Vulcabras brand held another edition of Bota pra Correr last weekend, in Itacaré, Bahia
Last weekend, Olympikus held the second edition of ‘Bota pra Correr’ (BPC) 2024, this time in Itacaré, Bahia. The event brought together around 850 runners in races of 10 km and 21 km on asphalt and 16 km on trails.
Each route was designed to test the brand’s sneaker models, such as the Corre 4 and the Run Track 2which feature advanced technologies for comfort and performance. Registered runners received their exclusive kits at Vila BPC, with personalized items and the sneakers used in the races.
Propmark traveled to Bahia to see the brand’s action up close and also discover the plans and news of Olympikus, which turns 50 in 2025.
Olympikus key turn
For Márcio Callage, marketing director at Olympikus, as a Brazilian brand, Olympikus aimed to democratize access to high-performance sneakers.
He reveals that the brand had a team of specialists in different areas to be able to develop a product that met the needs of the average Brazilian customer.
“Corre was born from this idea of a Brazilian brand whose role is to democratize access to high performance, needing to break the resistance on the part of those who form opinions about Brazil’s ability to develop sneakers. What did we do then? He invited experts into our company, into our factory, to co-create the sneakers with us”, he said.
“An absolutely unequal Brazil had no access to extreme technology products, high technology at an affordable price. And that was our story when we began to understand that our role was to position ourselves as a Brazilian brand.”
Callege analyzes that the running models were, in fact, a key turning point for the brand. “The engineering of the Corre 2, 3 and 4 really transformed the brand, because we started from this place of designing a sneaker that is a ‘jack of all trades’, a versatile work, based on this active listening to the community, we builds a hero product for the average Brazilian runner” said the marketing director, who also adds that the BPC tests were created by the company as a great “test drive”.
“I had a product structure, which is fundamental, because no one puts something on their feet that they don’t feel safe to run, now, we needed to connect with people. Much of the story of this race comes about so that we can build a great test drive of the product”, explained the executive, who also adds that he believes that part of the success came from this.
50 years of Olympikus and plans for 2025
In Itacaré, Olympikus revealed its plans for the brand’s 5th anniversary. In celebration, he will hold 50 races across Brazil. The complete list will still be released, but Salvador will receive sponsorship for the Salvador Half (April) and the Salvador Marathon (September). The cities of the next BPC were also announced: the first edition will be in Serra do Cipó, in March, and the second will be in Cumbuco, in September.
Furthermore, a partnership with the Authentic Feet chain of stores was announced. There will be two exclusive colors of Corre 4, three of Corre Max and a new sportswear model.
“There is no adequate brand positioning if the consumer does not like the product. There is no access to the product if the retailer does not understand it, does not buy it, does not place it in the store and does not position it. The search is incessant for technology, for raw materials” Callege said.
The event also featured talks from athletes, content creators and experts such as influencers Julia Sette, Bruno Araújo (let’s run guys), Marcos Viegas and Marcela Ceribelli (endorphin chapadinhas and obvious.cc), actress Aline Borges, the artist visual Gabriel Azevedo and Rafael Varandas, on topics such as performance, mental health, creativity and diversity in running, from athletes, influencers and experts, such as Aline Borges and Marcela Ceribelli, who discussed topics such as health mentality and diversity in running.
Photos: Buena Onda
