10 Brands That Lined the Boston Marathon With OOH Ads

Half a million spectators lined 26.2 miles of Boston streets on April 20 for the 130th running of the Boston Marathon.

And brands across categories showed up to meet them.

The race draws runners from more than 130 countries and all 50 U.S. states, with a field of 30,000 participants this year.

The route from Hopkinton to Boylston Street passes through eight cities and towns.

And this gives brands a geography that is as much an out-of-home advertising corridor as it is a race course.

Here is a look at the brands that advertised at the 2026 Boston Marathon and what their presence says about OOH ads at live events.

1. Bank of America

As the presenting sponsor, the bank runs a broad OOH strategy across Boston, from subway dominations to highway billboards and a citywide digital network.

Its "Human Sponsorship" campaign featured charity runners across hundreds of displays, driving $71.9 million in donations and a measurable lift in brand favorability.

2. Adidas

It is the marathon's Official Apparel Partner, running its own branded store at the Expo at the Hynes Convention Center.

Adidas has maintained a consistent OOH presence along the route across multiple years, running contextually relevant creative timed to the race.

3. Nike

The brand operates outside official sponsorship but still shows up with strong visibility across street furniture and airport placements.

However, a pre-race sign on Newbury Street sparked backlash for its tone, prompting the brand to remove it before race day.

4. New Balance

The brand is a Boston institution, headquartered in the city, and its marathon presence consistently reflects its roots.

New Balance has run OOH activations along the route and across Boston's street furniture network, with creative built around its connection to the city.

5. Asics

Men's winner John Korir crossed the finish line in an Asics Metaspeed Sky prototype, giving the brand the most visible placement of the day at no media cost.

Korir has now won the Boston Marathon for two consecutive years wearing Asics, showing the kind of visibility that simply doesn't show up in a media plan.

6. Under Armour

Women's winner Sharon Lokedi ran wearing the Velociti Elite 3 in an exclusive colorway she helped design.

Lokedi spoke to Footwear News ahead of the race about her involvement in the shoe's development, generating press coverage before the starting gun even fired.

7. Samuel Adams

The Boston-based brewery is a confirmed expo sponsor, operating the beer garden at the Mile 27 Post-Race Party at City Hall Plaza.

The marathon is one of those events where a local brand can rightfully be celebrated without needing any further explanation.

8. Shokz

The bone conduction headphone brand is also a confirmed expo sponsor.

Shokz put its product in front of 30,000 serious runners at the moment when gear decisions are top of mind.

9. Maurten

The Swedish brand has become the nutrition product of choice for many elite marathon runners.

Here, its expo presence was able to reach both competitive and recreational athletes ahead of race day.

10. Abbott

Abbott is both an expo sponsor and the naming partner of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, the series that includes Boston, Tokyo, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York.

For a diagnostics and medical devices company, the link to endurance sport and human performance extends its brand positioning across the global calendar.

Why OOH Works at the Boston Marathon

The Boston Marathon concentrates a specific, high-value audience in a defined physical space for a fixed period of time.

The event puts half a million people on a single route for hours, passing through neighborhoods, transit hubs, and commercial alleys across the city.

The Asics and Under Armour examples also point to something separate from paid OOH.

When athletes wearing your product win in front of a fully engaged crowd, the brand awareness earned is something you can’t buy.

The brands showing up at the Boston Marathon each year understand that proximity to an event people care about deeply produces a special quality of attention.

That is what the brands on this list are spending against, and most of them have found ways to earn more than they've bought.

Here are a few things the 2026 race makes clear for brands thinking about event OOH advertising:

• Own the transit. The most effective ads reach people at subway stations, airports, and transport hubs before and after a major event.
• Product performance drives visibility. Brands gain exposure when real-world results put their products in front of huge audiences.
• Brand fit strengthens impact. Companies should align with events where their presence feels natural and credible.

The brands that get the most treat the event as a context and build their presence around what makes it meaningful to the people already there.

Our Take: Does the Boston Marathon Justify the OOH Spend?

We think it makes one of the clearest cases available.

500,000 people standing on a route for hours, fully present, watching something that genuinely moves them, is a media environment that very few other opportunities can match.

Using OOH advertising to amplify charity runners produced record fundraising and a measurable favorability lift.

The event's existing emotional power is the asset, and the brands that recognize this tend to get the most out of their ad spend.

Brands planning major event sponsorships need agencies that understand how to connect physical presence with broader brand strategy.

Explore these top OOH advertising agencies in our directory.