BRIEFING PACK Ultra Running - November 2018 - caytoo
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BRIEFING PACK
Ultra Running
November 2018
BRIEFING PACK - ULTRA RUNNING 2
Contents
Overview…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..3
Rising popularity…………………………………………………………………………………………………...3
Media coverage……………………………………………………………………………………………………...5
Leading athletes…………………………………………………………………………………………………….6
Sponsorship……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..8
Appendices……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….13
BRIEFING PACK - ULTRA RUNNING 3
Overview
Ultra running has seen a sharp rise in popularity over the past decade. Superstar
ultra runners have deals with major brands including Mercedes-Benz, Nike, and Red
Bull, and have fanbases in the hundreds of thousands. There are plenty of Great
British ultra runners out there,the best Brits are right up there with the global elite.
These athletes offer a fantastic opportunity for your brand to associate with a sport
that never fails to astonish. Races can surpass 100 miles and runners can be
competing for over 20 hours. Powerful, inspiring content is available for brands who
invest in ultra running, a sport that values perseverance, discipline, and pushing the
limits. Who sponsors ultra running? How do they do it? Why should you sponsor
ultra running? These questions will all be answered in this briefing pack. The growth,
media coverage, and top athletes of the sport are also covered. Ultra running has
huge potential, as many brands have already found out.
Rising Popularity
There has been a surge in ultra running participation in the 21st century. The sport
appears to be rising in popularity, for example1:
● Over 1000% increase in number of ultra races in last 12 years on Run Ultra
website
● 1,000% increase in the number of ultra races in last 10 years on German ultra
running website DUV
● 105,000 people finished an Ultra Marathon in North America in 2017, a 483%
increase from 2003 (18,000 people).
● Hong Kong reportedly has greater than 10x more ultraraces than it did 10
years ago
● Many races have implemented lottery systems to cope with the numbers
wanting to take part.
● The Marathon des Sables, the Sahara Desert based race renowned as the
world’s toughest Ultra Marathon, regularly sells out in minutes, despite £4,250
entry fee.
The Guardian cites the following factors as the potential attractions and drivers of
ultra running2:
● The call of the wild (excitement, freedom, thrill, and adventure)
1
The Guardian, 2018: “When 26.2 miles just isn't enough – the phenomenal rise of the ultramarathon”
2
The Guardian, 2018: “When 26.2 miles just isn't enough – the phenomenal rise of the ultramarathon”BRIEFING PACK - ULTRA RUNNING 4
● Social media boom (creates awareness and inspires)
● Inclusivity (ultra runners are, apparently, of all shapes, sizes, and ages)
● The need for more (as the marathon is seen as more achievable or ‘normal’)
● Life-affirming experience (opportunity to push your limits)
● Escape from the mundane (the rise of technology may be making daily life
more uneventful)
● Bigger high (compared to a marathon)
● Health (ultra running is perceived as a means to overcome health issues)
Ultra running is clearly marketable, its apparent benefits are surely appealing to the
majority of society. In fact, search interest of the terms ‘ultrarunning’ and
‘ultramarathon’ have also been on the rise in the past five years according to Google
Trends (see appendix 1 & 2). Nonetheless, the practicalities of running distances that
surpass that of a marathon are not for everyone.
The extremity of the challenge and the potential health risks and discomfort it poses
could undoubtedly be experienced as deterrents to participating. Furthermore,
there can be a big financial cost of taking part in ultra marathons. For example, the
price of taking part in certain ultra races can be thousands, though lower cost races
are available; as seen in table 1. We should also consider the financial costs of travel,
kit, and training in ultra running. Training and competing will also take up plenty
time.
There are undoubtedly individuals who are not put off by the costs of ultra running,
the benefits outweigh the negatives. The middle-aged, middle-class demographic is
at the heart of the rise of the ultra and adventure sports. 3
We could see the rise of ultra continue, not just because the global middle class is
growing too. In September 2018 The IAAF partnered with two trail running
governing bodies, a move which could lead to Olympic inclusion4. Extreme
cross-country running has also been proposed as an option for the Paris 2024
Olympics. If an ultra running style event took place at the Olympics this could drive
the sport’s popularity even further5.
3
Caytoo, 2018: “Lifestyle correction or mid-life crisis?”
