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References

Bello, M., 2012. Awareness is the first step in battle against breast cancer. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 90(3), pp. 154-165.

Beverland, M., 2001. Creating value through brands: the ZESPRI kiwi fruit case. British Food Journal, 103(6), pp. 383-399.

Gwinner, K. P. & Eaton, J., 1999. Building Brand Image Through Event Sponsorship: The Role of Image Transfer. Journal of Advertising, 28(4), pp. 47-57.

Kaiser, K., 2008. The meaning of the survivor identity for women with breast cancer. Social Science & Medicine, 67(1), pp. 79-87.

Kim, J.-W., 2010. The worth of sport event sponsorship: an event study. Journal of Management and Marketing Research, 5(1).

King, S., 2006. Breast Cancer and the Culture of Giving. 1st ed. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.

King, S. J., 2012. Doing Good by Running Well: Breast Cancer, the Race for the Cure, and New Technologies of Etchical Citizenship. In: J. Z. Bratich, J. Packer & C. McCarthy, eds. Foucault, Cultural Studies, and Governmentality. Albany: State University of New York Press, pp. 295-315.

Klawiter, M., 1999. Racing for the Cure, Walking Women, and Toxic Touring: Mapping Cultures of Action within the Bay Area Terrain of Breast Cancer. Social Problems, 46(1), pp. 104-126.

Klawiter, M., 2005. Breast cancer in two regimes: the impact of social movements on illness experience. Sociology of Health & Illness, 26(6), pp. 845-874.

Muddy Angel Run , 2022. Muddy Angel Run. [Online] Available at: https://de.muddyangelrun.com/gutes-tun/ [Accessed 7 12 2022].

Palmer, C. & Dwyer, Z., 2020. Good Running?: The Rise of Fitness Philanthropy and Sports-Based Charity Events. Leisure Sciences, 42(5), pp. 609-623.

Seidler, T. et al., 2014. A Muddied Industry: Essential Risk Management Strategies for Mud Run Participants, Race Organizers, and Sponsors — Part II. ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal, 18(5), pp. 42-45.

Selleck, L. G., 2010. Pretty in pink: The Susan G. Komen network and the branding of the breast cancer cause. Nordic Journal of English Studies, 9(3), pp. 119-138.

Sulik, G. A., 2011. Pink Ribbon Blues: How Breast Cancer Culture Undermines Women's Health. 1st ed. New York: Oxford University Press.

Webber, D., 2004. Understanding charity fundraising events. International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing, 9(2), pp. 122-134.

Young, S. J. et al., 2014. A Muddied Industry: Growth, Injuries, and Legal Issues Associated With Mud Runs — Part I. ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal, 18(3), pp. 31-34.

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The Sponsors of the Muddy Angel Run

Big events like the Muddy Angel Run rely on sponsors and partners, who support them with money, products, or knowledge and since this is an Event with purpose, the question if those sponsors or partners are suitable for the cause has to be asked. On their official website, the company states that a partner must match their target group, which I mentioned in my other blog posts, are only women. Furthermore, Muddy Angel Run states on their page that “together with their partner organizations, they are committed to sensitizing women of all ages to the topic of breast cancer, supporting and networking those affected and bringing them together through their events.” (Muddy Angel Run, 2022)

Samantha King (2012) analysed the Tenth Anniversary National Race for the Cure in Washington, D.C. which took place in 1999 and gave several examples of brand sponsorships. There were tables set up by corporations from which participants and viewers of the race could grab “free stuff”, like water bottles from different companies, National Football League key chains, and bandanas. Like nowadays, this led to many people standing around the tables and stands waiting to secure their goodies. But on a more serious and cause-related note: it was also possible to go into the Mosaic Women’s Wellness Tent where multiple hospitals, cancer clinics, health insurances, and support groups had information leaflets and people with information about their products and services. (King, 2012)

The reason why corporations see a lot of value in breast cancer as a charity is that it attracts a lot of female consumers. Companies want to be associated with breast cancer fundraising since it can build brand awareness and the reputation of the brand while securing brand loyalty and giving the product a differentiating factor. (Gwinner & Eaton, 1999; Kaiser, 2008; Kim, 2010; King, 2012)

Now, let’s look at the sponsors and partners of the Muddy Angel Run. The main sponsor is the German-based tour operator ‘schauinsland-reisen’. The event even runs under the name ‘schauinsland Muddy Angel Run’. The company is family-owned and known for quality and fairness, both for partners and customers. At the event, the company supplies the kids' area with different activities. According to Seidler et al. (2014), this is called a controlling sponsor. Since schauinsland-reisen is quite a big company, it is obvious that they want to support a charity like this but they are a good company with a good reputation and they offer a nice addition to the event by supplying the kids' track.

Another big sponsor is the health insurance ‘Mobil Krankenkasse'. They are the ‘official health partner’ of the event and offer good insurance specifically for families and active people with a big offer of prevention- and early detection-programmes and sports courses. These offers align with the purpose of the event and is a very good sponsor from which participants can benefit. (Muddy Angel Run, 2022)

Three companies sponsor products for the event. The first is Krombacher, which actually is a beer brand. But they now also promote themselves with a good isotonic drink for sporty people as a great alternative to water and other soft drinks. They even support that statement with a study and provide their isotonic drinks for the participants of the event.

