8/14/2019 GLimBrandYou

1/2

78 WORTHWHILE M A Y 2 O O 5

[ ]TOOLBOX

t all began with a simple declaration: I am

going to get a corporate sponsor.

I was on the Wiouwash Trail in Oshkosh, Wis.,

where I was playing catch-up with my much faster

running friends. We were all training for upcoming

marathons. They laughed, thinking I was just being

funny. I mean, who would sponsor a middle-aged,

doughnut-inhaling, lazy runner?Who indeed?

Fast-forward to the 2004 New York City Marathon,

where I am posing at the start line for a photographer

from Sports Illustrated. With my running shirt and

leggings covered with logos, I look like a lost NASCAR

driver. Ive already been interviewed by Runners World,

Her Sports and WNBC-TV in New York. Ive appeared

on NPRsMichael Feldmans Whad Ya Know? And more

than 70 media companies picked up a story about my

nutty quest for corporate sponsorship including the

New York Times online and USA Today.

Like running a marathon, my journey from nonde-

script back-of-the-pack marathoner to bona fide corpo-rate-sponsored athlete was long and filled with unex-

pected rewards. And lessons for selling The Brand of

You. A few thoughts from this nutty ride:

Name your motivationId like to say that my quest for corporate sponsorship

was born of noble intents. Being a five-hour marathoner,

Id love to say I wanted to give a name and a face to

those runners who will never suffer the agonies of

coming in second or, really, in the top half. But I cant.

I had been laid off as the media relations officer andonline magazine editor for a technology company. And

the fact was, I no longer could justify my $90-running-

shoe habit, not to mention the race entry fees and travel

expenses. Although I already had made the lottery for

the New York City Marathon, the idea of spending

money for a long weekend in the Big Apple just to run a race

seemed fiscally frivolous.

Bottom line, I wanted to be like Mike or Mia or Serena and

get corporate swag.

My mercenary ways became crystal clear when I told my

friends that I entered a writing contest for free running shoes. I

[ ]TOOLBOX

had to answer the question: Why do you run? My entry read:

So the woman I see in the mirror looks like the woman I see in

my mind.

My friends fell silent, pondering the weighty truth of my

words. Then they chortled with disbelief. One said, You do not!

You run for doughnuts!

What can we learn from the wacky quest of back-of-the pack marathoner Grace Lim?Plenty, including how to sell yourself.

Selling the Brand You

I

P h o t o c o u r t e s y o f H e i n z K l u e t m e i e r / S p o r t s I l l u s t r a t e d

8/14/2019 GLimBrandYou

2/2

M A Y 2 O O 5 WORTHWHILE 79

For me, that was a seminal moment. She was right. I com-

pletely forgot my personal motto for life: Running for donuts

...and world peace. (I even wear a sign bearing my motto at my

races.) Too late. I had already submitted my entry. And Im

happy to report I won. Got myself two pairs of shoes.

Take stock of what you haveto offerI am a writer, a journalist with almost 20 years of professional

experience. Ive worked for several major publications, including

The Miami HeraldandPeople. When my husband secured a

tenure-track job teaching at the University of Wisconsin-

Oshkosh, we moved from Miami to Oshkosh, where I telecom-

muted for a technology company in an ill-fitting, ill-defined job.

Then my job was eliminated.

I was given a non-choice. I could take a different job, but Idhave to move to California. I opted to teach a couple of classes at

the university and freelance. Although the loss of steady income

was a major blow to my familys overall financial health, it

provided me a much-needed kick in the rear about what I really

wanted to do. I wanted to get paid to write about something I

cared about.

Since I had already established that I also wanted free stuff, I

had to devise a plan to get from here to there. One of my friends

gave me this quote by German writer Goethe: Whatever you can

do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in

it. Begin it now.

Thus, my bold declaration: I am going to get a corporate

sponsor. Becoming a top-flight athlete was not an option. I knewmy limitations. But I decided my limitations were my selling

points: I am a slow marathoner. By the time I would cross the

finish line, the winners could have run the course twice and

stopped for a sit-down dinner.

What could I offer? I wrote a handful of letters to athletic

apparel companies, telling them that they should sponsor me

because Id give their company more bang for their marketing

buck. I could guarantee them more than twice, maybe even three

times, the exposure the world-class runners can.

In my letters, which I addressed to the CEOs or the highest-

ranking marketing officer, I wrote that I could be a slow-moving

billboard for them. Two companies Asics, a shoe and apparelcompany from Irvine, Calif.; and Horny Toad, an active wear

company out of Santa Barbara, Calif. bit and sent free stuff.

I gave my pitch in person at Movin Shoes Fox Valley, a local

specialty running shoe store in Oshkosh. By the time I finished

with Ross McDowell, the owner, I was holding a bag full of free

stuff from his store.

Network (or use your friends)I needed publicity. I wrote a press release about a slow runner

securing corporate sponsorship, then I browbeat a friend I knew

who worked for the local paper. She wouldnt write the story, but

promised to pass it on to an editor. The story was eventually

assigned to another reporter, who wrote the initial story that in

a moment of great luck was picked up by the Associated Press.

More stories followed, including an editorial with this headline:Lim reminds us of true purpose of sports.

I laughed so hard that I cried. One of my journalism students

saw me. She asked, Whats so funny? I showed her the editorial

and said, What is wrong with this article? She quickly scanned

the piece and said, It says, Lim is running for the sake of

fitness. Thats not true. You dont run for fitness. You run for

doughnuts. An A for that student.

Still, I cant completely discount an article that describes me

as modest and an inspiration. In fact, I demand that my

friends be inspired when they are in my presence.

Be preparedWhen NPR called requesting a five- to 10-minute interview on

live radio, I prepared as any business executive would or should.

Some people can speak off the cuff. I am not one of those people.

I wrote down possible questions and framed answers that didnt

make me sound like an idiot. Since it was a phone interview, I

even devised a low-tech teleprompter. I taped a copy of my Q & A

on my computer monitor to prompt me if I got stuck for an answer.

Within seconds after the interview ended, the phone rang. A

woman asked, Are you the runner I just heard on the radio? I

answered, Yes, I am. The woman said, Im Lori Bishop of

Coldwell Banker, The Real Estate Group, and I want to support

your cause. I thought, Cause? What cause? I have a cause?Then I quickly came to my senses and thought, Yes, of course, I

have a cause. Iam a cause.

In the end, I netted four pairs of shoes, six pairs of socks and

full running gear from three companies. My national sponsor,

Horny Toad, paid my travel expenses to New York and provided

active wear. Another sponsor, the makers of Marz Teamware, a

web application for businesses, paid for ad space on my leggings.

I also scored a free website touting my running and writing

adventures, yoga classes and dance lessons.

Several of my sponsors have since discovered that I am more

than just a slow-running nutcase. I am a slow-running nutcase

with skills. I am a writer. As of today, I am working on writingprojects for four of my sponsors. I also joined a group of creative

people in a new business venture to sell our skills as shameless

self- and product-promoters.

I, effectively, parlayed a nutty quest for free shoes into fun

writing gigs. And, best of all, I had a blast doing it.

Editors note: In a field of almost 37,000 runners, Grace Lim came in 34,350th

in the 2004 New York City Marathon. As a slow-moving billboard, she says she

exceeded all expectations. She increased (meaning worsened) her previous

marathon time by 33 percent, going from a 4:42 personal best to her 6:15

showing in New York. She says she may have to renegotiate her sponsor rate if she

continues to overperform.

w