Insider: The NYC Marathon

For 26.2 miles through all five boroughs, the ING New York City Marathon is one of the running world’s signature events. Held last Sunday, the race grabbed even more headlines than usual when runner Meb Keflezighi took the men’s top spot (with a time of 2:09:15) and became the first American male to win since 1982. But there were plenty of shoe industry players who laced up for the race as well — and Insider caught up with some of them about this year’s event.

Dressed to Kill
For Canton, Mass.-based Rockport, this marathon represented both the future and the past. The brand launched its DresSport campaign back in 1991 with then-employee Tony Post running in the shoes and came back to this year’s event to relaunch the collection. It also released a limited-edition shoe inspired by the race (with a portion of proceeds benefiting ING’s Run for Something Better charity).

But instead of relying solely on employees this go-round, Rockport signed up Andy Baldwin, U.S. Navy lieutenant commander and former star of “The Bachelor,” to don the DresSport 2 during the race. Baldwin finished the run in a very respectable 3:21:33 (and only a week after completing the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C.). He told Insider before the race that running for a cause keeps him going.

“I’m willing to focus and suffer for a couple hours for charity every day,” he said. “It’s rewarding, and you feel a sense of accomplishment when you do a marathon, but when you do it for a good cause and you know you’re inspiring others to get out there and be active, it’s even more of a sense of accomplishment.”

As for his dating life post-reality-TV, Baldwin said he’s keeping it private these days, but isn’t expecting wedding bells anytime soon — or another TV show. “Maybe someday, hopefully. [But] I don’t know who’d want to date me with my travel schedule right now. But no more reality TV for me. It was a very interesting experience, and I have no regrets.”