Taking it to the Streets - TNT, ING, and ME

Anyone who has run the New York City Marathon will tell you that it is one of the best runs the country has to offer, made special by the crowd support, which is unsurpassed by any other race.  Although I’d participated in the event as a volunteer at the finish line last year, as a runner this year, I was finally able to see – first hand – how truly remarkable an experience it really is.

And no moment was more memorable than when we crossed the Queensboro Bridge into Manhattan.  You could hear the crowds cheering and the energy was palpable as you turned the corner off the bridge and the crowd welcomed you to The City.

It’s at that point in the race that TNT chose to position their “Cheer Zone” – a publicity stunt for its new scripted comedy, “Men of A Certain Age.”  They could hardly have picked a better spot to promote a show about three men experiencing the changes and challenges of mid-life.

“Running a marathon is a metaphor for life,” said Senior Vice President of Marketing for TNT Tricia Melton in a press release.  “Reaching the mid-point means new opportunities and new challenges.”  And that’s exactly what runners encounter at that 16-mile mark:  More than half of the race down, but still 10.2 miles to go.  For many runners, that’s where the race really begins!

TNT chose to position their “Cheer Zones” at these turning points in five city marathons – San Antonio, Atlanta, Sacramento, Seattle, and New York – playing up the theme that is central to its new show, which features three best friends who, according to the release, are now “navigating through the second act of their lives.”

Apparently, the marketing ploy also included 40 runners over the age of 40 who ran the marathon in T-shirts advertising the show…but I must have been too preoccupied putting one foot in front of the other to catch a glimpse of them myself!

“Men of a Certain Age” stars Ray Romano (Everybody Loves Raymond), Scott Bakula (Quantum Leap) and Andre Braugher (Homicide: Life on the Street) and premieres Monday, December 7^th at 10pm…on, of course, TNT.