Running Brands See Bright Future for Women’s-Focused Events

Brands including Saucony and Rabbit had a major presence at the second-annual Every Woman’s Marathon, held in Scottsdale, Arizona

Through rain and relentless desert heat, over 4,000 women (and a handful of men) pounded Scottsdale’s streets in a sea of colorful energy, community and pain as they came together to run 26.2 miles in the second annual Every Woman’s Marathon.

Featuring major sponsors like Saucony and Rabbit, the race was marketed as “By women, for women” in an event that women weren’t widely allowed to participate in until the 1970s.

“It was (about) starting to correct the path a bit and claim our space as women,” senior VP of consumer marketing for race organizer Team Milk, Miranda Abney, told Athletech News. 

This year’s race in Arizona aimed to outdo the success of the first in Savannah, Georgia, by targeting the growing community of women — especially mothers — who are joining the sport.

At the event, ATN spoke with the team behind the race, as well as its sponsors, to get an inside look into the unique marketing approach they took to cultivate an inclusive, welcoming environment for all women amid the ongoing running boom.

Team Milk’s Approach

For first-place finisher Amy Will, “That race was better than I could’ve dreamt. … Every Woman’s Marathon has a very electric feel to it. People are very supportive. I feel like there’s a lot of camaraderie there.”

Will finished third in last year’s race, after being approached by dairy brand Cass-Clay to run it. She was impressed, but this year she was even more blown away by how well it was organized. 

Before the race, Will explored the packed pre-race expo, made for its female audience with a hair-braiding station, custom running jewelry, yoga classes and panels about runner safety with Olympic runners Des Linden, Deena Kastor and Molly Huddle.

The course, she noted, had more bathroom stops than other marathons, being fully stocked with menstrual products, hair ties, deodorant, body wipes and more, plus eight medical stations.

After the race, Will went straight to the recovery area, where StretchLab practitioners and Normatec boots were waiting to help alleviate that post-marathon soreness.

Each finisher was also greeted with a bottle of chocolate milk, to reflect Team Milk’s messaging. While Abney pointed out the race is largely meant to support women’s running, the brand is also pushing dairy milk as a performance beverage among this core female athlete audience.

The company behind Team Milk, MilkPEP, told ATN it does not make a profit, but pours all revenue directly back into the race.

How Footwear & Apparel Brands Are Embracing Women’s Running

Peppering the Scottsdale streets were thousands of runners in tank tops, sports bras and shorts that matched the Grand Canyon State’s famous sunsets — a conscious design choice by the female-founded running apparel brand, Rabbit.

The CEO and co-founder of Rabbit, Monica DeVrees, said while the colorful sky influenced the marathon-exclusive apparel, she was also highly in tune with the race’s female base in its second year as a premier partner.

“My business partner, Jill, and I, we’ve both been lifelong runners, we’re mothers,” DeVrees told ATN. “I feel like we are the consumer for this event.”

Rabbit hosted a pop-up shop filled with Every Woman’s Marathon-branded apparel in shades of pink and blue, as well as the sunset-inspired gradients. DeVrees said they were more prepared than last year, when they sold out within a few hours of opening.

“Let’s face it, women are shoppers, and they want cute gear that reflects their journey and something they can be proud to wear,” she said.”It’s kind of like this badge of honor.”

DeVrees said they worked closely with the race to create the exclusive color line and a more inclusive range of sizes, while appealing to current trends in women’s apparel — flowy, cropped, boxy and oversized silhouettes as well as matching sweatsuit sets that exemplify the cheerful energy of the race. 

Rabbit’s team noted that its pop-up had nonstop foot traffic all weekend,  with some runners waiting over two hours to buy its merchandise.

Saucony, one of the world’s largest running brands, was in its first year as a premier partner, bringing its own events and race expo pop-up. Saucony’s director of brand marketing, Jordan Yob, said the decision was a no-brainer as it matched the brand’s year-long “Run As One” campaign.

“I loved this idea of sponsoring Every Woman’s Marathon because it really spoke to Run As One and how we’re getting women out into the sport, supporting them, inspiring them,” Yob told ATN. “The number of first-time marathoners gave me chills.”

Over 40% of the participants were first-time marathoners, which Abney said speaks to the inclusive and welcoming environment they were able to cultivate this year and last.

Yob said the Saucony is concentrating its marketing efforts around helping people longing for connection post-pandemic — whether through “shakeout runs” or intimate cafe chats with professional female Saucony athletes it hosted throughout the weekend.

Yob said Saucony sees the women’s running market as a “huge opportunity” for more growth with a customer base that is still majority men.

While most of women’s shoe sales are going to everyday trainers — like the Saucony Triumph 23, the official shoe of the race — Yob is hoping to grow the number of female consumers buying its race-specific, carbon- and nylon-plated shoes.

“Our brand is providing the footwear that is a tool for these amazing women to get out there and connect with their community,” she said. “Because without our shoes, they wouldn’t be able to do that.”

A Big Future for Women’s Racing

Brands told ATN that the race response far exceeded their expectations. As for next year’s location, Team Milk isn’t ready to share that yet. 

But for the brands that were involved this year, it seems they’re excited to return.

“We’re very involved in many different events across trail (running), shorter distances and marathons, and this event is truly unique,” DeVrees noted.

For Saucony’s part, Yob added: “There’s always a place for us within this community. Nothing official yet, but we love partnering with MilkPEP and Every Woman’s Marathon.”

As the shoe brand continues engaging with the women’s running community, Yob emphasized the importance of more events around storytelling and education from female athletes. 

“Nothing against men, but their stories are always told,” Yob said. “There’s an opportunity to really tell those women’s stories, from pro athletes to the woman who might be running a six-hour marathon.”