertising firm Litos Strategic Communication
 
Katerina Margolin has been hired as marketing coordinator for Greenlayer.  Before joining the Portland apparel company, Margolin worked for CoreMedia, a safety management and training company.
 
Aaron Tieman has been promoted by Marin Bikes to national sales manager. Tieman previously worked for four years as Marin's inside accounts manager, specializing in new business acquisition.
Conferences
Race directors conference in Broomfield, CO 
 
Portland Marathon Event Directors' College
(October 7-9, 2010)
Annual conference in conjunction with the Portland Marathon. 
ClubRunning
Online Seminars
(June 3, 2 p.m. eastern)
A Sponsorship 101 session that will allow you and your team to hit the ground running. You will be immersed in the who, what, why and how of sponsorship, enabling you to enter discussions with potential partners with a full understanding of what makes sponsorships successful and win-win-win propositions for sponsors, rightsholders and their audiences.
 
(June 10, 2 p.m. eastern)
Learn how to go beyond the basics in packaging benefits, targeting prospects and building an internal organization that can maximize sponsorship opportunities.
Career Opportunities
 
Peaksware has an immediate opening in our Lafayette, CO office for a Sales and Marketing Relationship Manager to join our growing team. The Sales and Marketing Relationship Manager has three main responsibilities:
Enterprise Level Business Development - Identify and develop high level business opportunities with prospects such as corporate wellness providers, health clubs and other enterprise level businesses; Lead Generation - Formulate and execute integrated, strategically-focused B2B marketing programs for new customer acquisition and lead nurturing with a primary mission of bringing the sales team high quality sales opportunities; and
Relationship Nurturing and Brand Recognition - Work with prospects and customers to build long lasting relationships and to increase Peaksware's brand awareness in the health, fitness, wellness, nutrition and sports performance markets.
 
Director of Marketing
Company: Saris Cycling Group
 
Saris Cycling Group is located in Madison, WI, is a market leader in the bicycle rack, parking, storage and performance training categories.  We aim to build leading brands for cycling enthusiasts worldwide.  We currently have an excellent opportunity available for an experienced marketing manager to provide hands-on leadership to the marketing function of Saris Cycling Group. This position is responsible for developing and executing integrated marketing campaigns across multiple markets & channels. Specific duties include overseeing development of external marketing communications, public relations efforts and communications, web-based marketing efforts including social media, and managing relationships with sponsored athletes and external marketing vendors and consultants. This position is based on Madison, WI and directly supervises 3 marketing professionals. Qualified candidates will have at least 5 years experience multi-channel brand marketing in outdoor or cycling industry. Other requirements include proficiency in social marketing, copywriting, international marketing and staff supervision. 
 
Event Timer
Company: Race Central
Race Central, a leader in the road race timing and technology industry, is seeking a self-reliant individual to travel to our events, manage our expo solutions area including our web-based computers and work the run on race day. The ideal candidate needs to have the people skills to work with our clients and interact with runners attending the events as well as the technical ability to set up equipment. Strong communication skills and the ability to work as part of a team are essential. Because things don't always go as planned, the ideal candidate must also be able to quickly and efficiently solve problems. This person should be capable of using computer software such as Excel and be able to learn the Race Central registration and scoring software.  In addition to the skills listed above, the ideal candidate needs to have the following:  bachelor's degree; ability to drive long distances, desire to travel at least 30 weekends a year, mostly by air. The typical timeline for distant events is a Wednesday departure, returning early Monday. Most events in Southern California are scheduled from Friday to Sunday. Starting salary range is $30K - $40K depending on skills and experience. We offer a health plan and other benefits.  If interested please email a resume to Audree@rccal.com.
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