Life Time Reveals New Brand for Emporia Gravel Event: UNBOUND Gravel

October 29, 2020

Internationally renowned for the remote, rugged and unforgiving journey it provides riders, the former DK gravel event begins a new chapter in 2021

EMPORIA, Kans., October 30, 2020 — Life Time is pleased to announce the new name for its wildly popular Emporia, Kans.-based gravel event. UNBOUND Gravel will carry on the 15-year history, legacy and energy of the original event with a new identity. Garmin will remain on as title sponsor of the event.

“Our team agreed that we wanted a name, logo and colors that embody the Flint Hills of Kansas. This region, and the hilly, sharp gravel roads that accompany it, are what help make this event what it has become: known widely today as the World’s Premier Gravel Event. We know the life impact this event has on people and we wanted a strong brand that participants felt proud of, that we could tell stories around, and that tied literally and figuratively to the area,” said Michelle Duffy, Director of Off-Road Events Marketing at Life Time. “The word UNBOUND most literally means to be free. It represents the free-range cattle, wild mustangs and native bison in the prairie of the Flint Hills, who move freely and live wildly. It’s synonymous with our participants who experience a sense of freedom on the gravel roads outside of Emporia, and in those moments feel “unbound” from anything else. Just the rider and the tire-shredding, sun-baking, breathtaking Flint Hills gravel.”

In support of the new name and branding process, Life Time established a task force composed of Emporia business and tourism leaders, representatives of the cycling media, members of the cycling community—including a past champion and a two-time podium finisher—alongside its internal brand and marketing leaders. Additionally, other members of the gravel cycling community, along with partners and athletes, and a survey of many members of the DK community were instrumental in validating that ‘UNBOUND Gravel’ meets the event’s future vision. Finally, members of the Emporia-based events team visited Kaw Nation, Okla. to visit with members of the Tribal Council to openly discuss the renaming of the event and share the planned path forward.

“This rebrand is the end of a chapter for us as the DK, but we’ll continue to embrace the history of the land on which we ride. We hope that each time riders touch the gravel roads in the Flint Hills, they take a moment to remember what has been,” said Kristi Mohn, UNBOUND Gravel Marketing Manager. “UNBOUND Gravel provides an opportunity to reimagine what an event can look like, and this rebrand is only step one in the process. So much is yet to come for the gravel community.”

In keeping with the establishment of its DEI Coalition, Life Time is committed to providing access and education to all individuals, while initiating industry shifts around inclusiveness at events. The organization has pledged to impact change across the industry as a whole, using its 30+ events as a platform. The team is taking deliberate steps to enact change for riders and runners across BIPOC, LGBTQ+, gender-focused, economically disenfranchised and para groups, including lowering the barrier of entry to the sport, providing access to start lines, gaining a clear understanding of who we are, so that we can identify and implement the work that must be done and evoking change to benefit the entire Life Time family of athletes, volunteers, partners, team members and the broader endurance sport community.

Furthering the Company’s commitment to the community, the event rebrand comes on the heels of the Life Time Foundation announcing a multi-year partnership with Emporia Public Schools, through which it has committed $95,000 in funding for a School Food Program that will impact more than 4,300 students across nine schools.

The 2021 All Things Gravel Expo will kick off on June 3, with race day being Saturday, June 5. 2021 deferral registration will launch for participants with entry from the cancelled 2020 event on Monday, November 16. Learn more and register at unboundgravel.com. Pre-order UNBOUND Gravel merchandise is available for purchase, with Life Time contributing 15% of all proceeds towards its DEI initiatives for UNBOUND Gravel.

About Life Time®, Inc.

As a wellness pioneer, Life Time is reshaping the way consumers approach their health by integrating where we play, work and live – all with the primary objective of helping people lead healthy, happy lives. With more than 150 destinations in 41 major markets across the U.S. and Canada, Life Time operates luxury athletic resorts, owns and produces iconic athletic events and is expanding its brand through Life Time Work premium coworking spaces and Life Time Living high-end leased residences. For more information visit lifetime.life.

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