Nike announced as new sponsor of Melbourne Marathon Festival

The 2021 Melbourne Marathon Festival has been launched today with the news that Nike are the new naming rights sponsor on a multi-year deal.

The sporting goods giant has its Australian headquarters only one block from part of the Melbourne Marathon course, and the announcement of a new major sponsor is sure to be welcomed by running fans all over Australia.

The Melbourne Marathon Festival is the largest event of its kind in Australia, and the announcement of this new partnership is a great endorsement of the future of the Melbourne Marathon Festival - and further cements Melbourne as the home of running in Australia (ok, maybe we’re biased).

The Melbourne Marathon Festival operated without a major sponsor in 2019, then was cancelled due to the pandemic in 2020, so Melbourne’s runners will welcome this announcement.

There is no word yet on what this could mean for participants in this year’s race - but don’t expect wholesale changes to the participant experience.

As always, TEMPO will be covering the Melbourne Marathon and we look forward to standing on the start line with you in October.