4
SCMP, 2018: “IAAF-trail running partnership: athletics chief Sebastian Coe on a new era for the sport”
5
Inside the Games, 2018: “"Extreme" cross-country running to be rolled-out in time for Paris 2024
inclusion bid”BRIEFING PACK - ULTRA RUNNING 5
Table 1: Ultra marathons costs 20186
Race Cost
Transgrancanaria 125km £161
The Ice Ultra £2,250
6633 Arctic Ultra £1,000-£3,100
4Deserts Sahara Race £2,869
Trans Atlas Marathon, Morocco £1,512
Desert Rats Kokopelli 150 Stage Race £1,260
Big Red Run £1,700
Trail Verbier St-Bernard £113
La Ultra The High £2000
Spartathlon £467
Wadi Rum Ultra £780
Everest Trail Race £3,100
Media Coverage
Ultra running is not consistently broadcasted on mainstream TV. The 2018 Ultra-Trail
du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) was, however, live streamed on YouTube and on the UTMB
website. The YouTube stream has over 20,000 views. Ultra running events that have
had coverage on UK TV include:
● The Tenerife Blue Trail 2018 on Channel 4
● The Kintyre Way Ultra 2017 on BBC 2
Races last for a long time compared to most sports on TV. A full loop of the UTMB
takes the best runners around 20 hours, for example. There may be long periods of a
race that are simply not compelling to the average viewer.
This makes highlights and movies a suitable means of telling the story of race.
Highlights of major races can often be found on YouTube. The Marathon des Sables
6
Red Bull, 2017: “12 ultra marathons to try in 2018”BRIEFING PACK - ULTRA RUNNING 6
has movies and highlights on YouTube for the recent editions of the race. The 2016
movie lasts 26 minutes and has nearly 100,000 views.
Coverage of ultra running in the press is widespread. In appendix 3 you can see that
Tom Evans, one of Britain's best ultra runners, attracts digital news coverage from
mainstream sources such as ESPN as well as more specialised, targeted sources like
Athletics Weekly. Further examples of notable coverage of ultra running include:
● GQ, 2017, Marathon des Sables two-part video diary (80k YouTube views)
● The Guardian, 2018, ‘rise of the ultramarathon’ article (12k+ Facebook shares)7
● Forbes, 2018, ‘5 Entrepreneurial Lessons From An Ultra-Runner’ (1.2k+ views)8
Social media has arguably been a powerful driving force behind the rise of ultra
running. The sport is well suited to grabbing people's attention through social
media: races can take place in some of the world’s most beautiful and brutal
environments, and the athletes may find plenty of admirers as they tackle almost
unthinkable physical and mental feats. Inspiring and striking content can easily be
created. The Marathon des Sables has almost 40,000 followers on Instagram. UTMB
has over 100,000.
A final point to consider is that there are comparably lengthy, slow moving sporting
events that are broadcasted live on mainstream TV on a regular basis (e.g. test
match cricket and cycling tours). Could ultra running be next? The sport has seen a
sharp rise in participation as well as a growth in interest. Understandably the
mainstream press has been inspired by the sport as have social media users. Not to
mention that there is already a sizeable audience watching ultra running movies,
highlights, and live streams. This is a sport with plenty of promise, there is room to
grow even further.
Leading Athletes
We can get an idea of who the leading ultra runners are through the Ultra-Trail
World Tour (UTWT) rankings9. The top ten can be seen below in tables 2 & 3:
7
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/apr/02/ultrarunner-ultramarathon-racing-100-miles
8
https://www.forbes.com/sites/macaelamackenzie/2018/10/10/5-entrepreneurial-lessons-from-an-ultra-run
ner/
9
https://itra.run/utwt.phpBRIEFING PACK - ULTRA RUNNING 7
Table 2
29/08/18
UTWT Men's Top 10 2018
# Name Instagram Twitter Facebook TOTAL
1 Pau Capell (ESP) 22,300 3,900 12,400 38,600
Dylan Bowman
2 (USA) 16,300 9,600 7,300 33,200
Gediminas Grinius
3 (LTU) 6,400 1,100 17,400 24,900
Remigio Huaman
4 (PER) 3,350 200 7,800 11,350
5 Cody Reed (USA) 9,100 1,100 0 10,200
Alexandre Mayer
6 (FRA) 0 0 0 0
Mark Hammond
7 (USA) 1,200 0 0 1,200
Petter Restorp
8 (SWE) 0 0 0 0
Alejandro Fraguela
9 (ESP) 1,700 900 0 2,600
10 Harry Jones (GBR) 6,800 0 3,600 10,400
Table 3
29/08/18
UTWT Women's Top 10 2018
# Name Instagram Twitter Facebook TOTAL
Courtney Dauwalter
1 (USA) 57,900 6,200 6,600 70,700
2 Kelly Wolf (USA) 15,100 0 0 15,100
3 Miao Yao (CHN) 0 0 0 0
Anne-Marie Watson
4 (GBR) 722 2,300 0 3022
5 Kathrin Goetz (SUI) 400 0 150 550
6 Gemma Game (GBR) 0 0 0 0
7 Mira Rai (NEP) 20,700 2,500 102,100 125,300
Amanda Basham
8 (USA) 10,100 1,100 1,400 12,600
9 Fernanda Maciel (BRA) 87,900 13,500 66,900 168,300BRIEFING PACK - ULTRA RUNNING 8
10 Eva Sperger (GER) 1,700 0 0 1,700
The UTWT top ten table with social followings shows us that:
● Followings can reach over 100k for leading ultra runners
● Some are inactive on social media or have a small base of followers
● Top global female ultra runners are more followed than top males
● Instagram appears to be most powerful social media tool for ultra runners
● 12 countries and 4 continents represented in this UTWT top ten (USA most
represented nation)
● Great Britain is represented by 3 athletes in the top ten
The rankings provided by the International Trail Running Association (ITRA) offer
another perspective of who the leading ultra runners are today10. Spain’s Killian
Journet, 2nd in the the men’s rankings, has over 600,000 followers on Instagram
alone.
