Boosting brand value and visibility of corporates such as IT major Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), powering economies of cities, adding value to several lifestyle brands by becoming a strategic business growth engine, besides being a huge business opportunity in itself — the sport of running is oiling many machines.
“Running in India is a $450-million-a-year industry that includes sponsorships, fitness industry, apparel, and event management,” said Vivek Singh, joint MD and co-founder of Procam International, the organisers of Tata Mumbai Marathon (TMM), Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon, TCS World 10K Bengaluru, and Tata Steel World 25K Kolkata.
In 2024, the Indian sports market grew 19% year-on-year, with marathons making up 23.5% of the growth. The organised participative sports market is more than `1,000 crore, with marathons leading the component and over 2 million registered runners participating annually, as per media investment company GroupM’s entertainment and sports division (ESP) report 2024.
Monetising running as the fastest growing sport in India, brands flock to sponsor marathons and distance running events to build a meaningful bond with their target groups and create a legacy of commerce, community, and social impact.
Brands like TCS and Puma have generated significant economic impact, while also boosting their own brand image by investing in running. Globally, TCS-powered races generated a $2.25-billion impact on their local economies in 2024, while raising $279 million for charitable causes. “Marathons have become a powerful force for good in our world. The partnerships allow us to connect authentically with clients, employees, and communities,” said Abhinav Kumar, chief marketing & communications officer, TCS.
The Tata Group company was assessed with a brand value of $19.2 billion in the 2024 Brand Finance Global 500 IT Services Rankings, representing an 11.5% y-o-y growth from $17.2 billion in 2023, making it the highest absolute growth among the top 25 IT firms. This growth is attributed to TCS’s strong brand building efforts, including sponsorships of 14 global running events – TCS New York City Marathon, and Tata Mumbai Marathon, TCS London Marathon, TCS Amsterdam Marathon, among others.
Running shoes and apparel brand Puma India has signed a multi-year deal with NEB Sports, a company promoting sports in India, as the official sportswear partner for the Mumbai Half Marathon and the Wipro Bengaluru Marathon.
“Since 2021, we have consistently invested in growing the running segment with weekly training runs, quarterly runs, run club or ATL campaigns that we do once a year,” said Shreya Sachdev, associate director & head of marketing, Puma India. The brand has a decade-long partnership and is the official sports partner of Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon, besides Ladakh Marathon, Adani Marathon in 2024 and Nitro Runs (5k &10K) on a quarterly basis across the country.
Japanese sportswear brand Asics has partnered with TCS World 10K Bengaluru to capitalise on running events. “We have leveraged major marathons across the country to elevate brand visibility. These events strengthen brand positioning and ultimately significant growth for our business,” said Rajat Khurana, MD of Asics India.
Homegrown fitness brand HRX has collaborated with Juhu Half Marathon for the next three years, while food services and facilities management company Sodexo is associated with TCS World 10K Bengaluru. Mining group Vedanta’s ‘Run for Zero Hunger’ is a mass movement where for every kilometre one runs, you contribute one meal. “With the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon, Vedanta Pink City Half Marathon in Jaipur, and Vedanta Zinc City Half Marathon in Udaipur, we are transforming miles into meals,” said Priya Agarwal Hebbar, chairperson, Hindustan Zinc, and director, Vedanta.
For the 20th edition of the Tata Mumbai Marathon 2025 held earlier this year, 21 run clubs, including Pune Running Club, Juhu Superfit and Fitness First India, managed 24 health and lifestyle brands, which included Bisleri and active nutrition brand FAST&UP.
“As the fastest growing participative sport in India, running offers a unique opportunity for brands to connect with their relevant audiences year round for deeper engagement,” said Singh of Procam. For Procam International, the total sponsorship amount raised for four races Mumbai (first race in 2014), Bengaluru, Delhi, Kolkata has seen a substantial jump, from `80 crore (combination of sponsorships, barter, registration fees) in 2014 to about `150 crore in 2024-25.
As per the study titled ‘Social, Economic, Health, and Sustainability Impact of The Tata Mumbai Marathon 2024’ by International Institute of Sports & Management (IISM), in collaboration with Procam International, the TMM event has had a growing substantial economic impact on the Maharashtra economy with `156 crore (2020), `249 crore (2023) and `367 crore (2024). This is a result of a surge in tourism, hotel occupancy rates, and increased patronage of local businesses during the marathon.