Nadie on the track is disgusted by Olympic hoops, but the possibility of entering the program of certain Games comes with many unknowns. There are points in favor, such as the growing popularity of this sport, rooted in values such as care for nature, its complete span over several generations, and the plan is always attractive to put on shoes, kick a lot – the distance menu is extensive – and spend a few hours in front of the cell phone.
The brands, their great drivers in the absence of a solid federative pyramid structure, have benefits for Alza and understand that this alone would make it possible to increase them. It does not require, a priori, normative sudoku, it would suffice to include it as an additional discipline of World Athletics, the international athletics federation. That’s all well and good, but squaring the circle requires that private circuits — and the brands that finance them — be able to create a cusp. It is a solvent television product, which no longer exists in hard-to-reach areas, without losing its adventurous essence.
Salomon, sponsor of the Golden Trail World Series, the main middle-distance circuit, brought to its October finale in the Italian Ledro Alps a cartel claiming its presence at the Games. “We believe that the short format is the most appropriate for trail running to become an Olympic sport,” summarizes Scott Mellin, global brand manager for the company. Races bordering on two hours – with the exception of the Zegama marathon, which lasted four hours – which generated “a strong audience”. By announcing its agreement with Warner Bros in April, it planned for Brisbane 2032. A goal that supports a sport that in 2024 as a business exceeds 4 billion dollars (3,400 million euros) and which grows, according to its projections, by 7.5% per year. It does not reach the dimensions of asphalt — 23 billion million — which in turn grows by 4%.
“We think there are 33 million trail runners in the world”, underlines Mellin. The EE UU is at the top of the list with 13.5 million in a panorama of around two million runners – those who have a backbone – in some 5,000 races. “It’s a very mature sport with a real infrastructure behind it”, assures Scott Mellin.
Las Golden achieved a 20% increase in subscribers and coverage last year, mainly through Eurosport, which reaches 96 countries. One consequence of this gamble is that there will be no imminent future on your career calendar without live coverage. “We are in discussions with World Athletics and the IOC. The more active we are about our desire to put on the rings, the more legitimate the cause will be,” said Scott Mellin. The federation would be Paraguay which recognizes the sport and organizes the process. Mellin also opens the door to 2030 in the French Alps.
Why does a brand play the driving role of an international federation? “Because we have been here since day one,” Subraya Mellin. And for the incentive to put a logo on the corner of the 687 million televisions around the world that broadcast games. “It’s worth way more than the money we’re putting into it.” From the Mont Blanc Ultra Trail, perhaps the most iconic trail, emerged a half-century-long calendar of qualifying events around the world, with another brand, Hoka, as the driving force. In the middle distance, Merrell is pushing the Skyrunner World Series, a format with more technical races — it’s common to slide down chains, cross snow or use a shell — for a more mountainous profile. This is why we must bring together national, European and world championships, both from athletics and mountain federations. In practice, a shared power in which many can strive to be champions of something and brands have enough escape to boost their sales.
“Who is the best in the world? There is no answer. Of course we talk with other brands, but we are the only ones who have television. And that is the most important vehicle to popularize this sport,” warns Mellin.
The World Cup celebrated in September in Canfranc had a great participation, but there were no names for the ultra distance when it was celebrated a month after the UTMB and the distance was reduced two weeks before the golden final.
The goal is to create a sufficient television product. For him, Subraya Mellin, his brand will increase the investment and improve the retransmission of the Golden and “remedy the defects” of the signal, intermittent in areas of difficult access where it is only possible to capture the athletes with camera riders let them follow them. “It’s quite a process, isn’t it? We were delighted the first time we saw the Mont Blanc Marathon on television, even though the picture was so blurry it was difficult to tell who was who. But it was the first step. If Formula 1 is at the pinnacle of television production, we still have a way to go,” admits Mellin. The rest is about producing good television without the product falling into artificial territory.
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