Dispute between two Texas marathons show the power of social media

If you’ve talked to anyone who’s run the Rock ‘n’ Roll San Antonio marathon or half marathon, the words “hot” and “humid” probably came up. So it was no surprise when the Competitor Group wanted to move this typically early November race to a cooler month. But problems arose when they set the date as December 9th, a weekend the Dallas Marathon had already set as their race day. There was a large outcry in social media, both from Texas runners who typically run both events and from the running public at large who saw this as a large marathon versus small marathon issue. Added to the outcry, the Competitor Group signed a non-compete agreement stipulating they wouldn’t put on a race in the state of Texas between November and March. Both groups looked ready for a battle, but the public was clearly on the side of the Dallas Marathon. Within a few days, the Competitor Group reset their race day to November 17th, easing the minds of runners across the country and proving how powerful social media can be.