The Next Challenge: Australia 2013

Getting involved through sponsorship

INTRODUCTION

No one would have believed it possible for an ordinary man in the street to run coast to coast across the United States of America. That particular pipe dream became reality during the summer of 2011 as Mark Allison, better known under his fundraising name of “Run Geordie Run”, ran an incredible 3100 miles from Huntington Beach, California to Coney Island, New York in just 100 days.

This wasn’t just the story of one man with limited resources running an average of 31 miles a day while battling the heat of the Mojave Desert, the cold of the Rocky Mountains and the loneliness of the high plains. It wasn’t just a story of drug busts, viscous dog attacks and run-ins with gangsters. Ultimately, it was a story that saw an ordinary man raise £105,000 for two charities close to his heart.

One thing is for sure, this against all odds tale of human bravery, endurance and fortitude captured the imagination of the media, numerous celebrities and general public alike. The run, accompanying blog and social media campaign were later to receive numerous awards including the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) “Communicator of The Year” and BBC “Sporting Inspiration”.

It goes without saying that the main award achieved was the vast sum raised for the two charities based in Mark’s native North East England. The first was St. Benedict’s Hospice, which cared for his mother during her final days battling lung cancer in 1995. The second, The Children’s Foundation a local charity whose primary concern is the happiness, health and safety of children, much like Mark’s own son. The latter institution was so grateful that they subsequently made Mark an ambassador of the charity.

THE RUN ACROSS THE USA

The run across the USA began in Huntington Beach with a reasonably modest following in the traditional media, online and through social media channels. As the run progressed, however, and the public were taken on a journey with Mark through his detailed blog and clever and calculated use of Twitter and Facebook, his following grew and the charitable donations poured in beyond everybody’s expectations.

MEDIA COVERAGE FOR THE USA RUN

The run across the USA gripped the North East regional press from start to finish and Run Geordie Run became a brand that everyone was familiar with.

The 2011 run generated over 200 pieces of coverage, creating over 3million opportunities to see or hear about Run Geordie Run’s efforts across the national and regional media.

Amongst the key media successes was regular primetime coverage on Real Radio’s (North East) Gary and Lisa Breakfast Show which provided listeners with a chance to hear about Mark’s progress first hand from the USA. This coverage, incidentally, helped the show scoop the Sony Radio Academy Gold Award for Breakfast Show of the Year.

Print and online coverage was regularly generated across the North East throughout the 2011 run, but the most popular daily newspaper, The Journal, supported the USA run on an almost daily basis.

The most poignant of front page headlines was seen onthe final day of the run amidst the backdrop of riots in the UK during the summer of 2011:

“As cities all over England were grappling with outbreaks of looting, we watched films outdoors in the city centre and saluted a new hero of the Geordie Nation (Run Geordie Run)”.The Journal, Wednesday 10th August 2011

While numerous national tabloid newspapers covered the run across the USA from time to time the stand out national coverage came in the form of news items on BBC Newsround, BBC Breakfast and extensive coverage during the BBC’s live Great North Run coverage on BBC1.

Mark’s participation in The Great North Run came just weeks after he had finished running across the USA. Nova International, the organisers of the event, called his participation a “lap of honour” and he was duly awarded the race number “3100” which was the total number of miles that he’d ran across the USA. As well as learning more about Mark’s incredible achievement, BBC viewers, much to the delight of his sponsors, were treated to views of Mark’s kit with sponsor’s logos and, of course, his trusty Brooks running shoes.

BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show presenter, Chris Moyles, singled out Mark for special praise on his popular BBC Breakfast Show with unexpected and lengthy coverage on day 92 of the run across the USA. Chris and his colleagues made light hearted reference to the fact that Mark was sponsored by a pie company, naming the brand live on air – his sponsors couldn’t have been happier!

Following the run across the USA, just days after arriving back in the UK, Mark was greeted at Newcastle International Airport by a large gathering of written, radio and TV media, sponsors and supporters. He gave a live exclusive interview to the local ITV station Tyne Tees from their studio on the evening news show later that day.

