Former Wilton High School Runner, YouTube Influencer, Signs Professional Contract with Brooks Running
WILTON, CT - August 28th, 2020 -Spencer Brown, an outstanding Connecticut high school runner and All-American NCAA athlete who recently completed his graduate degree in Sports Management at Georgetown University has signed a contract to join the Brooks Beasts, a professional track and field team sponsored by Brooks Running, with the goal of hitting key performance standards by December 2021 which would unlock a longer-term deal along with the Brooks Beasts singlet.
Brown, a sub-four-minute miler, began running in grade school with the Wilton Running Club. By the time he completed high school, he held the title of 2015 Connecticut High State Champion in the 800m, received the 2015 Connecticut Gatorade Athlete of the Year award along with other indoor and outdoor track records. During his time at Georgetown, Brown launched "The Athlete Special," a YouTube channel that documented his running experience as a D1 athlete.
"I started the channel on a whim at the suggestion of my sister who said I was so obsessed with running that I might as well share what I do with other people who had a similar interest in running," Brown said. What began as just a few hundred subscribers, rapidly began to increase. "By my senior year at Georgetown, I had over 40K subscribers and realized that my channel was a viable business entity." As an NCAA athlete Brown was prohibited from gaining any monetary benefit from his site but since his college graduation this past spring, he has been able to fully reap the benefits of his platform. "I have a very loyal audience of subscribers who are interested in all facets of running including training, racing, mental preparation, eating, and running gear," Brown commented. "While my primary goal with Brooks is to turn my short-term contract into a longer one and earn the Beasts singlet, the Brooks marketing team values the community base I've built over the years and we've agreed that I will document my journey as "Becoming A Beast"."
Brown believes that the popularity of his channel shows there is an untapped market for people who are interested in his authentic experiences as a runner. According to The National Federation of High School Associations, after football, track and field is the second most popular sport for all high school boys based on participation. And, for high school girls, track and field is the number one participant sport. Brown notes, "Running is unique in that one can continue to participate in the sport later in life, enjoying the benefits of running alone or with companions for years. Running is more than a sport; it is a community that fosters positivity and personal growth. I am very excited to be a part of the Brooks team and I share the same values that Brooks has successfully integrated into its brand, to provide the best products that can enhance the experiences of all who run."
Brown has spent this past summer training in Colorado and will move to Seattle where Brooks and the Beasts are headquartered in the coming weeks. He is eager for the opportunity to train with some of the best athletes in the world.