From title sponsorships and hydration tie-ups to data-led runner engagement and community-building efforts, marathons are no longer treated as standalone sporting events
India's marathon circuit is seeing a renewed wave of brand interest, with advertisers increasingly tapping endurance sports to build sustained engagement, purpose-driven storytelling and high-impact on-ground visibility beyond traditional sponsorship models.
From title sponsorships and hydration tie-ups to data-led runner engagement and community-building efforts, marathons are no longer treated as standalone sporting events. Instead, brands are positioning them as scalable platforms centred on wellness, sustainability and immersive experiences.
Industry experts point out that post-pandemic shifts in consumer behaviour have fuelled interest in fitness, mental well-being and outdoor participation, making marathons an attractive brand touchpoint associated with discipline, resilience and healthy living. This evolution has expanded the sponsor base beyond BFSI and sportswear to include technology companies, FMCG players, healthcare firms and digital-first brands.
According to Statista, the global sports sponsorship and in-venue advertising market was valued at $52 billion in 2025, accounting for 12% of total global sports revenue. In India, marathons are increasingly viewed as measurable brand platforms rather than one-day associations. The Tata Mumbai Marathon alone has generated an estimated ?530 crore in total impact, including ?476.97 crore in health and economic benefits and ?253.62 crore in social impact.
Anchor brands set the tone
For Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), marathons form the backbone of its global sports sponsorship strategy. Michelle Taylor, Head of Sports Sponsorships at TCS, said, “Giving back to the community, health and wellness, and supporting green initiatives are central to who we are, and the marathon platform aligns strongly with that.”
Beyond external outreach, TCS leverages marathons to promote movement and well-being among employees, reinforcing its long-term brand promise of being “with you for the long run.”
In India, TCS has built deep-rooted associations, marking 19 years with the Tata Mumbai Marathon and nine years as its title sponsor, alongside its long-standing involvement with the TCS World 10K Bengaluru. Rather than operating as a logo-led sponsor, the company works closely with organisers to enhance the race experience through technology-driven solutions such as personalised race features and digital platforms for runners and spectators.
Marathons have emerged as a high-impact brand platform for TCS, delivering both community and business outcomes at scale. Brand Finance’s Marathons 50 2025 report noted that TCS-sponsored races generated $2.25 billion in local economic impact and raised $279 million for charity in 2024, nearly half of the total impact created by the world’s top 50 marathons. The platform has also driven stronger brand metrics, with 46% familiarity and 67% consideration among marathon runners, compared to 16% and 27% among non-runners. With 14 sponsored marathons across 11 countries, including five Abbott World Marathon Majors, TCS’s sustained investment underscores why endurance events appeal to brands seeking scale, purpose-led engagement and access to senior decision-makers—14% of marathon runners globally hold C-suite roles.
Taylor added, “We invest significantly in sports sponsorships, and the marathon platform anchors that investment, accounting for a substantial share of our overall sponsorship budget.”
This shift towards deeper engagement is also evident among sportswear brands.
Saurabh Sharma, Director – Marketing at ASICS India, said marathons align naturally with the evolution of running in India into a year-round lifestyle. Runners now train consistently, engage in communities and seek products that support performance and recovery throughout the cycle. Marathons allow ASICS to engage across training, race day and recovery, creating an end-to-end presence that digital-only platforms struggle to replicate.
ASICS has intensified its focus on running-centric platforms over the past two to three years, partnering with major events such as the New Delhi Marathon, TCS World 10K Bengaluru and the NMDC Hyderabad Marathon. The brand treats marquee properties like the Tata Mumbai Marathon as year-long platforms rather than race-day-only sponsorships, aligning investments accordingly.
“We invest heavily in product storytelling that begins months before race day. When we launch a performance running shoe, the narrative builds over weeks through retail channels, digital content and community engagement,” Sharma added.
According to him, initiatives such as the year-round ASICS Running Club—active across multiple cities—and services like FOOT ID gait analysis reflect the brand’s long-term investment in infrastructure, coaching and performance support. As India’s running ecosystem matures, this approach has scaled steadily and become a more strategic component of ASICS’ marketing mix.
B2B brands enter the race
Beyond consumer-facing brands, marathons are also attracting growing interest from industrial and B2B players. Events such as the SKF Goa River Marathon align with SKF India Industrial’s focus on precision, consistency and performance. While digital platforms drive visibility, endurance events offer a more direct connection with participants who embody resilience and progress. The brand’s long-standing association with the marathon has helped build trust within the running community, reflected in its 15th edition held in December 2025, which drew over 6,000 runners.
