The start-up HOTSHOT was introducing a breakthrough muscle cramp product, but breaking through the crowded fitness category required a revolutionary idea. That’s where Gear came in. Gear showcased HOTSHOT’s scientifically-based muscle cramp prevention and reduction by staging a marathon one week before the Boston Marathon. The race focused on a young woman, Kaitlyn Kiely, who had promised her quadriplegic boyfriend, Matt Wetherbee, that she would one day push him across the Boston Marathon Finish Line. Gear and HOTSHOT helped Kaitlyn keep her promise.
Gear created a HOTSHOT-sponsored event specifically for Kaitlyn and Matt, replicating the Boston Marathon along the renowned race’s 26.2-mile route. Planning involved everything from discussions with the Boston Athletic Association and Boston Police Department to hiring a videographer and creating media assets to branded signage and race day product samples. Pitches went out to the media and the response was overwhelming. Online, broadcast, and print coverage generated over 96 million impressions globally, including a live Facetime call with David Muir of ABC News direct from the Finish Line. After more than 26 cramp-free miles, HOTSHOT was a name everyone repeated and Kaitlyn and Matt were a couple everyone cheered.
