What's the ultimate running distance, the ultimate word related to running,the ultimate goal, the most famous of all distances?
I would say the 'marathon'.
The biggest race with the biggest race day crowds, that brings thousands and thousands of spectators to the city streets.
Everyone can name the fastest man over 100m, but how many out there can name the worlds fastest man over the most famous distance of them all?
The world record holder for the 100m has 3.5 million followers on Twitter.
The fastest man in the world to run the famous 26.2 miles has just 2300 followers.
The wonderful world of sponsorship and celebrity!
The thing is that Bolt is much easier to "sell": the race lasts only 10 seconds (plus 20 minutes of pre-show and 10 more minutes of replays and celebrations), so you can actually play it over and over again in news segments, internet, YouTube, etc. It easier to promote it between people that isn't a running fanatic like us, so it works.
ReplyDeleteHaving regular non-sporty people, or even some serious running fans, watching a couple of guys running for TWO HOURS is a very complicated task: not much happens during a Marathon. And to keep people watching "not much" for two hours doesn't seem like a very good marketing strategy.
With Bolt it's instant hit, instant replays, instant marketing, instant money.
I'm not saying that it's better, I prefer marathons and long distance running, but that's how it works for the media.