Want to run a business? Try distance running

It did pinch when I found out that my registration for the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon 2019 had not gone through due to a failed online transaction, something I only came to know of upon enquiring why the confirmation email hadn’t come in with a week left in hand before the event in October.

Having run it quite a few times over the years since its inception in 2005, I’m quite familiar with the process as I am with its 21-kilometre route across Central Delhi’s splendour. Since it was too late to re-register and my fees of Rs 2,000 had been refunded, I decided to drown my disappointment by re-investing it in 21 kilometres alongside a river a month later — in Goa. 1,800 bucks for registration, which included ‘The Goa River Marathon 2019’ shirt, a timing chip, a race bib number with four safety pins to attach it on the shirt, a sling bag, a medal when you finish, refreshments and water along the route and after, medical aid and an ambulance, and all the organising that went into it. Oh yes, a post-run beer too (it is Goa after all!).

Pretty much the standard inclusion in the many well-organised running and endurance events that have picked up across the country, the beer not being mandatory, and a certificate thrown in at times. However, when you find a running event happening every weekend in almost every city and its outskirts, it becomes clear that India is running in large numbers like never before. What becomes clearer is that this “passion” can be monetised and at a pace that is only improving.

“The term for it is ‘active wellness’ and it is booming in the country. Running may at the forefront of it, but activities ranging from cycling, trekking, swimming, triathalons, duathalons, etc are at an all time high. Today, there are close to 1,500 timed running and endurance events across metro cities, small towns, hills, and remote locations. People have started getting out like never before and realised that coming home from work and plonking themselves down with the family, repeating the same thing the next day, just ain’t happening,” summarises Vivek Singh, joint managing director, Procam, International.

Along with his brother Anil, they convinced a bandwagon of stakeholders, from state governments to large sponsors and partners, to “see the goodness in bringing a running movement to India that brings together all levels of runners and provides a platform for communal harmony, pride and good health. At the time, we had no idea whether it would be commercially viable, or monetisable. In fact, people told us — ‘both you brothers are crazy’, as India does not run”. That was 15 years back. Today the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon, Airtel Delhi Half Marathon, Tata Consultancy Services World 10k (in Bengaluru) and the more recent Tata Steel Calcutta 25k (all Procam events), bring in top international professional runners to run along with Indian elite runners and offer prize money upwards of 2,00,000 USD, respectively. The non-professional open categories in each of them have close between 15,000 to 50,000 participants each year, each paying between `1,000 to `2,000 for race distances ranging from four kilometres to 42. There are senior citizen sections, as well as initiatives to fund charities (they’ve raised about `40 crore till date. But a part of the reason for this could also be the fact the window to register under ‘support a charity’ remains open much longer than the regular registration closing date and the runner pay more by a few thousand rupees for it). They are televised events and have a team working year-round on all aspects of them, from promotion to multi-crore deals that enhance the experience each year.

It is the lure of participating in these large-scale events that plays a partial role in mobilising the many other smaller running events, which become good “practice” for runners of all levels while training for them. The fact that a large number of people with disposable income are comfortable dropping `750 to `2,000 for a weekend group activity that benefits them physically, socially and consciously (running for causes ranging from breast cancer awareness to sustaining the environment) completes the leftover part, leaving just enough room for corporate companies to elbow in with sponsorships — seeing this as a ‘positive’ activity to be associated with and also create engagement for employees by encouraging them to participate. How does one find out about them? Well, searching online for runners and running events in a particular city will lead you to groups, which will possibly lead you to an event and from there it just spirals on. There are a few websites that pop up with information about runs all over as well.

“Small little running events have started taking place where a running group will organise a run, say for example around Lodhi Garden or Nehru Park in Delhi. The registration fee is anywhere between `500 to `1,000 . Anyone can run. The profit margins are not much, as most of the money goes into organising, but even if these small-time organisers make ten to fifteen thousand rupees from the run, they are happy”, a runner who professionally manages quite a few large-scale running events in the country, tells me. Being a runner myself, the satellite image looks somewhat like this- there are people running simply for the love of running. Those that run to lose weight and stay fit. Some that love food and run to justify the extra round of Kebabs. Some love waking up at 6am and starting the weekend with an easy long running catch-up with a friend. Others just run to prove to themselves that they have a marathon in them even at age 50. For many, it becomes a seamless lifestyle activity that makes life all the more wholesome.

‘Cashing’ into this are a range of running event organisers and companies spread across sport, wellness, lifestyle, nutrition and running gear, that create a monetisable platform where every type of runner can post a smiley picture from the finish line. The events either timed or non-timed. Timed events are the more professionally organised ones with a timing chip attached to the race-bib given to each participant, and timing monitors along the way, that send the runner the accurate time it took them to finish the run, either by SMS or posted up on the event website. Most of these events are big budgeted, with big names in the automobile sector, banking, education etc backing them. Advertisements come out online, in the papers and on hoardings. Non-timed ones simply have a shirt (at times) and refreshments, water etc along the way. No certificates, maybe a finishing medal. They are organised “mainly by fly-by-night newcomers looking to make a quick buck, who don’t look into safety and other finer aspects of organising a running event and risk ruining it for all of us if something goes wrong,” states Rajesh Vetcha, founder of the Hyderabad Runners Group, that has been organising runs for a decade in the state.

For novice runners who need a bit of hand holding and the ones that set targets for themselves, (like finishing a 21 km run in under two hours) running coaches are also on the rise for approximately ten thousand rupees a month. One of them, Coach Ravinder, who organises running events for the corporate sector pan-India and has been quite successful in getting sponsorship for most of his events from brands like the international adventure clothing company ‘Columbia’, has an amusing policy. “The smaller running events I organise just about break even through the registration fees. No money to be made here. But we have built a strong network of runners from the corporate world through these runs that leads to monetisation possibilities in larger corporate events and tie-ups.”  

Interestingly, the one item that has also become integral to almost any running event kit, is the shirt. Vineet Agarwal, who runs a company that manufactures running shirts for most branded and commercially viable running events in the country, went from catering to various sporting events ten years back, to currently focussing mainly on running, given the scale of business he gets from it. “In every professional sport, the shirt is that favourite place for branding. Same with running events. Hundreds and thousands of runners wear the shirts given to them as part of their registration kit, and in fact, wear them many times after that as well for regular runs around their neighbourhood park, as a sort of ‘proof’ that they ran a challenging event. So it is the most sacred space for sponsors and event organisers, to print their brand logos and get continuing visibility even after the event.”

Wonder why then, most of the folks I spoke to here were shying away at mentioning revenue figures and needed a bit of coaxing. If the theory is correct, then the original purpose for man and woman to run was to chase prey for a meal. There was always an incentive. Why should it be any different now?

The writer is a Web and TV producer, presenter and writer who tracks trends