The top 5 male and female British athletes from both the ITRA and UTWT rankings
can be seen in appendix 4, along with their relative Instagram followings and
engagement rates. As this data was collected at a later date to the tables above, you
can see how the rankings change on a regular basis. This data suggests that:
● British male ultra runners tend to be more followed and engaging than the
women on Instagram
● British women appear to be outperforming the men based on UTWT rankings
● Most engaging man with at least 1k followers is Robbie Simpson
● For the women it is Holly Page
● Most followed man is Jonathan Albon
● Ellie Greenwood is the most followed lady
Sponsorship
10
https://itra.run/community/BRIEFING PACK - ULTRA RUNNING 9 A selection of current sponsorship deals between brands and ultra running athletes and events can seen below: ● Volkswagen and Marathon des Sable ● Garmin and UTMB ● Vibram and Hong Kong 100 ● Raiffeisen and Eigar Ultra Trail ● HOKA ONE ONE and Harry Jones ● The North Face and Pau Capell ● Sundog and Ellie Greenwood ● Volvic and Killian Journet ● Salomon and Mira Rai ● Red Bull and Tom Evans ● Nike and Remigio Huaman This list gives us an idea of the range of brands the sponsor ultra running. There are household names with no direct relation to the sport (e.g. Volkswagen, the German automotive giant), as well as smaller, more specialised brands with a direct connection to the sport (e.g. HOKA ONE ONE, running shoe brand). Major players in the ultra running sponsorship scene include: ● The North Face (13 listed ultra runners and event sponsor) ● HOKA ONE ONE (sponsor numerous ultra runners) ● Salomon (sponsor numerous ultra runners and event sponsor) ● Vibram (12 listed ultra runners and event sponsor) ● Red Bull (sponsor numerous ultra runners) Table 4, below, displays the listed sponsors of the top 5 British female and male UTWT runners at the time of writing, along with the industry of each brand.
BRIEFING PACK - ULTRA RUNNING
10
Table 4
Brand Industry Athletes
Compressport Sportswear Paul Giblin, Harry Jones
Contours Travel Beth Pascall
HOKA ONE ONE Sportswear Harry Jones
Injinji Sportswear Sophie Grant
inov-8 Sportswear Damian Hall
La Chausette de France Sportswear Beth Pascall
La Sportiva Sportswear Sophie Grant
Leki Sports equipment Harry Jones
Vitamins /
Longhaul Endurance Nutrients Sophie Grant
Vitamins /
Mountain Fuel Nutrients Kim Collison
Nathan Sports equipment Harry Jones
Northern Runner Sports retail Kim Collison
Petzl Sports equipment Sophie Grant
Raidlight Sports retail Kim Collison, Beth Pascal
Vitamins /
Runivore Nutrients Harry Jones
Salomon Sports retail Kyle Greig
Vitamins /
Spring Nutrition Nutrients Beth Pascall
Vitamins /
Tailwind France Nutrients Sophie Grant
Ultimate Direction Sports equipment Sophie Grant
Vitamins /
Unived Nutrients Harry Jones
Vitamins /
Veloforte Nutrients Anna-Marie Watson
WAA Ultra Equipment Sports equipment Anna-Marie Watson
This data indicates that, amongst these leading British ultra runners, there are not a
wide variety of industries represented. The brands involved are all closely linked to
ultra running, tending to be providers of sportswear, sport equipment, or nutritionBRIEFING PACK - ULTRA RUNNING 11
products. Contours are in the travel industry. As specialists in walking holidays, their
core business is also closely related to ultra running.
Brands can sponsor individual athletes, teams of athletes, events, or even event
coverage. Your brand could…
● Become the title sponsor for an event (e.g. The North Face Lavaredo Ultra Trail
2018 )
● Feature on advertising boards or finish/start line archways at events (e.g.
