The TCS New York City Marathon has its first cosmetics partner.
The event, taking place Nov. 3 and among the highest-profile races produced annually by the nonprofit New York Road Runners, is joining with Maybelline New York in a first for both parties.
The partnership entails brand activations, such as a cheer zone along the race’s course, a booth at the marathon’s expo preceding the race, and Maybelline’s own running team. The partnership was born out of a multitude of commonalities between Maybelline as a brand and the race’s mission, both parties said.
“New York Road Runners is nearly 70 years old at this point, and our mission is to build communities through the transformative power of running,” said Christine Burke, senior vice president of strategic partnerships and runner products for New York Road Runners. “We were introduced to Maybelline through our expo last year and through conversations around their interest in mental health. We thought this would be an interesting way to partner more deeply.”
Maybelline’s own Team Maybelline, which it created in tandem with the National Alliance on Mental Illness, will include actress Claire Holt, TV personality Tayshia Adams, model Haley Kalil and celebrity makeup artist Karen Sarahi Gonzalez, in addition to global employees for the brand.
“In my opinion, it’s the best day in New York,” Jessica Feinstein, Maybelline’s senior vice president of marketing — and herself a veteran marathoner — said. “You see every different type of New Yorker out there, the city is on fire with energy, and we’re a New York brand. Why not connect with this cultural moment, when no other brand connects with New York like Maybelline does?”
The race will also be an opportunity to put Maybelline’s long-stay products, notably its Super Stay Matte Ink, to the test. “No other makeup brand could survive the 26.2-mile long-wear challenge,” Feinstein said. “We’ll be demonstrating that, and we have other products, too. Showing the product performance is super important to us.”
The partnership comes as beauty brands have a heightened interest in athletics. Glossier is a long-standing partner of the WNBA, while Mielle Organics tapped NCAA athlete Angel Reese for an ambassadorship last year.
“We’re the beneficiaries of a running boom that we identify as starting during COVID when gyms were closed and people wanted to exercise,” Burke said. “We have added dozens of running clubs to our programs, and we have 40 adult races per year, which are selling out months in advance of where they sold out a year or two ago.”
Added Feinstein of the opportunity that presents for brands: “If you look at the sheer power and authority of athletes — it’s beautiful,” she said. “It’s not just sponsoring a team, it’s connecting to our Brave Together platform for mental health, and we’re also making it fun.”
