Abbott World Marathon Majors and Mass Participation World partner to inspire a return to running

August 23, 2022

#togetherwemove encourages the world to get back to racing

/ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – The Abbott World Marathon Majors (AbbottWMM) and Mass Participation World (MPW) have joined forces to launch #togetherwemove in a bid to encourage the world back to mass participation events after the industry hit some big hurdles during the COVID-19 pandemic.

An inspirational video and marketing toolkit has been created for running events across the globe as they entice runners back to their in-person events. It aims to remind runners and supporters of the joy of taking part together; overcoming adversity together; and the wonderful achievements and experiences that mass events provide.

A study by MPW and other industry research showed that during the peak of COVID-19, participating in outdoor activities was fundamentally safe. From more than 10 million participants, there were only five COVID-19 cases reported as a possible result of connecting with others at these events.

The Abbott World Marathon Majors Race Directors and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) are supporting the campaign as they recognize the importance of all event tiers returning to pre-pandemic levels. Not only for event organizers but also for the health and wellbeing of the global population as the lock-down and travel bans led to a more sedentary lifestyle for many.

Dawna Stone, CEO of AbbottWMM said, “We are delighted to see that the world has returned to events and the Majors are back in full force this season. The industry overall however is struggling to bounce back from the change in behaviour the pandemic brought about and we want to do what we can to support and encourage that reversal.”

Chris Robb, CEO of MPW said, “Mass Participation World (MPW) is excited to be partnering with the Abbott World Marathon Majors to support the industry with the #togetherwemove digital toolkit at this challenging time. One of our key missions is to facilitate global collaboration. We have no doubt that this initiative will help organizers to remind participants of the joy of participating together which in turn has the potential to positively impact the health and wellbeing of millions.”

The video was produced by UK-based agency Cravens and voiced by Steve Cram, the former World Champion middle distance runner and renowned athletics commentator.

To download the film and digital media kit please visit: www.massparticipationworld.com/twmkit/

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For media inquiries, please contact:

Lorna Campbell

Head of Communications, Abbott World Marathon Majors

Lorna.Campbell@wmmajors.com

ABOUT ABBOTT WORLD MARATHON MAJORS

The Abbott World Marathon Majors (AbbottWMM) is a series of six of the largest and most renowned marathons in the world – Tokyo Marathon, B.A.A. Boston Marathon, TCS London Marathon, BMW BERLIN-MARATHON, Bank of America Chicago Marathon and TCS New York City Marathon.

Encompassing an annual series for elite runners and elite wheelchair athletes, AbbottWMM also applauds the achievements and passion of everyday champions from around the world. The AbbottWMM Six Star System is an online results hub that celebrates every runner who has completed from one to six of the races in the series and encourages them to ‘Reach for the Stars’.

The AbbottWMM launched the AbbottWMM Wanda Age Group World Rankings in 2018 and the second AbbottWMM Wanda Age Group World Championship race will take place on 02 October 2022 as part of the TCS London Marathon.

The AbbottWMM Global Run Club launched in August 2020 and aims to bring together the global community of marathon runners on a virtual platform.

For more information, visit www.Abbottwmm.com

ABOUT MASS PARTICIPATION WORLD

Mass Participation World helps connect the industry globally. Its purpose is to facilitate collaboration, consultancy, advocacy, research and education through conferences, webinars and podcasts. Some of its key initiatives include the formation in 2021 of a Global Council which meets bi-monthly and includes representatives from federations such as World Athletics, UCI, World Triathlon, World Obstacle and World Orienteering as well as industry representatives from across every continent. In 2022 it launched a Future Leaders: 30 under 30 initiative to help identify and mentor the next generation of leaders.
www.massparticipationworld.com