Knock, knock… anyone home?

Six years ago, I was suffocating in a nine-to-five IT job. It wasn’t the company that I was working for or the people I worked with that led to my dissatisfaction, it was the job description. I was bored. So, I took a major leap of faith and a significant personal risk to leave a secure job with fifteen years of industry experience for the unknown. It was worth it, because I’ve finally found my calling.

April has arrived, which means that I’ll be working ten to eighteen hour days, seven days a week until October. Most of my week days are spent on social media, fine-tuning logistics, designing swag and race bling or planning new features for Maritime Race Weekend. On the weekends, I’m usually on a road trip. Most of the time, that means travelling around the Maritimes visiting run clubs or attending races or community events, but every once in a while I’m given a special assignment from a sponsor. 

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Last weekend, Brooks Running asked for my assistance to promote a limited-edition shoe with a mutual partner: Soles in Motion. We were to give away free pairs. I was given complete freedom to create hype on the East Coast – which is great, because I work best without restrictions. I appreciate the amount of trust my sponsors have in my ability to represent their brand and generate buzz. It’s my mission to not let them down.

Armed with a handful of running shoes, I recruited one of my best friends and we spent the day creating videos and taking photos. I thought it would be fun to give the shoes away by knocking on un-expecting doors and running away. A little mischievous and a whole lot of fun. The “Knock knock… are you home?” campaign was quickly viewed by thousands of runners on social media.

How did I know where the runners lived or their shoe sizes? I can’t share all my secrets!

On Monday morning, both sponsors contacted me and they were thrilled. Not only did we create excitement on the East Coast, but across Canada too. Mission accomplished.

We are one of the few races that stays engaged with our sponsors and participants twelve months of the year. It is one of the secrets to our strong relationships, sponsor retention and enthusiastic following.