About Us
Hi! We’re Mary & Maria
We founded SPARC to help races and organizations across the running ecosystem build smart, year-round marketing strategies. As runners ourselves, we know what engages participants, retains sponsors, and creates lasting impact.
Mary brings 20 years in the running industry, including senior roles at Strava and Running Specialty Group. An RRCA-certified race director and founder of Active Brand Consulting, she helps races, nonprofits, platforms, and brands connect with their communities.
Maria brings 14 years of brand and marketing experience with events like Big Sur and operational work on the NYC Marathon. As founder of Brand Spark Consulting, she also brings cross-industry insights to every project, turning her deep understanding of the running ecosystem into strategies that drive participation and engagement.
Customer TestimonialMaria and Mary really helped to create a SPARC to our communications. The team went over and above to support on the project and even shared with us a deck at the end of the project to ensure all there excellent work was put into practice when our new starter joined.
A really great service which I would recommend to everyone.
— Pete Cooper, Coopah