With the New York City Marathon a day away, it’s time to celebrate some 26.2 mile events that took place this week in history. On November 2nd, 2003, ING, a financial services conglomerate, became the first title sponsor of the New York City Marathon. That little orange lion on all the marathon gear is almost a decade old, and it symbolizes the history of one of the world’s most celebrated running events.
Over the past few years, ING has helped fund other fitness initiatives, like ING Run For Something Better, a partnership with local communities that creates fitness programs for kids. The company justifies its sponsorship by highlighting values like discipline and dedication that apply to both physical fitness and dealing with those dolla dolla bills. For all those fitness fans, the dough from sponsors keeps the marathon running strong.
Events like the NYC Marathon can inspire everyone. Some of us are joining the race, some cheering from the sidelines, and some admiring thousands of runners who are pushing themselves to utter exhaustion (while we’re cozying up with a bowl of this stuff).
An added bit of running history: Although the first Sunday in November is now officially “Marathon Sunday” in the Big Apple, the first few New York City marathons actually took place in September. (And it’s too bad the posters no longer look like this one.)
