Thank you for your interest in providing sponsorship for the events of the Memphis Runners Track Club (MRTC).
We are a non-profit organization in our 36th year. We were the first running club to be established in Memphis and are the grass roots of running in Memphis and the surrounding areas. We belong to noteworthy national organizations - Road Runners Club of America www.rrca.org and USA Track and Field www.usatf.org.
We are an all-volunteer board and our mission is to promote running in all its many ways, which are road races, established training group runs, track and speed training, children's running programs and races, trail running, women's running programs, and quarterly social events with a running theme.
Our passion is running and our goal is to bring others to a healthier lifestyle though running. Sponsorship of our events provides visibility of your company or product to our over 3600 members. Our website, www.memphisrunners.com receives an average of over 36,000 hits per month.
In addition to the 20+ races that the club puts on for our members each year, we also serve as a finish line timing contractor for some 60 to 80 races annually and provide miscellaneous services and guidance to race directors to make their race a success.
We have seen that the demographics for people who run in these events are very impressive with high education levels and well above average income. These are the people you will reach in promoting your products and services through our Sponsorship Program. We look forward to making this happen! We hope this packet answers any questions you may have and are excited to work with you!
Do not hesitate to contact us with any questions.
Steve Spakes, MRTC Board Of Directors/Sponsorship Chair
stevemrtc@gmail.com
Events
There are 4 main events for which there are sponsorship opportunities this year. They are:
- The MRTC Road Race Series
- Begins in July and continues with a series of two 5K runs, two 5 mile runs, two 10K runs, two 10 mile runs, and two half-marathons every other Sunday through November. All entrants of the series will receive a commemorative garment halfway through the series (in September); sponsor names or logos will be printed on the garments. Road Race Series entrants are encouraged to run all 10 races, by earning coveted rewards such as the Road Race Series Road Warrior trophy, recognition at our Annual Holiday Party (in January), and recognition in the Roadrunner newsletter throughout the series. In addition, any entrant who completes one race of each distance is eligible for a competitive award; any entrant who completes any six races is guaranteed a Finisher garment at the Holiday Party in January. Past registration has averaged over 1,600 registrants.
- Women Run/Walk Memphis - Training program and 5K run / walk.
- The Memphis Runners Track Club is proud to host a women's running clinic and EXPO on running in July, followed by an 8-week training program. The program is designed for beginner and intermediate runners. At the end of the sessions, each participant is able to complete a 5K. To celebrate the conclusion of the event, the MRTC Women Run Memphis 5K is held in September.
- MRTC Kids!
- This program is one of our most popular events, reaching our younger audience (13 and under can participate). We conduct 4 training sessions, twice a year, with "graduation" races in March and October. The two races draw over 400 friends and family for a good old fashioned cookout at the MRTC Annual Spring Mile and the MRTC Fall quarterly event. The spring event is held at the Rhodes College track in March and the fall event is held in October at Overton Park.
- The Frank Horton Memorial Winter Off Road Race Series
- A series of four races run on separate Sundays during the months of January and February. The four off road races: 3K, 5K, 8K and 10K in length each guarantee to challenge the most experienced runners! Proceeds go toward the MRTC running scholarship fund in the name of the late Frank Horton. Awards are presented at the MRTC Spring Mile.
Packages
Package A
- One full page color ad in the official MRTC club magazine, The Roadrunner, for 6 months - a $1,740 value. Responsibility for arranging this with our editor lies with you.
- A featured listing on our website www.memphisrunners.com for 12 months (approximately 35,000 hits per month)
- Your logo on the back of the event shirt
- You may have booth space, hang signage and have your materials on display at the event; however this must be initiated and staffed by your organization as our events require all hands on deck for our in-house volunteers to manage the race.
- A reserved table for 8 persons at our annual holiday party with a table display sign
- 4 free passes, with all benefits included, to participate in the event (ie: four race registrations)
- A free subscription to the Road Runner Magazine for one full year
- Your donation is tax-deductible under the 501(c)(3) designation to the extent allowed by law and we will provide our tax ID at your request.
Package B
- One half page ad in the RoadRunner magazine for 6 months - a $1,320 value. Responsibility for arranging this with our editor lies with you.
- A listing on the website at www.memphisrunners.com for 6 months (approximately 35,000 hits per month).
- You may have booth space, hang signage and have your materials on display at the event; however this must be initiated and staffed by your organization as our events require all hands on deck for our in-house volunteers to manage the race.
- Your logo on the back of the event shirt
- 2 free passes to participate in the event (ie: two race registrations with all benefits included)
- 4 tickets to the Holiday Party
- A free subscription to the RoadRunner magazine for one full year
- Your donation is tax-deductible under the 501(c)(3) designation to the extent allowed by law and we will provide our tax ID at your request.
Package C
- A half-page ad in the RoadRunner magazine for 2 months - a $500 value. Responsibility for arranging this with our editor lies with you.
- A listing on the website at www.memphisrunners.com for 6 months (approximately 35,000 hits per month)
- Your logo on the back of the event shirt
- 1 free pass to participate in the event (ie: one race registration)
- 2 tickets to the Holiday Party
- A free subscription to the Road Runner Magazine for a year
- Your donation is tax-deductible under the 501(c)(3) designation to the extent allowed by law and we will provide our tax ID at your request.
The Small Print
* In kind donations: goods and services for which the retail, fair market or purchase value equals the amount in question. All in kind donation requests are subject to approval by Sponsorship Committee and/or the MRTC Board.
A sponsorship donation can be made up of a combination of cash and in-kind donations if applicable.
For the RoadRunner newsletter ads, it is the sponsor's responsibility to give camera-ready artwork of the ad to the editor of the RoadRunner by the 1st of the month preceding the desired publication issue. This deadline should be considered to be firm although the editor occasionally has some latitude depending on the mix of weekdays and other factors.
- Preferred formats are PDF, JPG or TIF.
- Resolution should be 300 dpi minimum, at actual size.
- Color format: CMYK (not RGB).
- Fonts must be embedded where applicable.
- Sizes
- Full page ads with bleed: 8.75" x 11.25"
- Full page ad, no bleed: 7.75" x 10.25"
- Half page ad, no bleed: 8.75" x 5.25"
For t-shirts, banners and other printed or web based marketing, it is the sponsor's responsibility to provide logo, art, or product/service description.
All advertising/marketing opportunities provided by MRTC will be in effect after full sponsorship payment has been received unless specified otherwise in a written agreement.
MRTC does not offer exclusive sponsorship rights under the above mentioned opportunities; however a special arrangement can be discussed with the sponsorship committee and would be taken under consideration by the MRTC board if so desired. A whole new pricing and benefits structure would take effect.
We offer our sponsorships to the community at large on a first come - first served basis. There is no limit to the number of sponsors unless specifically negotiated and agreed upon by the Sponsorship Committee and/or MRTC Board.
MRTC reserves the right of refusal of a sponsorship proposal that may not be an appropriate fit for our organization as determined by the Sponsorship Committee and/or the MRTC Board.
MRTC does NOT release our membership database. However we can reach our members via the RoadRunner newsletter and the occasional broadcast email at our discretion.
