When I was ten years old, I painted the trim on a neighbor’s house to earn the money to buy my first pair of Nike running shoes. I ran my first race in those shoes. Later, I ran my first marathon in Nike running shoes. Then I ran my first ultra marathon in Nikes. So over the last several years, as Nike Running lost its way and forgot the power they have in their voice, “I took it personally,” as the quote goes. 

The stars aligned and Nike Running reached out to me with a brief for the launch of the latest Pegasus, their iconic and most-worn model. Sales were lagging, and they needed a return to the voice that inspired people like ten-year-old-me to push beyond what they ever dreamed was possible. Nike Pegasus 41 is the best Peg yet, with new combinations of tech and more energy return, so the story had legs. 

To celebrate its release on Global Running Day 2024, we pulled out all the stops to not just return to the voice and championship mindset that made Nike the most beloved brand in the world, but to return to the love of running in all its gritty, sweaty, complicated passionate glory. 

It is Nike’s energy return era, and we took that seriously. To celebrate the Peg 41’s release on World Running Day, we activated group runs all over the world: Tokyo, Santa Monica, Chicago, and even back to the birthplace of the marathon (and the lore of where Nike got its name): the mountains of Greece. We invited 41 runners from 13 countries to share in one legendary relay from Mount Helicon to Mount Olympus. Over 272.4 km and 24 hours, these determined runners were fueled by the energy-giving power of the Pegasus 41s on their feet. 

Impact:

Over 51 million impressions across platforms

5.1% engagement rate on Insta

13.7% engagement rate on TikTok

1500 runners participated in the flagship Santa Monica community run