Welcome to the 2017 Big Peach Running Review!
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May 6th, 2017. Monza, Italy. Accompanied by Zersenay Tadese and Lelisa Desisa, Eliud Kipchoge, ran the fastest marathon in history. Two hours and twenty-five seconds. Shalane Flanagan, 36, another Nike-sponsored athlete, was the overall women’s winner at the TCS New York City Marathon with a finish time of 2:26:53.
And at Chicago, Jordan Hasay, also powered by the Swoosh in her second 26.2 race, captured third overall for women with a 2:20:57 finish (Hasay’s teammate, Galen Rupp, won Chicago outright with a 2:09:20 finish, the first American man to claim victory in the Windy City since 2002).
To say it was a banner year for Nike is an understatement. What’s more amazing is the common thread between these stellar athletes: a shoe. Or more to the point, the Nike Zoom Vaporfly. At $250 for the Vaporfly 4%, this trending model from Nike is clearly a chunk of change, but for elite and amateur runners alike bent on shaving seconds or minutes off their personal records, reducing the cost of running by 4% will spur some spending at local retailers.
2017 Big Peach Running Review: P.A.L. & Podcasts
Elites aside for a moment, average runners had a stellar year too. According to the 2017 Strava Year in the Sport Report, 30 million running activities were logged in the United States from October 2016 to October 2017 (the date range that data was gathered). As for the most popular time to run, 8 a.m. was the favorite.
Though the great state of Georgia didn’t place in the Most Active Running States top ten list, it’s safe to say that among those 30 million logged activities, the Peach State was represented well by walkers, runners, and hikers. At Big Peach Running Co., we call this P.A.L. (aka the Pedestrian-Active Lifestyle). In short, the essence of P.A.L. is putting one foot in front of the other!
Big Peach took a big step (pun intended!) in 2017 with the rollout of the RUNATL Podcast. Hosted by Founder Mike Cosentino and Director of Marketing, Dave “D2” Martinez, each podcast episode is a window into noteworthy Big Peach happenings. Take episode 16 for example. Mike and Dave spoke with Rob Brawner, Executive Director of the Atlanta Beltline Partnership.
According to the Beltline website, the final project will yield, among other benefits, 33 miles of multi-use trails, 1,300 acres of parks, and $10-20 billion dollars in economic development. The Beltline will indeed be a destination run in the great city of Atlanta. Do I hear a marathon one day? You can subscribe to the RUNATL podcast on iTunes or SoundCloud for future episodes that feature a plethora of running experts knowledgeable on numerous disciplines.
Another RUNATL Podcast standout is Rob Jones, a former Marine who recently finished his journey of completing 31 marathons in 31 cities in 31 consecutive days. Jones is doing this to raise awareness and money for wounded veteran charities. Rob visited Atlanta on November 8th to complete marathon number 28 with the Big Peach leadership team and other local runners who wanted to participate in his epic journey. Visit Rob’s website to learn more about his heroic mission to help others and get involved yourself.
2017 Big Peach Running Review: What’s Your Excuse?
Big Peach also partnered with New Balance in early 2017 for the “What’s Your Excuse?” campaign. Be it work, parenting, body image anxiety, or even the belief that we’re not a “real” runner, excuses keep our goals in check. Excuses keep our grand plans from being fully realized.
For instance, take Tiffany Krumins. She’s a mom of two kids, small business owner, and cancer survivor. But she couldn’t find the time to work out. She’s a physically active parent, but a knee condition left her questioning whether she could run well consistently. Accordingly, Tiffany decided to go through the comprehensive (and FREE!) fit process that Big Peach Running Co. offers for all guests.
Three months later, after training regularly, she signed up – and completed – her first race (on the trails no less) to crush that excuse of not having time to run. Tiffany’s finish line wasn’t a finish line though. No, it’s merely a beginning for her next running endeavor. Is your excuse similar to Tiffany’s? Or John McKay or Don McGinty, other “What’s Your Excuse?” interviewees? At Big Peach, excuses are welcome, and we’ll help you crush them for good in 2018!
2017 Big Peach Running Review: Spring Forward to Spring Break
Though many more frigid, winter days are ahead in the coming months, it’s not too early to think about a 2018 Spring Break with the Big Peach crew! Are you up for ditching the city April 20-22, 2018, and heading north to Blue Ridge, Georgia, for some fantastic runs on the Aska Adventure Trail Area?
We’ll take care of the planning. From food to lodging to libations to other goodies, Big Peach has you covered for an amazing weekend of fun and foliage. With the new year upon us, now’s the time to keep that resolution of completing your first trail run. Why not do with the Chattahoochee National Forest as a backdrop?
A lot of good stuff happened in the running community in 2017. The Big Peach team is excited for what was and what will be. So – how can we can help you accomplish those mighty 2018 goals? Whether it’s being fitted for shoes the first time, kicking a pesky injury to the curb for good, or discussing the right Garmin watch with that Big Peach gift card you received during the holidays, Peachy and his pals are waiting to lend an ear and offer a hand!
Austin Bonds is a Guest Advocate at the Big Peach Suwanee location. His first two ebooks about the intersection of running and pop culture are available at Amazon.
