Mary Wittenberg to head Virgin Sport

Mary Wittenberg announced she will be leaving the New York Road Runners in the next week to head Richard Branson’s new Virgin Sport, the most recent addition to the billionaire’s Virgin Group.

So far, details of Virgin Sport are vague, beyond announcing it will be hosting sporting events such as running and cycling races, so the hiring of Wittenberg, who in her 10-year stint in charge of the NYRR saw her drastically increase participation in the races, makes a lot of sense.

Branson’s announcement reads the new company will be “operating high energy events and celebratory occasions – which bring together friends, family and communities to help each other on their quest to reach their personal best.”

Virgin already dips its toes in the world of fitness but is likely looking to capitalize on the continued success the market has seen in recent years, which includes booming participation numbers in running and similar success in recreational cycling, many of those taking part in the events coming from more affluent income brackets. The company also already runs Virgin Active, a group of fitness clubs, and Virgin Pulse, a health-tracking app. Virgin Money, a bank and financial company owned by conglomerate, has also been the title sponsor of the London Marathon since 2010.

Branson himself ran London Marathon the first year his company sponsored the race. He’s also a cyclist.

Though some of the biggest races in the world are operated by large companies, many popular races are still run my smaller, local organizations, leaving plenty of opportunity in even some of the larger markets for Virgin Sport to move in and host their own events.

The announcement also notes that they hope the new venture will raise plenty of money for charity.