A
few months ago US-based sportswear brand Under Armour launched a shoe
they claim is so well-designed for the runner's feet - ball, heel, foot,Buy Cheap Juicy couture women's T-shirts pinky
toe and all, that they fit like bras. The Speedform, which costs $120 a
pop, is in fact made in a bra factory. It's the Wonderbra of running
shoes from what we gather. Under Armour is, of course, not the only
company in the world trying to woo a growing population of runners, and
not just the variety which sprints to the grocery store or to catch the
18:00 local. Nike's Flynet shoe has won many awards and the company
recently launched the Nike Free 5.0, a shoe which simulates a barefoot
running experience. Reebok has a small army of product category managers
who help create products like Reebok One, a running shoe with a three
part sole. It is being developed by top end runners and will cost you
between Rs 8,999 and Rs 9999.Puma too launched its running shoe the
Mobium this year, which has seen its fair share of asphalt already
because, as Rajiv Mehta, managing director, Puma India puts it, "People
realise they can't wear a squash shoe for running." However, where you
put your foot is just the beginning. From Milkha to Bolt, from running
clubs and running solo to running for teambuilding and running for good,
from customised playlists, training apps and wristbands that measure
everything from distance covered to calories lost to sweat absorbent
underwear and hydrating nutritional gels, that is the runner's world. It
is a rapidly evolving ecosystem and brands from sportswear and
technology to food and finance want in on the race.
The bottom line is that running in this country is becoming serious business.China Fork Carriage Bar But
that wasn't always the case. Although across the country Indians,
barefoot or not, have always been running for all sorts of reasons, and
despite the lack of a conducive environment for runners, over the last
decade the number of runners hitting the open road as a lifestyle choice
has been going northward at a breathless pace. According to Vivek
Singh, joint managing director, Procam International, the company behind
the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon, India did not have a running
culture till about a decade or so ago. Yet, in 2004, the first edition
of the Mumbai Marathon, which is now a top global distance running
event,Buy Cheap Abercrombie Women's Shorts had 21,000 people register.Of course,Buy Cheap Abercrombie Women's Fleece the current cap only allows for 40,000 runners, but says Singh,Buy Cheap Ralph Lauren Kid's polo all
places fill up within a few days, thus leaving many in the spectators'
stand. It is this eagerness exactly that prompted sponsors such as
Standard Chartered, TCS and Airtel, among others, to take "a leap of
faith" to begin with. Says Singh, "Because running is not just a
spectator sport. It is participative in nature and can help brands build
based on an emotional differentiator that is worth paying for."Now
companies are attempting to embed running in to popular culture, and
they are reeling in the young first. At Nike, for instance, they even
have meetings as they run within the company. According to Avinash Pant,
marketing director, Nike India, running is getting more social since
it's extremely simple (and sometimes cheaper) "just put on the right
footwear and product and then head outdoors to get energised." For
brands targeting a younger demographic, running is becoming a fairly
effective platform from where they can have meaningful exchanges with
their core consumer. "We look at the youth today and think of how to
engage them with running: which is why the platform of college fests is
perfect," says Pant, referring to Nike Outrun 2013, a 4-kilometre foot
race in Mumbai designed for college students.
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