Business Blog: Hoover’s Business Insight Zone

As I write this, the lead runners are approaching the finish line of the death-defying 135-mile Kiehl’s Badwater Ultramarathon. Let’s break down the name:

• “Kiehl’s”: As you will have guessed, the main race sponsor is Kiehl’s Since 1851 LLC. (Why do I love it that they put “Since 1851″ in their name?) Now owned by L’Oréal, Kiehl’s has been a purveyor of high-end lotions, soaps, shampoos, and the like since . . . well, you know since when.
• “Badwater”: Read: “Death Valley” — because this race starts in the furnace-like depths of Death Valley before climbing up the slopes of Mt. Whitney. Just for fun, you understand, and to pursue that whole “What are the limits of human capability?” thing.
• “Ultramarathon”: Anything longer than the regulation 26.2-mile marathon distance. The most common lengths are 50 kilometers (about 31 miles), 50 miles, 100 kilometers, and . . . wait for it . . . 100 miles. But the folks who put Badwater together, they weren’t interested in a mere 100 miles, so they bumped it on up.

Anyway, after all that astounding heat — although it was a relatively cool 112 degrees Fahrenheit when the race started yesterday — not to mention fluid loss, blisters, and so on, I’m sure the participants will welcome having some of Kiehl’s finest emollients lavished upon their suffering bodies. In that sense, maybe this niche event is a good fit for a sponsorship from a niche brand like Kiehl’s. In a way, I admire the will and skill of these ultra-long-distance runners . . . and then in another way I think they’re just plain crazy.

But good luck to them! If you care to, you can track the racers’ progress here.