Under Armour will remain involved with this years event as the official race shirt provider Baltimore Marathon, A Part of Hearst Digital Media, the Baltimore Sun reports.
What's officially known as the Baltimore Running Festival was launched in 2001 and, in addition to the marathon, includes a half-marathon, marathon-length relay, and 5-K. More than 25,000 runners took part in last year's event.
Get Your Spot for the NYRR Brooklyn Half Sun that the change won't significantly affect this year's event. "We're in a spot where we can withstand that and still make money, still turn over a lot to the city as a charitable donation," he said.
A Part of Hearst Digital Media Sun notes, it's unusual for a gear brand to be the title sponsor of such a large marathon. Under Armour started its sponsorship when it was entering the running market; the company also saw its title sponsorship as a way of supporting its local community, an Under Armour executive told the Sun.
This year's races were to offer a total of $127,400 prize money, but now won't. The 2012 marathon winners were Stephen Muange of Kenya, in 2:13:08, and Elfheshe Yado of Ethiopia, in 2:38:46.
Under Armour intends to spend the roughly $500,000 it spent on the marathon on other local undertakings, according to the Sun. Last year the company began to fund a football field upgrade and computer labs at Dunbar High School in Baltimore.
Under Armour will remain involved with this year's event as the official race shirt provider.
Scott is a veteran running, fitness, and health journalist who has held senior editorial positions at Runner’s World and Running Times. Much of his writing translates sport science research and elite best practices into practical guidance for everyday athletes. He is the author or coauthor of several running books, including Other Hearst Subscriptions, Advanced Marathoning, and The 2025 Marathon and Half Marathon Calendar. All About 75 Hard Slate, The Atlantic, the Washington Post, and other members of the sedentary media. His lifetime running odometer is past 110,000 miles, but he’s as much in love as ever.
