PUNCH Surprise 2006

The Sports Backers have worked hard to make the Suntrust Richmond Marathon the country’s friendliest.  Lesser known perhaps, but just as friendly is the Ntelos 8K.  This year 5,393 people registered for the 8K and every one of them was treated to another PUNCH surprise!  As runners went through the course, they came upon the entire PUNCH staff announcing this year’s surprise, the River City Burners. At the intersection of North Harrison and Park Avenue, the Burners danced and entertained the runners and anyone else who happened by, with a fiery display.  Some runners took photos, others stopped in their tracks to watch the show, and everyone was surprised. Check out video footage from the race at http://www.nbc12.com/sports/state.

PUNCH has a long-standing relationship with the Sports Backers who charged PUNCH with the task of injecting a little pizzaz into the 8K.  They also hoped to draw participation from runners who also run in their wildly successful spring race, the Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10K.  Trish Edinboro competed in the 8K race and said, “At a point in the race when you’re starting to get tired, you see these orange signs about a PUNCH surprise.  When I turned the corner and saw the show, it just made me smile.  I’ve never competed in a race where I was entertained while I was running!”

Charlie Connell, a managing partner of PUNCH said, “Sports Backers asked us to use our creativity to enhance the 8K experience.  It was tricky to come up with something effective within the parameters that a road race brings. The River City Burners provided a wonderful bit of street entertainment that came as a happy surprise to runners and onlookers alike.”

PUNCH specializes in print advertising and design, corporate identity and branding, multimedia design, and illustration as well media planning.  The firm’s clients include Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Sports Backers, the Richmond Ballet, and TerraForge.  For more information, visit http://www.theartofimpact.com.

The Metropolitan Richmond Sports Backers, founded in 1991, is the Richmond area’s principal non-profit sports advocate.  Their mission is to maximize the community benefits of sports tourism.  They also aim to drive economic development by hosting significant sporting events and improving related athletic facilities.  For more information about the Sports Backers, please visit http://www.sportsbackers.org.

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