YOUR SHOW OF NO-SHOWS
Track in the 6ix turns out to have a limited field.
American Courtney Okolo, right, was too much for Jamaica’s Christine Day and Canada’s Madeline Price in the women’s 400-metre semifinals at the NACAC Championships at Varsity on Friday, although all qualified for Saturday’s final. Some of the day’s other events had reduced fields or were scrapped entirely due to scratches.
Galen Rupp learned first-hand about Justyn Knight’s closing speed in Portland two years ago.
The U.S. distance-running star and two-time Olympic silver medallist entered the final lap of a 5,000-metre race with a three-metre lead over Knight, then watched the Vaughan native power past him over the final 300 metres to secure a victory and drop a strong hint he could handle pro running.
Knight made another decisive move this summer, bypassing his final cross-country season at Syracuse to sign a contract with Reebok, leading the Boston-based firm’s push to re-assert itself in a hyper-competitive running shoe marketplace.
Knight will line up in the 5,000-metre final at the NACAC Championships on Saturday afternoon, and his first pro race will offer a glimpse into both the sport and business of running.
Meet organizers need Knight and other local standouts to fill the marketing void created when original headliner Andre De Grasse shut down his season to deal with an injured hamstring. And, in the coming months, Reebok will lean on Knight, a two-time national champion and eight-time allAmerican at Syracuse, to help it wrest a share of the running shoe market from established rivals like Nike and New Balance.
“I would be the face of the company, and of the running department; obviously, that comes with being up in the stores and being the poster boy,” said Knight, a 22-year-old graduate of St. Michael’s College School. “But I’d also play a huge role in the development of their athletic products … When a company gives you that much trust and responsibility, I thought it was really nice.”
While pro track and field athletes compete for prize money — NACAC is offering $2,000 for a gold medal at this weekend’s meet — apparel contracts like the one Knight signed with Reebok remain the sport’s lifeblood, offering steady income and stipends for coaching and therapy. But scoring a lucrative shoe deal depends on several factors, including talent, timing and a company’s goals.
De Grasse hit the world scene in 2015 — winning two golds at the Pan Am Games and a pair of bronze at the world championships — then parlayed those medals into a record-breaking deal with Puma. De Grasse’s breakout performances coincided with Puma’s search for a high-profile sprinter to replace Usain Bolt, who retired after last season.
Knight, meanwhile, matured just as Reebok sought to revitalize its running shoe line. He won national titles in crosscountry and in the indoor 5,000 metres at Syracuse last season, then took silver over 5,000 metres outdoors. Reebok, meanwhile, spent the last two years re-vamping its running products, and by this spring felt ready to market them more aggressively.
Reebok performance division head Todd Krinsky says sprinters like De Grasse and distance runners like Knight serve distinct but important marketing roles for apparel companies. While the overall market for sprint-specific gear like racing spikes is small, an elite 100-metre sprinter offers visibility. And visibility matters. Earlier this week German apparel maker Adidas, Reebok’s parent company, reported $7.94 in second-quarter revenue, and attributed the boost to soccer jerseys sold during the World Cup. Company officials said the link to the World Cup helped the company counterbalance slowing sales of casual shoes.
“The consumer is becoming more fickle,” said Adidas CEO Kasper Rorsted in a CNBC interview. “That’s an opportunity, but also a threat.”
Distance runners can insulate a shoe company against shifting fashion tastes. Krinsky points out that runners like Knight train daily in gear that recreational runners and high-level hobbyists can use, offering a direct link between the company and potential customers.
“You never want to give up your performance credentials,” Krinsky said in a phone interview. “Brands still need these guys to drive credibility and drive performance. No one else can do that.”
Knight enters professional track with a résumé that balances proven performance and future potential. His 13:17.52 personal best at 5,000 metres ranks fourth all-time among Canadians. He finished ninth in the 5,000 metres at the world championships last summer, joining fellow Canadian and fifth-place finisher Mohammed Ahmed in the top 10.
Ahmed isn’t entered at NACAC, but American rival Hassan Mead is entered, as is Knight’s Reebok teammate, Jamaica’s Kemoy Campbell.
The event’s timing might make running a fast time difficult.
Distance races at major meets typically start after dark to help ensure cooler temperatures, but the NACAC men’s 5,000 metres is scheduled to start at 6 p.m.
If lingering afternoon heat forces a slower overall pace, fast finishers like Knight can thrive.
“Any athlete that comes out on a world stage like this and tells you they’re not aiming to win is probably lying,” Knight said.
“We want to win, but more importantly it just bothers me that I lose … It’s going to be a tight finish.”