The other product sponsor is Zespri Kiwifruit, which supply healthy and delicious kiwis on the day of the event. Zespri’s statement is “puts life into life”, which for this cause is an amazing sponsor and statement to have. (Beverland, 2001, p. 385)

Landpark Bio-Quelle is supposed to be “one of the best mineral waters in Germany” and are into recycling, sustainability and organic. (Muddy Angel Run , 2022) They supply water on the day of the event which, in addition to the isotonic drink sponsored by Krombacher, offers a good range for the participants.

There are several other sponsors like ‘Sport Scheck’ which is a big sports store that carries everything sport and outdoor related, and KoRo, which offers a wide variety of healthy foods, which can be a great addition to training, for example. Those aren’t main sponsors but aren’t completely off-topic.

Minor sponsors are also Laufmamalauf, which is a company that offers fitness programmes specifically for women during and after pregnancy and birth where kids come along, suitable for all fitness levels (like the event). This I think is a very nice sponsor, since this is a company, many women might not know about, and it definitely puts the information out there.

The last three sponsors, Sport Scheck, KoRo, and Laufmamalauf, are so-called minimal sponsors since they just give money to the company but are not involved further. (Seidler, et al., 2014)

Of course, the involvement of companies in events with purpose can always be criticized, but while the sponsors will make their profits and benefit from this event, I think that the event itself and its participants also benefit from them. (Selleck, 2010)

It can be summarized that the Muddy Angel Run made no controversial decisions when it comes to their sponsors and partners, and they honor their statement on their website: their partners are “carefully selected and are among the best in their industry. We focus on quality instead of quantity.” (Muddy Angel Run, 2022)

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Breast Cancer and the Muddy Angel Run – A “Hot” Charity?

The Muddy Angel Run takes place in several locations in Germany every year, the biggest one takes place in Cologne (watch the video to get an amazing insight into the event). It is a 5km mud run with different obstacles for women of all fitness levels, which raises money and awareness for breast cancer. On their website, the company that runs the event, states three pillars that make up the purpose of the event, which I will explain more about through the course of this blog post: Fitness, Enlightenment, Donations.

Breast cancer has been a popular and profitable charity since about the 1980s. During this time, breast cancer foundations, NGOs, and fundraisers have multiplied heavily. In 1996 the New York Time Magazine even published a cover with Linda Evangelista and the headline “This Year’s Hot Charity”. (Klawiter, 1999; King, 2006; Kaiser, 2008; Sulik, 2011)

According to the official Muddy Angel Run website there are more than 90,000 women in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, who are diagnosed with breast cancer every year. Almost every eighth woman living there will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. The best preventive measures against this are education, regular check-ups, and lots of exercise. Which is why one of the pillars of the Muddy Angel Run is Fitness. The run is about giving those affected by the disease strength and prevention through exercise that is fun. The website states that ‘Those affected can start for free and recharge their batteries!‘ (Muddy Angel Run , 2022) This is to give hope and to highlight the strength and courage that women with breast cancer often need. So, instead of letting them hide behind the disease, ‘Survivors’ are openly honoured and shown as strong and feminine. (Kaiser, 2008)

As mentioned above, another measure in the fight against breast cancer is education, i.e., the emphasis on early detection and its importance – via mammograms. If it is recognized in time, the disease is positive in nine out of ten cases. The Muddy Angel Run wants to focus on education and make breast cancer a topic of conversation, promote the exchange of those affected and make it possible to find support for the affected. ‘Together we are strong!’ This also shows through empowering blogs like Anna’s or Laura’s, who pass on tips and support to help affected women deal with the diagnosis and with the aftermath and let them know that they are not alone. (Klawiter, 2005; Bello, 2012; King, 2012; Muddy Angel Run , 2022)

The event should also be seen as a celebration and should make people donate money, which of course is also important for the advance of breast cancer cures. (Webber, 2004) The Muddy Angel Run acts as a platform that supports organizations that are committed to fighting breast cancer, both in research and education. In 2022 the company collected 115.000€ through hosting the Muddy Angel Runs and the sale of tickets and products from their Fanshop. They raised this money for 5 European countries and were able to distribute it through their breast cancer partners. (Muddy Angel Run, 2022)

The reason why people take part in (mud) runs could range from just wanting to have fun, achieve an individual fitness goal, or the desire to run for a good cause. (Webber, 2004; Palmer & Dwyer, 2020) Often, they find out about events like this through social media and since the event is quite unique, with the mud and the obstacles, it receives a lot of attention and interest which is the whole point of an Event with purpose. Since 2010 mud runs have gained a lot of popularity and are known by a lot of people. (Selleck, 2010; Young, et al., 2014)

Through sponsors and partners, money and more attention can be raised – in my next blog post you can find out more about who supports the Muddy Angel Run and why they are a valuable partner… or not.