It used to be that runners who were running the Boston Marathon needed to be careful not to expend too much energy at the race expo so they could rest up for Marathon Monday.
If you’re running Boston on April 17, the expo will be the least of your worries this year.
In recent years, the Boston Marathon weekend has become a four-day festival of non-stop running brand activations, race strategy seminars, group shakeout runs, competitive races, and a variety of athlete events. Runners still have to pick up their bibs at the race expo, but they can meet their favorite social media stars or elite athletes like Desi Linden and Eliud Kipchoge.
How and why did this running circus come to town? It started about 10 years ago when running brands started nixing the official Boston Marathon Expo and spending their money on other marketing activations around town to draw more targeted attention to their shoes and gear. Some of the earliest included Newton Running branding numerous Boston bike taxis in a neon green color motif with its red and yellow logo emblazoned over the top, New Balance hosting a late-night run to celebrate…
