How sports retail brands got active around the Sydney Marathon
Shakeouts, pop-ups, house boats, street races, after parties, exclusive merchandise
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Adelaide Crows AFLW entered into a new partnership with FertilitySA - the pair will work collaboratively on community activations, player education, and fan engagement throughout SA, including fertility awareness campaigns designed to reach women earlier in their sporting and professional careers
Brisbane Roar renewed its partnership with Elite Supplements for 2 more seasons, which will continue to support the Isuzu UTE A-League Men, Ninja A-League Women and NPL teams with supplements for the upcoming 25/26 season and beyond
Adelaide United renewed its partnership with McDonald’s Australia for another 3 years which will see it remain the Community Foundation Partner across the Club’s Community Clinics, Development Programs, and School Holiday curriculums
Newcastle Jets and PMP Mining extended their partnership for the 2025/2026 Ninja A-League Season - the PMP Mining logo will feature on the front of the A-League Women’s playing shorts
Central Coast Mariners welcomed Chemist Outlet as an official partner for the upcoming Ninja A-League Women’s season - it’s logo will appear on the sleeve of the women’s shirt
Football Victoria welcomed Sharp EIT as its Official Technology and Commercial Solar Partner - it will deliver a suite of smart infrastructure upgrades to FVs headquarters
Basketball Australia inked a 2-year partnership with Australian-owned company Strapit Medical & Sports Supplies, which will ensure that BA’s Senior, Wheelchair, 3x3 and Junior National programs are stocked and game ready
Brisbane Bullets announced a new partnership with SeaLink which will have a focus on promoting one of Queensland’s most iconic destinations - North Stradbroke Island
Brisbane Bullets also extended their long-standing partnership with Construction Skills Queensland which will now feature on the back of the team’s official jersey
Melbourne United and Chemist Warehouse extended their partnership for an additional season - the brand is set to provide support on and off the court to ensure players are best prepared heading into game day
Sydney Kings owner Hoops Capital announced a new partnership with Power Potential, a state-of-the-art sanctuary where infrared saunas, contrast plunge pools, Normatec compression, and hyperbaric therapy come together
South East Melbourne Phoenix announced a new Official Signage and Branding Partnership with Melbourne-based PICHA Group, a solutions business specialising in manufacturing, graphic design, sourcing and management of design projects
Little Athletics Queensland (LAQ) announced a new partnership with Optus which became the naming rights partner of the LAQ’s Most Improved Athlete Award - its branding will feature across major events throughout the year
Champion Data and the Australian Sports Commission announced a new collaboration which aims to accelerate AI innovation in sport
Essendon FC raised a record 75,276 for Challenge, a not-for-profit supporting children with cancer, during its Round 19 ‘Challenge Game’
NBL officially launched the Hungry Jack's NBL26 season with a new brand platform and national campaign “PLAY IT LOUD”
AFL and Toyota Australia launched the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Cup Tour, with a legends road trip across Australia reaching every state and territory for the first time
Sydney Swans had a meet and greet with Eliud Kipchoge in the lead up to the Sydney Marathon
Supercars announced a record-breaking multi-year deal with the Foxtel Group and Seven West Media which will see every Supercars event continue to be broadcast live on Kayo Sports and Foxtel, and marquee events broadcast live and free across Australia via the Seven Network and 7plus
Women’s National Basketball League announced a 2-year broadcast partnership with Channel 9 and ESPN which will see all 92 regular-season games and the entire Finals Series live and free on 9Now, with select marquee games on 9Go!, alongside 80+ games on ESPN and ESPN2, and every single game on ESPN on Disney+
FrogBox announced it’s set to continue its partnerships with every Premier Grade Cricket competition across Australia following 8 partnership renewals throughout 2025
2GB Sydney became new co major partner of the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs’ ‘Bulldogs in Business program’
Sydney Roosters Business Club and the Sydney Swans Network came together to host a corporate breakfast masterclass, delivering insights on high-performance leadership
Football Australia welcomed the NSW Government’s announcement of $300,000 in seed funding to support the inaugural season of the Australian Championship
A large stake in PUMA could be up for sale - it was reported that the billionaire- Pinault family (which owns a 29% stake, worth roughly US$936.56 million) has reached out to potential buyers such as Fila owner Anta Sports Products Ltd, Li Ning Co, US sportswear firms and Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds
International Cricket Council and Google announced a new partnership that aims to enhance fan engagement in women’s cricket using Google products, including Android, Google Gemini, Google Pay, and Google Pixel
WWE and Paris Saint-Germain announced a first-of-its kind strategic collaboration - the pair will explore opportunities across multiple areas including original content development, exclusive merchandise and retail collaborations, fan engagement initiatives, community-focused programs, and unique interactions between PSG players and WWE stars
YouTube announced plans to produce multiple alternative broadcasts of the NFL’s Brazil game - iShowSpeed, Tom Grossi, Robegrill and SKabeche were announced as the first group of content creators to host individual altcasts (IShowSpeed has nearly 3x times as many YouTube followers as the NFL)
How sports retail brands got active around the Sydney Marathon
Last weekend, the 2025 Sydney Marathon made history as Sydney officially joined the Abbott World Marathon Majors.
In November 2024, it was announced the Sydney Marathon had joined the elite circuit, making it the first city in the southern hemisphere to become part of the iconic line-up which includes marathons in Boston, Tokyo, Berlin, Chicago, London and New York City.
