The encyclopedia · Advertising & PR · Marketing decision · 2023
Tracksmith told 11,000 Boston finishers 'this isn't a jogging race' — and had to apologize
Tracksmith's ad for its Boston-qualifier-only singlet added that the race 'is not a jogging race.' Non-qualifying finishers read it as calling them joggers.
Tracksmith · 2023-10-02
What happened
On 2 October 2023, running apparel brand Tracksmith posted on Instagram to promote its 'BQ Singlet,' a garment restricted to runners who had both qualified and registered for the Boston Marathon. The post explained the exclusivity by adding that Boston 'is not a jogging race' — a line meant to underline the singlet's status as a badge for elite qualifiers.
The line landed badly with the roughly 11,000 Boston finishers each year who reach the race through charity or other non-qualifying entries. Commenters called the post 'elitist' and said it implied that anyone who ran Boston without a qualifying time had 'jogged' their way to the finish, regardless of the pace or effort it actually took them.
Tracksmith apologized two days later, on 4 October: 'We apologize for our post on Monday. Our intention was to celebrate those who qualified for the Boston Marathon, but our approach and the words we chose to amplify missed the mark.'
Why it happened
- A line written to celebrate one group of runners (qualifiers) was phrased in a way that only worked by implicitly demoting a much larger group (non-qualifying finishers) it never meant to address.
- The product's built-in exclusivity — a singlet restricted to qualifiers — didn't need justifying with a line about what the race 'is not,' but the copy reached for one anyway.
- Posting to a running-community audience that includes far more non-qualifying finishers than qualifiers meant the line was always going to be read by more people it excluded than people it celebrated.
The lesson
A product's exclusivity speaks for itself and rarely needs a line explaining who it isn't for — that line is usually read by more people than it celebrates.
Aftermath
The post became a recurring reference point in running-media coverage of brand missteps around Boston Marathon season, cited alongside later incidents like Nike's 2026 'Walkers Tolerated' sign as part of a pattern of running brands underestimating how the non-qualifying majority of a race's field will read exclusivity-themed marketing.
Sources
- Front Office Sports — Nike Competitors Pounce On Boston Marathon Ad Stumble
- PixBlog — Tracksmith ad controversy explained as apology over BQ singlet sparks disbelief
spotted an error? The club wants to know.
More like this
Gymshark paid influencers to look unpaid — a lawsuit says that's the whole strategy
The North Face replaced Wikipedia photos with its own — and got caught
Lord & Taylor dressed 50 influencers in one dress — and never said it was an ad
Somewhere, someone solved the problem this company failed at. 2nd Opinion →
Comments · 0
Sign in to join the comments.