Contre: Runs, Travel, and Connections with Marcos Monteiro

From YMR to Organizing Informal Trips

The seed for Contre was planted with the YMR (Youth Marathon Runners) project, created to encourage young people to start running and complete their first marathon. The project, supported by Adidas and featuring Thiago Kawamura in athlete recovery, faced challenges like the pandemic, which resulted in injuries for many. However, YMR demonstrated the power of a united group and the demand for collective experiences.

Marcos and his friends began organizing their own marathon trips, to places like Porto Alegre and Chicago, gathering groups of 20 to 30 people. They recognized a significant "pain point" in the market for race access and how the supply of registrations for the Majors was disproportionate to the growing post-pandemic demand. It was evident that running was no longer an "old person's sport," attracting a new, younger, and more discerning client profile who sought value in the delivery, not just the basic package.

Entrepreneurship in Sports: Negotiations and the "Z2 Moments"

Transforming a hobby into a real business required Marcos to create a financially sustainable business model and overcome significant challenges. The main one was getting accredited as an official marathon agency, a process involving "absurd due diligence" from organizers, demanding time and many contacts.

The first achievements were accreditation for the Paris Marathon and the impending Cape Town Major. However, these initial victories brought the first "Z2 moments" – those instances where "everything seemed like it was going to go wrong." Paris presented a problematic hydration system, leading to customer cancellations, while Cape Town had its Major status canceled on the last day, creating significant uncertainty.

The Turning Point with Chicago and the Value of Experience

Despite the setbacks, the Contre team (which included the crucial addition of Matheus Caseiro to handle communication and branding) transformed problems into solutions. In Paris, they hired volunteers to set up hydration points every 5 km, a service far beyond expectations. The true "game-changer" came with unexpected accreditation for the Chicago Marathon, which validated Contre's value proposition and led them to decide to go "all-in" on the business.

Contre stands out for delivering a complete experience, starting three months before the race with meetings in Brazil for athletes to get to know each other and form bonds. At the destinations, the agency organizes tours of pop-ups and iconic spots, such as the tour of Rematch in Paris, and creates a sense of community that goes beyond running. The company also invests in informative content, with a podcast hosted by Barda, detailing race routes, elevation profiles, and practical tips.

Marcos's Personal Journey: From Tennis to a Sub-3 Marathon

Marcos's relationship with sports runs deep, inherited from birth. His parents were triathletes, and his father, Carlos Monteiro, was the first student of Marcão, founder of MPR, receiving training on paper bags. Marcos started tennis at age four, even considering a professional career. However, after an evaluation at Larri Passos' camp, he chose to focus on studies and work, leaving the court.

In 2015/2016, running entered his life as a more adaptable sport for his routine. Marcos, who recalls the prejudice that "running was an old person's sport" back then, spent six years training with Marcão, who "held him back" from running a marathon too soon. His first marathon was in Porto Alegre in 2022. With dedication and a training period with Ricardinho De Joli, he achieved his personal best of 2:43 at the London Marathon, in addition to running in Valencia, Chicago, and New York.

His experience in sports, from the notable Chicago (2007) and Disney Marathons with his parents to his own evolution as a runner, shaped Contre's philosophy: running is a journey of overcoming challenges and, most importantly, connection.

The Future of Contre: Expansion and Global Connection

Contre maintains an intense schedule, with trips planned for Cape Town, the Rio Marathon, SP City, Chicago, Valencia, and Cruce, in addition to a project with Nike for training camps. The company, which even adapted by changing its name (from Contre Sense to Contre due to pronunciation difficulty), continues to seek expansion of its operations and strengthening of the athlete experience.

Marcos concludes with an invitation to all runners: "Try to set aside performance a bit and discover the other role running can play: meeting people, discovering places, bringing life." Contre is a testament to how passion, vision, and resilience can transform a hobby into a successful business, creating memorable experiences that go far beyond the stopwatch and connect the global running community.