Nike Global Running

Running has always been an act of optimism. It’s a journey of betterment. Progress over perfection. A lesson in life. But in its search to redefine human performance, Nike Running had become too serious, too technical—and had lost a bit of the joy and soul that inspires so many to run in the first place.

So we asked ourselves: what if we stayed true to that optimism and leveraged the diverse perspectives of the global running community to just help each other get better?

Welcome to Runner Helping Runners.

FROM KAPTAGAT TO THE WORLD

What if this global community had a spiritual leader who is as much a philosopher as they are runner? A cerebral muse. A spiritual guide to shepherd this ever-growing collective. Enter Eliud Kipchoge.

His ruminations on running and life made him the perfect conduit for runners around the globe—whether responding to questions directly, or connecting you to someone who can help, he always has the answer.

Inspired by his training camp in Kaptagat, Kenya, we showed what Eliud gets up to when he’s not running, live and direct from a HQ that may or may not be hidden behind a bookshelf inside the Sandy Bodecker library at the Global Sports Communication training camp.

GOING THE DISTANCE

That philosophy extended to everyone, even for elite marathon runners like Shalane Flanagan who was aiming to run six marathons. Each one under three hours. In 42 days. All over the world. Who better to ask if there’s such a thing as running too much?

REASONS TO RUN

At a time when over 66m Americans decided to take up running for the first time - joining over 650m others around the world - we wanted to platform the wisdom and perspective of that global collective—as well as the honesty, humanity and optimism behind every run.

Runners Helping Runners took us to Eileen in London with an octogenarian’s perspective on running; to David in Chicago who was going from 0 to 26.2 miles in preparation for his first ever marathon; and to Sofi in Mexico City who had mental wellness advice for when we’re too hard on ourselves.

AGE DOESN’T HAVE A SPEED LIMIT

Eileen Noble didn’t start running until she was 51. Now at age 86, she’s completed 21 marathons and isn’t planning on stopping anytime soon. In fact, she just ran the London Marathon. Her secret to staying motivated on long runs?

“Accept the fact that you’re going to do it slowly, but just keep going."

TRUST THE PROCESS

David Latimore had only been running for a year, but he was already ready for the Chicago Marathon. What started as a hobby has become a passion that’s even inspired friends to start running. Throughout his journey, David’s learned a lot, but the most important thing:

“Don’t compare your process to anyone else’s.”

BE YOUR OWN BEST FRIEND

While living abroad, Sofi Kim began running to meet new people and fight off seasonal depression in the winter. The benefits of running began to snowball as did her love for the sport. Her advice for anyone that gets nervous before a race:

“Focus on three sounds around you. Then take three deep breaths. It helps you disconnect from everything.”

WE’RE ALL RUNNERS

To round out the season, we created a series of fun and functional social posters that helped runners get better, faster. Either inspired by or lifted directly from interviews with runners, these were one final reminder that the best running wisdom can come from anyone, anywhere.

CD: Reef Younis
ACDs: Graham Wesley Lewis & Fairfax Buchanan Banks
Senior Designer: Ben Biondo
EP: Santino Stoner
Studio Producer: Sláine Houts
Post Producer: Jamie Baker
Director: Charles Todd
Set Design: Ava Villafane
Photographer: Anthony Blasko