The Nissan Leaf sets the pace for the NY Marathon - and begins its own competitive race.
Millennia ago when historians say Pheidippides ran 26+ miles from the battlefield of Marathon to Athens to announce the Persians had been defeated in an epic battle, who would have imagined it could become the precursor of a business model metaphor: who would defeat whom to win the alternate fuels automobile marathon?
But Sunday, an all-electric Nissan Leaf, the first to market of a modern all-electric car would set the course for the 44,344 men and women participating in Sunday’s IMG New York Marathon throughout the five boroughs, a 26.2-mile course. There is something more than PR-puffery when a totally new four-wheel vehicle leads the way for an ancient foot race, isn’t there?
The Leaf was one of the many corporate sponsors of the annual event according to Media Post Publications which noted there are 31 sponsors this year — up from 27 in 2009 — with most engaged in multi-year, multi-million deals from two to five years in duration.
“The New York City Marathon might take place on the streets of the Big Apple, but brands vying for pole position are looking for both local and national activation,” said Ann Wells Crandall, SVP of business development for the New York Road Runners Club (NYRRC).
Along with the thousands of NY Marathon runners, the Leaf was seen by millions on the streets of NY or online and on TV.
For the 2.5 million spectators, including thousands of New Yorkers and tourists lining the race course, Nissan’s Leaf was the first thing they saw. NBC Sports televised the event live with a one hour wrap-up and had a simulcast feed to 129 territories outside the U.S., and streamed its coverage for free domestically and internationally on NBCsports.com. How much ‘face time’ the Leaf received in these telecasts is not known at this time.
The winners of the IMG New York City Marathon, Gebre Gebremariam, a Kenyan won the men’s race in 2:08:40, the women’s race was won by another Kenyan, Edna Kiplagat in 2:28:20 with first time American runner Shalane Flanagan second at 2:28:40.David Weir. A paraplegic, 31 year old for England, David Weir, won the wheelchair marathon in 1:37:29.
But it was Edison Pena, a 34-year-old survivor of the 70-day Chilean mine disaster who received the most cheers along the run, with a 5:40:00 finish of his first-ever marathon.
But Leaf clearly came out a winner, as well. It’s not Le Mans or the Indy or Daytona, but it is the current winner of the race for pioneering an all-electric vehicle to the mainstream market. But this is clearly a marathon, so stay tuned, the race is going to just keep heating up.