70% of NYC Marathon competitors come from outside of New York and many travel without anyone to cheer for them. So to bring the spirit of Live Mutual to life, we created Adopt a Runner—a mobile experience that matches New Yorkers with out-of-town runners, deepening the personal connection between runners and spectators and giving runners a personal cheering squad.

We took over the city with wild postings and station takeovers, and used hyper-targeted Facebook ads, members of global running communities, and NYC influencers to recruit both runners and supporters.

On the day of the event, we fueled enthusiasm by giving cheer kits to our most enthusiastic participants—from school kids in Brooklyn to a gospel choir in Harlem. To cap it all off, we created a two-page spread in the special Marathon section of the New York Times, thanking everyone for their participation in the program.