Nrithika Sridharan, Director – Strategy and Marketing, SKF India Industrial Ltd. & Southeast Asia and Middle East, said, “Our investment in community-driven events like the SKF Goa River Marathon has grown steadily, driven by strong engagement, rising participation and demonstrated brand impact. This mirrors a broader trend, with India’s running movement—now involving millions of registered runners—creating opportunities for authentic, high-touch brand experiences.”
Endurance as a long-term consumer play
Nutrition brand Fast&Up views marathons and endurance formats as part of a sustained shift in fitness behaviour rather than a short-term trend, with participation expanding across age groups and new formats such as HYROX gaining traction.
Unlike one-off activations, endurance communities enable long-term engagement and loyalty. This belief underpins Fast&Up’s partnership with Procam International across properties including the Tata Mumbai Marathon, Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon, TCS World 10K Bengaluru and the Tata Steel Kolkata 25K, which together account for a significant portion of its annual running marketing spend.
“In addition to these marquee associations, we consistently allocate resources to a range of running events across the country. Over the last two to three years, absolute investment has grown modestly but remained largely consistent,” said Vijayaraghavan Venugopal, Co-founder, Fast&Up India. He added that while the share of marathon-related spends within the overall marketing budget has reduced slightly, this reflects broader brand scale-up rather than diminished commitment.
What brands are paying for
Industry experts say this shift reflects a fundamental change in how brands assess marathon sponsorships. Jyoti Chugh Bhatia, Group Director at Gozoop Creative, said marathons have evolved from one-off sponsorship moments into long-term platforms for credibility, purpose and community-building.
BFSI and technology brands currently lead spending, driven by the trust and emotional engagement marathons offer at scale. FMCG and fitness brands continue to invest steadily, while startups are entering selectively with sharper ROI expectations.
According to her, spends vary widely based on the depth of involvement—from low-lakh experiential partnerships to multi-crore associate or category sponsorships. “Title sponsorships for major city marathons sit at the top and can run into several tens of crores. What’s changed is that brands are no longer treating these as one-off spends; many are committing for multiple years to maximise value,” she said.
Procam International, which promotes large-scale mass-participation events including the Tata Mumbai Marathon, Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon, TCS World 10K Bengaluru and the Tata Steel Kolkata 25K, has witnessed this evolution firsthand.
Neha Parab Kandalgaonkar, Vice President – Corporate Communications at Procam International, said the Tata Mumbai Marathon has grown beyond a predominantly B2C platform, with rising interest from B2B brands seeking purpose-led associations around sustainability, philanthropy and long-term impact.
She noted that sponsorships are increasingly viewed as long-term partnerships rather than single-season transactions, enabling brands to engage with runners across training, pre-race activations, race day and post-event initiatives.
“While spends have grown, intent has become far clearer. Brands are investing in storytelling, community engagement, CSR integration, employee engagement and programs that extend both on-ground and digitally,” she added, noting that while traditional media spends may have declined, brands are investing more in leveraging their sponsorships.
Brand presence
As marathon sponsorships mature, brand presence is increasingly defined by relevance and experience rather than visibility alone. Bhatia observed that brands are moving beyond logo-led placements to runner-centric engagement, with greater focus on consent-led data capture, content creation at expos and finish lines, and functional touchpoints such as recovery and wellness zones.
“Technology is playing a larger role—from live tracking to personalised race insights. Brands are also engaging well before race day through training programs and cause-led initiatives to remain relevant beyond the finish line,” she said.
This evolution is particularly visible at the Tata Mumbai Marathon. Kandalgaonkar said the strongest brand impressions are created on the course rather than through hoardings, citing examples such as ASICS supporting emerging Indian distance runners and launching marathon-linked merchandise, and Bisleri featuring Indian distance athletes on its packaging.
Brands echo this thinking. SKF India said it prioritises long-term partnerships over one-off sponsorships, focusing on authentic, purpose-driven engagement that builds trust beyond visibility. ASICS noted that growing brand presence at marathons reflects the expanding relevance of running, with differentiation driven by runner-first participation across training, race day and recovery.
Fast&Up also does not view marathons as overly cluttered, highlighting its functional role as an energy, electrolyte and hydration partner. The brand said its emphasis on product usage, on-ground engagement and targeted activations drives relevance and recall even in crowded sponsorship environments.
As India’s running ecosystem continues to evolve, marathons are transitioning from sponsorship properties into long-term brand platforms rooted in purpose, community and sustained engagement. For marketers, the shift signals a move away from visibility-led spends towards deeper, intent-driven participation that mirrors how consumers now engage with sport and wellness.
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