Reppin’ the trail, selling the bod

This week I’ve been thinking a lot about the relationship between business and sport. In my case, as an athlete specializing in ultrarunning, I was provided a glimpse, if only peripherally, into an alternate take on the athletic body.

I was invited to a presentation by Action Talent Sport Marketing, an organization based out of Vancouver that specializes in marketing athletes by matching them with potential sponsors. I listened as Connie, Action Talent’s president told story of helping some of Canada’s highest ranking athletes find funding to continue their training and arrive in good form in London for the 2012 Olympics. I watched a marketed athlete recount his tale of what it is like to stand atop the starting chute as a ski-cross competitor. Most interestingly, I was amazed at how genuinely enthusiastic two of the funders, a caterer and a seed farmer, were about their contributions. The expression of joy on the farmer’s face especially belied the connection he felt, as a self-made rural entrepreneur, with these hard-working athletes. I even choked a little on my drink when the host, introducing some of the athletes in the crowd to those in attendance, called out my name.

Following the presentation, we were freed to mingle with sponsors in the audience as well as other athletes. Funny enough, I reconnected with a high school acquaintance, Sean Penhale, who has become one of Canada’s strongest long-distance swimmers (1,500m freestyle). I spent the end of the evening heading home with friend and top Canadian marathoner Benard Onsare, scheming deep-water workouts to tackle together during our simultaneous ‘off-season.’

After I drifted down from the buzz of hanging out with so many Olympic hopefuls and supportive friends and family, I began to reflect on the idea of being marketed as an athlete. Unlike other professional explorations of my past, this would not be the marketing of my knowledge or employable skills in the same way that working as a carpenter, youth worker or researcher were. I began to consider that this marketing takes a decidedly unique and distinctive view of the body.

Rather than viewing the body (my running body, or, say, a swimming body or skiing body) as a careful and meticulously crafted tool for performance, the body would become the implement of corporatization. The athletes, funders and marketers at the presentation all exuded genuine desire to help athletes fulfill their goals. However, the whole process of matching an athlete with a funder, whether that is a mom-and-pop small-town business or a large multinational corporation, views the body as a product. Instead of viewing the body as a measure of potential to, say,run a race, the body is seen as a tool of a corporate entity capable of being marketed for purposes of advertising and profit. This is, of course, no earth-shattering revelation, as this has happened for generations of athletes in professional sports such as hockey, football, soccer and baseball.

Having others view my body in such a way is certainly novel and highly entertaining for me. When questioned by sponsors that night, I told them about running and climbing on mountains. I tried to present an honest idea of my trail running and mountaineering. However, it was certainly clear that the description of my antics passed the threshold of familiarity for a few that I spoke with. When I spoke of running hundreds of kilometres across mountaintops, of combining technical climbing and running, I was faced with similar responses: ‘pardon me?’ And, then, when I explained what ultrarunning is, I was questioned if I practiced this solely as a passion and ‘hobby.’ It was evident that the crowd had a definite Olympic-bias and not much knowledge of the burgeoning world of ultrarunning. The pull of the glamorous Games is certainly attractive. There is a certain sheen in the eyes and voice of those who stand and proudly say they have represented their nation, whether as an athlete, coach or sponsor. When talking with athletes of fringe sports, no matter how accomplished, their motives for participation are questioned. One may question the marketability of a body that runs for days on end through desert and jungle, in solitude for extreme stretches of distance. It is true, undoubtedly, that I run with passion. How could I not? I felt compelled to share with those curious that even though there is no Olympic ultra discipline, ultrarunning is among the fastest growing sports.

At the end of my reflection, I was excited and grateful to take in a new perspective on sport and on my own athletics, meet new friends and reconnect with those from my past. And, as ultra- and trail-running begin to spread further into our culture’s consciousness, I know it will be interesting to watch the transformation of bodies. For now, however, I am happy to see that the ultra is a bit of an enigma, a mystery as to how one could buy and sell a trail-running body such as my own.