Nike Keeps Runners Running Virtually Together With ‘Fearless Virtual Race’ Programme

On 11 April, Nike fired the starting pistol on its ‘Fearless Virtual Race’ which was held through the Nike Running Club App and was designed to keep runners optimistic, engaged and connected to a community even while training apart.

The initiative, which leveraged the dates upon which the Berlin Half, Milan Marathon and Paris Marathon were scheduled to be held but were cancelled due to Covid, saw Nike create a digital version of a ‘pre-race pack’ which included curated playlists, links to pre-existing editorials on nutrition, sleep and recovery, plus a printable race number and bib so runners would still feel part of a collective race with it pinned to their running top.

To hype the virtual race and promote the brand’s initiative, agency R/GA London created a series of four editorial style videos, such as ‘Run Club City’, which all told stories of local running clubs and their members and focused on how these clubs and their members kept motivated to keep running throughout lockdown.

R/GA London also partnered with Nike by creating the Project Fearless HypeFilm, which launched on the Nike Running Club app, as well as was reposted on the @nikerunning and @nikelondon Instagram handles.

The virtual race is a key pillar in Nike’s ‘Run Fearless’ project: an ongoing mission is to keep runners running by providing them with the tools to stay healthy.

The initiative was created for Nike by a team at agency R/GA which included Senior Account Manager James Cablis, Design Director Oriana Gaeta, Visual & Motion Designers Priya Stewart and Charlie Green, Senior Art Director Rob Watts, Associate Creative Director Laura Randalls, Senior Copywriter Natalie Ranger, Senior Strategist Amar Babbar and Freelance Video Editor Alex Graham.

Comment:

The Portland based sportswear behemoth’s virtual running programme aims to help keep people (brand fans and all amateur runners) active and to create a sense of community as the coronavirus pandemic continues to enforce barriers and challenges to everyday life and athletic activity.