Retail Matters Podcast: Racing in Style: How Marathons Became Fashion Shows

With fashion and running culture increasingly intersecting, major marathons provide perfect venues for brands to market both performance and lifestyle products to a pool of shoppers willing to spend big on footwear and merch.

Shoppers aren’t just buying for performance but also to signal their place in a community.

Brands parachuting in for a quick cash grab may find themselves rejected, leading many to team with partners involved in local running communities.