I recently ran the Twin Cities Medtronic Marathon. Running has always been an outlet for me. No matter what’s going on in life, how busy work is, or what’s going on in the world, running is something I do to clear my head, reflect or just simply be. I was craving a new challenge and decided to set a goal for myself. And just like that, I signed up for a marathon.

As an avid runner, I quickly got into my route. I got a new pair of Asics running shoes (my go-to running-shoe brand), stocked up on raspberry flavored gels, mapped out my training schedule and routes, got my running playlist all ready to go and boom — I was off and running.

With any organized race, there are always sponsors and advertising plastered everywhere. From the promotional emails you get the minute you sign up to the banners at the start line to the t-shirts you get post-race, sponsors are everywhere. It’s always the same, and to be honest, it’s never that memorable. But this race was different. Fast-forward a few weeks and one of the things that still sticks out is the Brooks Infinite Energy challenge. They created a unique experience that engaged runners pre-, during and post-race.

To celebrate the launch of its new running shoe – the Brooks Levitate with DNA AMP – they partnered with the Twin Cities Medtronic Marathon to launch a unique incentive for runners. Any runner whose split time from mile marker 21 to 22 was faster than their average pace from the start of the race to mile 21 would receive a brand new pair of Brooks Levitates. They deemed this mile of the race the “Infinite Energy Mile.”

Brooks took consumer engagement to a new level by making the decision to invest in the consumer.  Because of that investment, they will have hundreds of runners trying out their new shoe this fall.  Runners in general are obsessed with the latest industry trends. They are always trying new gear and gadgets and LOVE sharing their latest finds with other avid runners. With an already very engaged and vocal audience, this was an unconventional and smart way for Brooks to tap into the conversation and gain some new advocates that won’t be shy about spreading the word.