Runners are seen wearing blankets after completing the 120th Boston Marathon on April 18, 2016 in Boston, Massachusetts.
Runners are seen wearing blankets after completing the 120th Boston Marathon on April 18, 2016 in Boston, Massachusetts. Maddie Meyer, Getty Images
Completing the Boston Marathon — the pinnacle of marathon running for many — is quite a feat.
But some finishers of Monday’s race have taken issue with a congratulatory email sent by Adidas , the sponsor for the 121st annual race.
"Congrats, you survived the Boston Marathon!" an email sent by Adidas to 2017 Boston Marathon finishers on Tuesday read.
The message was met with backlash given the history of the Patriot’s Day race. Some finishers questioned how Adidas did not realize the connotations of the message after three people were killed and more than 260 were injured in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing .
In a statement to TIME, a spokesman for Adidas apologized for the email.
"We are incredibly sorry. Clearly, there was no thought given to the insensitive email subject line we sent Tuesday," the statement to TIME said.
"We deeply apologize for our mistake. The Boston Marathon is one of the most inspirational sporting events in the world. Every year we're reminded of the hope and resiliency of the running community at this event."
Some finishers took to Twitter to express their thoughts on the email:
.@adidas you may want to rethink the subject line pic.twitter.com/curUb8FieO - Mike Denison (@mikd33) April 18, 2017
seventhuncle on April 18th, 2017 at 21:21 UTC »
Most of the other companies that said or did objectionable things recently doubled down as soon as the news hit the streets.
Adidas immediatly issued an apology.
I predict that's going to make a world of difference in how the episode goes down in terms of PR.
Also, the message isn't quite as bad. There are totally reasonable motivations for making a statement like that. "You survived X" is a common congratulatory phrase for people who overcome gruelling obstacles.
H0IIywood on April 18th, 2017 at 21:18 UTC »
In my head this was a joke suggestion by a low level employee that never thought would get approved.
Now he's calling all his buddies, "bro they fucking used it!"
BikendiGaregin on April 18th, 2017 at 20:53 UTC »
Adidas. "Are you sure we should send this email?" Nike. "Just do it."