Mark’s home town football team, Newcastle United, invited Mark to run a lap of honour during the half time period of the Arsenal game. Kevin Keegan was later to call on Mark to take part in “The Entertainer’s Reunion” charity football match where Mark played alongside the likes of Alan Shearer, David Ginola, Faustino Asprilla and Phillipe Albert.

If playing for the famous “Entertainers” versus a Liverpool of the same era wasn’t surreal enough then Mark was to star as Run Geordie Run in pantomime later that year.

In 2012, the UK’s best-selling running magazine, Runners World, placed Mark in their “Runner’s World Hall of Fame”. This saw a full page spread about the run across the USA in the magazine together with sponsors kit and logos in full view.

What started out as modest publicity in the early days of the run had finished with numerous major PR victories for Run Geordie Run, the two charities and all sponsors concerned. It’s no wonder that the CharteredInstitute of Public Relations saw fit to award Mark the “Communicator of The Year” award.

Various awards and coverage were to follow but the fact that the run across the USA had taken Mark’s all time fundraising effort to £160,000 meant that there was a very good possibility that the next event, if he could once again rise to the standards that had previously been set, had a chance of breaching the £1/4 million barrier.

THE FUTURE

Mark continues to relive the run across the USA through the delivery of inspirational talks to business, schools and community groups. Regular items across TV, radio, print and online media have also helped keep the Run Geordie Run brand stay in people’s minds.

Not one to rest on his fund-raising laurels, Run Geordie Run’s next challenge, announced live on the Real Radio Breakfast Show with live studio coverage on regional ITV news, along with articles across the regional press is yet another mind-blowing trans-continental journey scheduled to take place during the last three months of 2013.

The new challenge in 2013 will see Mark battle a 2600 mile coast to coast run across Australia which will start in Perth on October 16th and with a lot of effort, luck and support will conclude in Sydney some 70 days later on Christmas Eve.

The charities that will benefit from the run across Australia are The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation (Charity No. 1057213) and The Children’s Foundation (Charity No 1000013).

SPONSORSHIP FOR THE 2013 CHALLENGE

Unlike previous fundraising efforts, the tour costs associated with the run across Australia will rely wholly on commercial sponsorship.

This type of funding has always been passed to the charities in the past, leaving Mark to fund his various events himself, which included selling his own car! Unfortunately, Mark is no longer in a position to fund an event of this difficulty and magnitude but feels that he owes it to the two charities to have another attempt of raising a six figure sum.

It is with that in mind that Mark is actively seeking commercial sponsors to help make the 2600 mile run across Australia a success for both The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation and The Children’s Foundation.

WHAT IS AVAILABLE FOR SPONSORS?

Mark is keen to discuss bespoke sponsorship packages, to ensure that the deal is commercially viable for both the charities and the companies involved.

EXPOSURE

With a solid relationship established with the North East media, the sponsor can expect coverage in the lead-up, during and after the run across the regional press. In addition to this, there has already been interest from national titles and the Run Geordie Run press team hope to investigate opportunities pre and post the run.

In addition to this, media contacts within Australia have been established and during the 2013 challenge Mark will be offered for interviews/photographs to local and regional press across the run map, thereby generating international media coverage and access to an Australian audience.

Sponsors will receive exposure in the form of kit logos and brand mentions, where possible.

In additional to publicity, Mark continues to run his own social media, including:

• Twitter @RunGeordieRun- currently 9,500 followers, which is expected to increase closer to the run – Mark had 8500 followers after the USA run

• Blog RunGeordieRun.Com – 274,000 page loads from 197,000 unique visits during the run across the USA

• Facebook ‘Run Geordie Run’– currently 482 likes, page in transition from USA run page (3,453 likes)

• Donation pages for both charities

To discuss a bespoke sponsorship package please email sponsorship@rungeordierun.com or contact Mark directly on 07525 361 021.

THANK YOU

The Next Challenge: Australia 2013

IN SUPPORT OF