The annual Boston Marathon is a boon for the city's businesses as 30,000 runners arrive to complete this historic footrace.
This famous race, held on Patriot’s Day every year, also provides an opportunity for Boston-area running and sports tech companies to showcase their products and sponsored athletes to runners from around the world.
Many companies have booths at the Boston Marathon expo, which runs from Friday April 14 through Sunday April 16 at the Hynes Convention Center. The expo is free to attend and open to the public, whether you’re running the race on Monday or just taking in the sights.
Several local companies are taking their celebrations outside the expo, from shakeout runs hosted by pro athletes to demos of recovery technology to signature products designed for this year’s marathon.
Oofos
Braintree-based Oofos makes active recovery footwear and recently launched its limited edition Boston 2023 collection in a flex sandal and low shoe design. Earlier this year, the company also announced a growth investment round led by professional football quarterbacks Derek Carr and Alex Smith and basketball coach Dawn Staley.
Oofos will host a pop-up shop at 799 Boylston St. where visitors can try on the company's products and attend events throughout the long weekend.
On Friday, April 14, Oofos will host a panel with 11x marathoner, writer and Hurdle podcast host Emily Abbate; Boston Ballet principal dancer Chyrstyn Fentroy; and veteran marathoner Yuma Haidara.
Starting Monday, April 17, visitors at the pop-up shop can try out recovery technology from Normatec and Hyperice to help their legs bounce back after the marathon. Oofos will also offer free medal engraving for runners on Monday and Tuesday.
Check out the full list of events and amenities at the pop-up shop, including a chocolate milk vending machine.
Puma
Puma, which has its U.S. headquarters in Somerville, is hosting pre-marathon events from April 15 - 17 at various locations throughout downtown Boston.
First up is a shakeout run on Saturday, April 15 from 2 - 4 p.m. Participants will start and end their run at Fiedler Field on the Charles River. Before the run, participants can grab some running swag or try on some demo shoes. After the run, stick around to grab some snacks and drinks or get photos with Puma athletes; podcast host Jon Levitt; and comedian, content creator and runner Laura Green. Get a free ticket here.
Puma is also hosting a shakeout run on Sunday morning from the Marathon Sports store on Boylston Street. Puma athletes Jenny Simpson, Natosha Rogers, Fiona O'Keeffe and Taylor Werner will be present for this run. Afterward, runners can get treats from Union Square Donuts and coffee from Atomic Roasters. Commemorative Puma running shirts will also be handed out on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Tracksmith
Tracksmith, a Boston-based running company, plans to host events at its shop on 285 Newbury St. Starting Friday, marathon runners will receive a commemorative race pack alongside an in-store purchase. The pack includes a custom Ciele cap with Tracksmith’s marathon graphic and a tote.
The Boston company will also host shakeout runs on Saturday and Sunday morning.
After the big race, visit Tracksmith on Monday or Tuesday to get a free commemorative poster and have your marathon time stamped on it.
Nix Biosensors
At the end of 2022, this Boston startup celebrated the launch of its first commercial product. Nix sells a wearable biosensor to analyze sweat and provide endurance athletes with personalized hydration data in real time.
At this year’s Boston Marathon, Nix will have a pop-up shop at 304 Newbury St. from Thursday, April 13 through Tuesday, April 18 in partnership with PNYRS Run Club and Custom Performance Physical Therapy. Runners can take Nix’s biosensor technology for a test drive by jogging on a TrueForm Runner treadmill.
Sign up for The Beat, BostInno’s free daily innovation newsletter from BostInno reporter Hannah Green. See past examples here.
