Darn Tough celebrates 20 years at VT City Marathon

Burlington, VT – Thousands of runners gathered at Waterfront Park in Burlington for the 35th annual Vermont City Marathon Sunday, but they shared the spotlight with an iconic Vermont business.

Darn Tough, a brand known throughout Vermont and celebrated in the outdoor sports world for its performance footwear, got its start at the marathon 20 years ago, and held an anniversary party at the race.

“It feels great, this is where we started, we’ve got our roots here, 20 years ago we gave away 3,500 pairs of socks,” said Ric Cabot, Founder and CEO of Darn Tough. “What started out as 35 employees 20 years ago is now over 400, and producing the world’s best socks in Vermont.”

Cabot reminisced about his company’s first Vermont City Marathon appearance at the marathon 20 years ago, and how the company has grown since then. Darn Tough stayed true to its roots Sunday, once again giving out free socks to runners and spectators, and held an anniversary toast at the race.

This year’s race celebrated another milestone for athletic inclusivity. For the first time the marathon added a category for non-binary athletes. Non-binary runners have always been welcome in the race, but until this year did not have a category of their own. The first-place non-binary prize purse is $2,400 — equal to that of the men’s and women’s categories.

The marathon’s presenting sponsor, M&T Bank, announced a sponsorship extension at the race. The bank has sponsored the last nine Vermont City Marathons, and will continue to sponsor the next five races at least. M&T leadership said the partnership is good for their employees and the community.

“We’ve got 65 employee volunteers out here, we have 40 employee runner teams out here from all across our footprint, so it’s just a great way for the bank to show up and the community to show up and partner together,” said Heidi Stumpff, Vermont Regional President at M&T Bank.

Roughly 4,400 athletes participated in the marathon across all categories, including relay, hand cycle, and push-rim wheelchair.

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