Marine Corps Historic Half Introduces iGiftBag
Digital goodie bags promote environmental awareness
Posted Tuesday, 20 April, 2010
QUANTICO, Va. - The Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) is taking another step toward sustainability by introducing the "iGiftBag" - an innovation in race-day goodie bags that soon will be available to Marine Corps Historic Half marathon participants. The Marine Corps Historic Half marathon is organized by the MCM and will be held in Fredericksburg, VA, on Sunday, May 16, 2010.
The iGiftBag will be offered to runners through the Marine Corps Historic Half website at www.marinecorpshistorichalf.com. The iGiftBag contains digital coupons, merchant discounts, access to gaming content and online tools such as widgets and apps.
"There is a clear movement towards operating race events through the use of green alternatives," says John Dettling, Chief Executive Officer of iGiftBag.com. "In addition, race organizations are challenged to develop sponsorship formats that achieve higher user-engagement for promotional giveaways and higher redemption for promotional offers. The iGiftBag sponsorship platform delivers on both promises."
Unlike a goodie bag that is not distributed to runners until race weekend, the iGiftBag will be available two weeks prior to the Historic Half, allowing participants to take advantage of the savings and gaming opportunities for a longer period of time.
"The iGiftBag displays the Marine Corps Marathon commitment to making our events environmentally friendly and our runners environmentally aware," says Historic Half Race Coordinator Angela Huff. In 2009, the MCM was awarded Silver certification from the Council for Responsible Sport for its environmental initiatives, making MCM the largest event to receive the certification.
All Historic Half marathon and Semper Fred 5K participants will be sent email notifications linking to iGiftBag at least two weeks prior to race weekend. The iGiftBag will feature virtual "gifts" and will include interactive coupons from local, regional and national sponsors that runners can download and print, redeem online or send to their mobile phones to redeem in-store including NextCare Urgent Care, Chic-fil-A and New Balance.
The Marine Corps Historic Half marathon is open to all runners ages 10 and above, while the Semper Fred 5K is open to the entire family, including children of all ages. To register, go to: www.marinecorpshistorichalf.com
