FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Endurance Sports Coalition Pushes for Industry-Wide

Financial Support in Letter to Congressional Leadership
Latest Survey Finds Two-Thirds of Endurance Event Businesses May Shutter by Year’s End
Without Additional Federal Aid

WASHINGTON DC (July 24, 2020) – The Endurance Sports Coalition (ESC) sent a letter to congressional
leadership pushing for additional financial support to be included in Congress’ next phase of pandemic relief
legislation. The letter emphasizes the urgent situation facing the events-based industry suffering from near
100 percent event cancellations and contraction of event revenue. The Coalition urges Congress to provide
easy access to grant-based funding to help companies sustain jobs and support the long road to returning to
live events.

The grassroots coalition was formed in April to create one united voice for the endurance sports industry
which accounts for 50,000 events in all 50 states and territories, 500,000 American jobs, and provides health
and fitness experiences to more than 30 million people. The Coalition now has more than 850 members
spanning the running, triathlon, cycling and obstacle course race industries.

“COVID-19 is crushing the industry,” said Tough Mudder CEO Kyle McLaughlin, a founding member of ESC.
“From the smallest local 5k to the world’s largest marathons, the threat of the virus has brought our events to
an immediate and shocking halt. As states see-saw through tenuous reopening, even the most aggressive
states are understandably hesitant about permitting mass gatherings to safely occur.”

Tough Mudder’s global season has been postponed to 2021, along with the majority of its parent company
Spartan’s. Major endurance sporting events across the United States, such as the IRONMAN series of
triathlons, including the prestigious IRONMAN World Championship in Kona, HI, have also been erased from
the 2020 calendar. And for every Boston, New York, and Chicago Marathon that has been cancelled or
postponed, hundreds of smaller events have been scrubbed as well.

A survey conducted by ESC and Running USA, which included more than 300 endurance sports businesses
across the US, concluded that without further support from Congress, two-thirds of the industry is at risk of
disappearing by the end of 2020.

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“Many event operators are not optimistic for their future,” said Jeff Matlow, Board President of Running USA,
also a founding member of ESC. “Without additional support, many are at risk of losing their businesses, and
others are fearful they will have to cancel events well into the future, in Q1 and Q2 of 2021.”

The survey found 92 percent of respondents have already canceled or believe they’ll be forced to cancel their
remaining 2020 events. Collectively, nearly 90% of members have already conducted furloughs, layoffs or pay
reductions, with further actions coming in the next two months if further support is not available. Furthermore,
82 percent of businesses surveyed who received loans through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) have
since depleted those funds. While the PPP provided a key lifeline following passage of the CARES Act, today,
endurance sports organizations find themselves in the same position they were in before that money was
made available.

The Endurance Sports Industry supports billions of dollars in annual economic impact to major cities and small
towns alike, filling hotel rooms and restaurants and supporting sporting goods and specialty retailers.
Thousands of charitable organizations rely on events as critical fundraising platforms to generate hundreds of
millions in annual donations.

With no clear end in sight to COVID-19 restrictions, it is critical to ensure that organizations can continue to
retain their staff, pay their suppliers, and be poised to host events for their participants again, once it is safe
to resume group activities. To protect these organizations, the Endurance Sports Coalition supports the
RESTART Act or similar congressional proposals, which would provide a fair mechanism to get funds to the
businesses most in need, without bias to sector or employee count. Ultimately, the survival of the industry is
reliant on Congress and Phase IV of COVID-19 relief.

ABOUT THE ENDURANCE SPORTS COALITION

The Endurance Sports Coalition consists of a growing roster of more than 850+ member organizations,
who’ve come together as one collective voice to advocate on behalf of the industry. Forged by organizers of
Spartan, Tough Mudder, IRONMAN, Rock & Roll Marathon Series, Running USA, USA Triathlon, USA Cycling,
and imAthlete / enMotive, the coalition represents more than 50,000 events and 30 million Americans who
rely on mass participation events to run, bike, swim, conquer obstacle courses, and better their bodies and
their lives. The three-billion-dollar industry drives critical economic impact to major cities and small
municipalities, employs 500,000 people, and raises hundreds of millions of dollars for thousands of charitable
causes. Click HERE to learn more and join the coalition’s efforts.

Media Contact: Jonathan Fine, 781.248.3963, jonathanf@spartan.com

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