Great city. Really nice for a large event. Lots to see and do. That being said, I couldn't believe the small scale feel of the expo. It was in Union Square and there just wasn't much to see or do there. It was laughably over crowded. They do know that this is a huge event, right?
Yes, they do know it's a huge event and that's why the expo is so small. Right next door to Union Square is the Niketown store (an entire building) where they really want you to go. It's all dec'd out for Nike Women's Marathon 2010! Not that much great merchandise. So far, not impressed.
When I got my swag bag at registration, it was full of the usual informational and marketing materials.
I was really surprised to find Nike had so many things misspelled on their materials (i.e. "tage" instead of "tag").
I also wasn't thrilled with their course map (or the event website for that matter). It had a very hip design like the banners at Niketown but the information wasn't that clear or helpful. I kept having to compare their artistic course map to a google map to figure it out.
The name wall was cool. It's a great idea. All the registered runners have their names up here. Or, at least all those who registered through Team In Training which fundraises for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Unfortunately for some, the names at the top of the wall are incredibly hard to read or even take a picture of. So if you're A-L, you probably can't take those fun smiling pictures pointing to your name. But it's still fun to see it there. I'd been registered under my maiden name, and even then it was misspelled....
So, I'm used to an event T-shirt given to you at the expo. Not here. Nike has a finisher's shirt, so it's given to you after you finish. I hadn't packed a shirt to run in because I assumed I'd be getting an event shirt, not a finisher's shirt. Good thing Niketown was there to save the day and sell me one of their expensive running tops....
This year the Finisher's shirts were pink. That's fine with me. I think the design is pretty nifty. It's a technical T so I can wear it on training runs. I think it's even slightly fitted for a female shape.
There are differing opinions on whether the finisher's shirt should be a technical T or a regular cotton T. I love the technicals. Something I can work out in and a conversation piece.
And the real reason for the torture: the finisher's necklace which replaces a finisher's medal in this event. I could've gotten it engraved but I like it how it comes. I wear it all the time now.
OVERALL?
Honestly, I'm so used to Competitor events, which are well organized and always the same so I know what to expect, that I was disappointed with NWM. It also may be partially because so many people have raved about it that I expected something more than I should have.
It IS a huge event that raises a lot of money for my favorite non-profit. It is also just a lot of Nike selling it's own brand, which is supposedly cool enough to be a hit without needing to do too much else.
I RUN TO BE was the slogan of the event. It's vague and tries to be philosophical, I guess? I don't know. I do like it though. They wanted each runner to fill in the blank by engraving the necklace or by customizing a Nike running shirt. They're sample fill-in's were "Sexy, Fierce, Strong". Maybe just "strong". I'd still wear that it 10 years.
I didn't customize a shirt but I would finish the slogan with: healthy, strong, challenged, an example, a difference, part of the answer, the best version of me.
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