Global attention was on Sydney
The increased significance of the event saw an estimated 35,000 participants from more than 150 countries take part in the race, with many more enjoying the surround festivities and events across the weekend.
High-profile international running stars like Eliud Kipchoge and Sifan Hassan showed up, Ethiopian Hailemaryam Kiros won the Sydney Marathon in a record time
Tens of thousands of spectators lined the streets and gathered at the Opera House finish during the event
The marathon broadcast was beamed across the world thanks to media partnerships with the likes of of ESPN/Disney, DAZN, NBC, CBS, SKY and Eurosport etc.
Participants and fans shared footage of their weekend-long marathon experiences (from scenic locations and under clear skies) across social media
The major significance of the event provided the perfect platform for sports retail brands to get active.
For sports retail brands, the combination of global visibility, mass participation, and alignment with endurance and wellbeing creates the perfect opportunity to connect with the local and global running community.
Brands such as Nike, New Balance, adidas etc thrive on runners, athletes, and active lifestyle consumers, which is exactly the audience the marathon attracts.
Here’s a look at the brand activations that took place pre, during and post the Sydney Marathon event.
Pre-marathon “shakeout” runs were a popular brand activation, and many brands partnered with local run clubs and community groups in the lead up to race day
adidas x 440 Run Club shakeout - here
ASICS shakeout - here
ASICS x Pace Athletic shakeout - here
Brooks x parkrun shakeout - here
lululemon shakeout - here
LSKD x PILLAR Performance shakeout - here
New Balance x Unofficial Run Club shakeout - here
On x Sydney Run Club shakeout - here
Peloton x Beyond Blue shakeout - here
Tracksmith x Up There Athletics shakeout - here
Running is one of the fastest-growing sports in Australia, particularly post-COVID, with participation and community events surging.
To leverage the growing run club movement, brands are vying to put themselves at the heart of communities to form connections with runners, build their brands and generate commercials returns.
Related: How brands are leveraging the rapid rise of run clubs
Adidas teamed up with Furies to help Tempo Journal
To celebrate the launch of its debut newsprint edition, Tempo Journal hosted a “checkpoint street race” through the streets of the Sydney CBD, followed by a launch party in Darlinghurst, partnering with adidas and Furies.
ASICS was the official footwear and apparel partner of the TCS Sydney Marathon
Its branding was visible across the event via track signage, roving sign-holders and on-site brand activations.
It also held naming rights to the “Sydney Marathon Running Show presented by ASICS” which hosted 50+ exhibitors including Shark Ninja, LSKD, Samsung, iFIT, PILLAR Performance, Therabody, Porsche, Chemist Warehouse, YoPro, Transurban, AG1, Beyond Blue etc.
Brooks activated ‘The Brooks Hyperion Houseboat’
It connected with the Tribal Run Club who wear-tested the new Hyperion range around the Sydney Harbour. It also got active with the parkrun community (Brooks is a sponsor of parkrun).
HOKA hosted a weekend of running, recovery, mindfulness and community
lululemon launched “The Print Shop”
The activation site at Pitt Street Mall in Sydney gave runners the opportunity to customise their new lululemon gear and print a cheer sign.
Nike leveraged its high-profile athlete sponsorships
Nike’s high-profile athlete sponsorships with Eliud Kipchoge and Sifan Hassan ensured it was prominently featured across the weekend, and in particularly across the media via PR and broadcast.
This exposure was complemented with simple social media executions (Nikerunning Instagram following: 6M), some leveraging its athlete partnerships.
Nike’s creative that was used across social media was also visible across OOH advertising, placed strategically around the Sydney CBD.
In addition, The Nike House of Victory hosted “Pilates for Runners” class.
On launched its ‘Soft Hub’ at Machine Hall
It was open to the public and welcomed multiple run clubs to experience things such as:
All day immersive experiences
Pasta Party
Shake Out Run with Runna + coffee & treats
‘Soft Wins Workshop’ with Olivia Molly Rogers and Speak & Share
On also hosted a Marathon After Party which featured a recovery station by Hyperice & Precision, food, a soft serve bar, tattoo artists, DJs and giveaways.
WHOOP partnered with PILLAR Performance
PILLAR Performance hosted a masterclass on HRV, recovery strategies and training adaption. PILLAR Performance ran a series of events that also included:
“Light Loop” alongside Nedd Brockmann in support of We Are Mobilise
Shakeout run with LSKD
Tracksmith launched a series of events
It hosted a Kick-Off Party, a Marathon After-Party and launched a pop up store with a commemorative Sydney Marathon Collection, in-store exclusive merchandise lines, a one-of-a-kind “Heirloom Hoodie” that could be customized on the day by on-site chain stitchers and poster stamping.
The Sydney Marathon brings together the global running community
With its entrance into the Abbott World Marathon Major circuit, the Sydney Marathon has firmly established itself on the global running calendar.
Destination NSW estimates $73 million would be spent by tourists over the next few years (estimated to grow to as much as $300 million) because of this new title.
With more people running, more footwear and apparel is needed - How can brands connect with runners?
For brands today it isn’t just about buying ad spots… It’s about being felt, experienced and becoming part of the conversation.
Related: Running culture is a blueprint for brand relevance
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