Mike McManus, adidas Director of Global Sports Marketing, Running, talks about adidas BOOST Athletics Meeting, May 13-14, 2016 in Herzogenaurach, Germany, The RBR Interview

RunBlogRun, 1. What is the purpose of the meet?

Mike McManus: adidas is creating the most exciting & important annual athletics meet in Germany. The meet’s purpose is to create an environment for elite competition & fast times. The meet is open to all athletes, clubs, team and programs. Moreover, the meet qualifying standards will attract the best regional, national & international athletes.

RunBlogRun, 2. Will this be an annual affair on the campus?

Mike McManus: Yes, the Boost Athletics Meeting will be held on the adidas campus for years to come. The Boost Athletics Meeting allows adidas to showcase its global campus, plethora of international athletes and continued commitment to athletics. adidas is proud of its heritage in athletics & committed to its future development. adidas Global HQ will open the Adi Dassler Stadium to everyone and provide an amazing & unique annual athletics event.

RunBlogRun, 3. It comes at a perfect time for adidas athletes to get qualifying times, is this the European version of the Payton Jordan?

Mike McManus: Definitely, the adidas Boost Athletics meet provides all athletes (not just adidas athletes) with an opportunity to run fast times in Central Europe. Let’s not forget that many athletes are based in Europe, or closer to the Central European Time Zone. This means that athletes across Europe & Africa have a much easier adjustment than traveling to the west coast. In fact, numerous athletes are participating in the Boost Athletics Meeting in hopes of gaining selection to Rio.

RunBlogRun: 4. Tell us a bit about the fields? We have seen the entry list and it is pretty impressive!

Mike McManus: Wow, we’re incredibly excited about the athletes participating and loaded events! Every race promises to be competitive & fast! Individual standouts include Yohan Blake, Jenn Suhr, Meseret Defar & Tori Bowie. Coach Terrence Mahon is bringing over several of his BAA Athletes to participate, including Chris O’Hare, Emma Bates & Jenn Rhines. Likewise, the German Athletics Federation has designated the men’s 800 & 1500 meter races, as “Olympic Selection” races, meaning the races target Olympic Qualifying Times (Sub 1:45 & sub 3:35). Across the board, the meet has a nice mix of veteran and next generation national & world class athletes.

RunBlogRun, 5. The men’s 10,000m is a pretty fast field, is there a pace time?

Mike McManus: No question, the men’s 10k features several Kenyan & Ethiopian standouts, including Emmanuel Kipsang (27:59 in Nairobi) & Vincent Chepkok (12:51/26:51). We’re setting up the race to be sub 27.

RunBlogRun, 6. The women’s 5000m and 10,000m fields are looking strong. What does Meseret Defar want to run?

Mike McManus: One of the all time greats, Meseret Defar is clearly a distance megastar. Let’s not forget that Defar is one of only a handful of women to have broken 30 minutes for 10,000m. She is once again looking to challenge the 30 minute barrier and gain a selection to Rio! We are thrilled Meseret has chosen the Boost meet to go after a PR!

Likewise, the women’s 5000 is incredibly deep. We see two races developing, highlighted by the current World Athletics Championship 5000m silver medalist Senberi Teferi (14:44). We also have several athletes targeting the Olympic Qualifying standard & selection to represent their country in Rio.

RunBlogRun, 7. The men’s 100m features Yohan Blake. With his 9.95 in recent weeks, what are your thoughts on Yohan?

Mike McManus: Yohan’s recent sub 10 is an indicator of his current fitness & build toward peaking for the Jamaican trials & Rio. More than anything, Yohan’s recent 9.95 is a huge confidence boost & validates his determination to improve upon his 9.69 career best. It’s also worth noting that the two Boost meets (Herzo & Boston) will be the only competitions outside of Jamaica prior to Rio. We are honored that Yohan is making the trip to Herzo, along with compatriots Warren Weir & Nicholas Ashmeade.

RunBlogRun, 8. The meet will be held on the Adi Dassler track, can you tell us a bit about the track?

Mike McManus: Thanks so much for asking about the Adi Dassler Stadium, which was actually completed in 2006. The stadium was originally built in time for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, as a practice facility for adidas partner federations. Of course, the main objective of the stadium has always been for global campus employees to utilize. The track also serves, as a great place for product testing and is adjacent to our innovation campus facility. The Adi Dassler Stadium includes a fast 6 lane track, but has never hosted an athletics event. Still, the track receives regular usage from athletes visiting our global campus.

RunBlogRun, 9. Jenn Suhr, the 2012 Olympic champ and 2016 World Indoor champ will be vaulting, where will that be?

Mike McManus: Great question, as the women’s PV will be held at our Herzogenaurach adidas outlet, which is about 1 mile from the adidas global campus. We are stoked to host superstar Jenn Suhr and provide an intimate setting to highlight the women’s PV! As part of developing the Herzo & Boston Boost meets, we’ve looked to see where we can make things more exciting for fans and provide an optimal experience for athletes.

RunBlogRun, 9. And will fans be able to watch streaming video on the meet?

This might be the most important question for those that are not able to attend! The meet is free to attend BTW! Yes, the meet will be streamed live on the German DVL website: www.leichtathletik.de

We are finalizing a US based streaming partner and will let you know ASAP!