For those of you unfamiliar with the world of track & field, here is a quick background for you: Usain Bolt, the Jamaican sprinter who is better known as the fastest person in the history of mankind, was challenged by famed British distance runner, Mo Farah, who recently completed one of the more impressive gold medal doubles winning both the 5k and 10k at the 2012 Olympics. They are the pinnacle of their respective events and hoards of fans admire them for their dedication and success on the track.
Both Bolt and Farah, however, also have accomplished a significant amount off the track as well. Mo Farah has set up the Mo Farah Foundation, which is aimed at providing life-saving aid to the population of east Africa. Usain Bolt's foundation is aimed at empowering the youth in poverty-stricken areas to fight their way out of the poorest of neighborhoods through education. Bolt and Farah have taken their star status and used it to address the places they came from, generating positive change for thousands of individuals in desperate need of help (Note: while Farah competes for Great Britain in races, he is a naturalized citizen, originally born in Somalia).
It doesn't take an expert in track & field to tell you that running the 100 and 200 meter dash as Bolt does requires a completely different type of athleticism, training, and mentality as running a 5k or 10k a la Farah. And certainly nobody would expect the two to line up against the other for an unfamiliar race. Neither would have anything to gain.
But Farah made an interesting proposition to Bolt: lengthen the race to anything over 600 meters and let's go toe-to-toe. The kicker? Fans get to decide just how long the race will be through a vote. A race that is 600 meters is not in either's wheel-house (although my gut says anything over 400 and Farah has the advantage) and would certainly make for an enticing event.
And because these two understand how to use their fame and opportunities for society's benefit, the proceeds of the race would be split between their two charities. Something tells me that both of these men's publicists know a thing or two about how to do their job well. A Farah-Bolt showdown would certainly draw a great deal of publicity for the athletes and their charities. Even something so simple as televising the race in an hour-long special -- where a TV station could then take the ad revenue it normally receives, donate it to the charities and ultimately generate their own positive story -- would bring in thousands of dollars for their causes.
It is incredibly refreshing to see athletes recognize that they have enormous opportunities to benefit others less fortunate than them and actually follow through on those chances. These are the types of activities that make professional sports athletes such gold mines of opportunities for positive change. And with some simple PR, athletes can build out their own brand off the track, outside the arena, off the ice and in the places where people really want to see change.
If the Farah-Bolt challenge goes through, this could be a fantastic case study in the way that PR professionals should consider leveraging their athletes. This does require individuals such as Farah and Bolt who are committed to making changes outside of their lives as athletes, but the opportunities are ripe for the taking. It just requires a little outside-the-box thinking, but a single event such as a crowd-sourced race between two track stars is exactly that.