Raiffeisen Bank and other official partners featured on finish line archway at
the Eigar Ultra Trail 2018)
● Sponsor event coverage (e.g. Camelbak presented iRunFar’s coverage of
UTMB 2018, featuring a short advert at the beginning of video content)
● Feature on the kit of athletes (e.g. Nedbank sponsor a team of ultra runners,
their logo is displayed on the front of their running vests)
● Be promoted on social media by an ultra runner (e.g. Unived and the other
sponsors of Harry Jones are frequently mentioned by the runner on his
Instagram profile)
● Utilise an ultra runner to produce content (e.g. Red Bull have produced
articles with their sponsored ultra runner Tom Evans11)
● Make an ultra runner a part of advertising campaigns (e.g. Mercedes-Benz
and their sponsored runner Kilian Jornet teamed up to produce a promotional
video in 201512)
● Call upon an ultra runner for speaking engagements and events (e.g.
Mercedes-Benz held an event for 80 customers allowing them to get closer to
Kilian Jornet and their vehicles13)
Brands are using different methods of ultra running sponsorship to achieve their
goals. Despite ultra running not attracting the kind of coverage of more mainstream
sports, there are plenty of brands investing in the sport. Here are 4 reasons why your
brand should get involved too:
11
https://www.redbull.com/gb-en/sand-dune-running-red-bull-quicksand-tips
12
https://www.kilianjornet.cat/en/media/up-in-the-mountains
13
http://www.lymbus.com/en/work/kilian-jornet-mercedes/BRIEFING PACK - ULTRA RUNNING 12
4 reasons to sponsor ultra running
You should sponsor ultra because... For example...
The sport has values of discipline, -Races can be more than double the
perseverance, and going above and length of a marathon (e.g. Javelina
beyond. Jundred 2018- 100 miles), competing
undoubtedly requires the
aforementioned values.
Access to unique, inspiring content and -Mercedes-Benz advert with Kilian
athletes Jornet
-Features beautiful outdoor
environment and one of the world’s
best ultra runners in action.
-Few other sports combine
extraordinary physical and mental
challenge with the beauty of nature.
-Over 50k views on YouTube
There are gaps in the current -Sponsors of top 5 British male and
sponsorship landscape, a great female ultra runners on UTWT rankings
opportunity to stand out in your are all closely related to ultra running, all
industry. but one sponsor are in the Sports
retail/equipment/kit and nutrition
industries.
Huge growth potential of the sport. -Potential Olympic future
-Yet to break into mainstream TV
coverage
-Live streams and highlights are already
attracting tens of thousands (e.g. Eiger
Ultra Trail 2017 official movie has 29k
views on YouTube14)
-Participation and interest is on the rise
(e.g. over 1000% increase in number of
ultra races in last 12 years on Run Ultra
website, and see a ppendix 1 & 2)
14
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-42M8BGy5dQBRIEFING PACK - ULTRA RUNNING 13 Appendices
BRIEFING PACK - ULTRA RUNNING 14 *Appendix 1 & 2: Google Trends ‘Search Interest’- Numbers represent search interest relative to the highest point on the chart for the given region and time. A value of 100 is the peak popularity for the term. A value of 50 means that the term is half as popular. A score of 0 means that there was not enough data for this term.
BRIEFING PACK - ULTRA RUNNING 15
Appendix 3: Tom Evans Digital News Coverage
Appendix 4
UTWT and ITRA
top 5 British male
and female with
Instagram (IG)
data
1/11/18
UTWT Top 5
UTWT Top 5 British
British Men Women
IG IG
IG engagement IG engagement
Athlete Ranking following rate Athlete Ranking following rate
Damian Hall 6 4,824 5.61% Beth Pascal 5 987 16.66%
Anna-Marie
Harry Jones 15 7,637 8.61% Watson 7 722 9.75%
Gemma
Paul Giblin 18 3,578 4.86% Game 12 0 0
Kyle Greig 42 374 20.83% Sophie Grant 23 1,315 13.28%
Kim Collison 66 811 11.34% Carrie Craig 34 0 0
Total 17,224 Total 3,024
Average 29.4 3,445 10.25% Average 16.2 756 9.92%
ITRA Top 5 British ITRA Top 5BRIEFING PACK - ULTRA RUNNING
16
Men British
Women
IG IG
IG engagement IG engagement
Athlete Score* following rate Athlete Score following rate
Jonathan Albon 916 15,093 9.15% Holly Page 753 2,635 14.71%
Ellie
Robbie Simpson 915 2,329 15.84% Greenwood 744 12,011 2.47%
Victoria
Tom Owens 904 11,703 4.53% Wilkinson 741 0 0
Charlotte
Andy Symonds 890 3,769 5.45% Morgan 740 0 0
Emily
Tom Evans 882 10,600 6.92% Collinge 737 1,640 8.54%
Total 43,494 Total 16,286
Average 901.4 8,699 8.38% Average 743 3661.5 5.14%
*Please see details of ITRA scoring at the relevant footnote15
15
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