When the most decorated 100-meter sprinter ever stepped to the line for a final time, she told herself what she knew: That she was prepared, powerful, and this race was hers — for her. The next handful of seconds were to honor everything that had brought her to this moment.Green, yellow, and black hair whipping behind her — a self-proclaimed “daughter of the soil,” who chose to wear the colors of her nation’s flag for her final finish —&nbsp;gold-hued nails splayed in front of her, <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://about.nike.com/en/newsroom/releases/nike-celebrates-shelly-ann-fraser-pryce" target="_blank">Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce</a> exploded off the blocks in the World Athletics Championship final in a capacity-filled Japan National Stadium in Tokyo. She ended her 100-meter career in the same way she began racing 18 years ago in Japan — with fierce speed, strength, and composure. It was a bold tribute to Jamaica, the nation whose unyielding support has carried her through two decades at the top of the sport.In her decades of dominance — from becoming the first Caribbean woman to win Olympic gold in the 100-meters in 2008, to returning as World Champion in 2019 after giving birth to her son, Zyon — Shelly-Ann has embodied the power of duality.&nbsp;The ability to have longevity in track and field’s shortest, most intense discipline; exuding femininity and self-expression in a physically demanding sport; proving motherhood and greatness can coexist.What athletes everywhere, and especially young girls, can take from Shelly-Ann’s lead: The courage to run your own race, on your terms. To trust that setbacks don’t define you, only your response to them. And the assurance that, if you believe in yourself and work with discipline, harmony is possible. Dreams and family, career and legacy.For that, and the now 276 incredible races and finish line moments, thank you, Shelly-Ann.Below, go behind the scenes of the G.O.A.T.’s final meet days in Tokyo.

The shoes. The hair. The finish. At the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Shelly-Ann, a five-time world champion, ended her career her way.

Sofieke van Bilsen is a 29-year-old Dutch photographer with a passion for storytelling through imagery. She is in-house photographer to the German women's national football team, and was team photographer for the German Olympic Team in Paris 2024. She works closely with Nike athletes such as Faith Kipyegon, Eliud Kipchoge and Sifan Hassan.In her photography, she aims to create compelling visual narratives, focusing on the deep connection between emotion and athleticism. She strives to capture the raw moments behind the scenes, the untold stories of the journey,and everything in between, bringing the spirit of sports to life.Sofieke's personality creates instant connections with people, and she is loved by the athletes she works with. Her relaxed and enthusiastic personality complements an incredible skill level and ability to work in high pressure environments for athletes.

Sofieke van Bilsen

Photo Essay

Icon Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce Ran Her Final 100 Meter On Her Terms

Over the course of his career, LeBron James has shared his passion for the game globally, partnering with Nike to travel throughout Greater China during his offseason, galvanizing a nation in its love for basketball and hoops culture. Just as LeBron’s career has evolved through different eras, his tours have represented different values over the many times he's visited since 2005. Below are some of his most memorable moments in the country.

2005-2009

LeBron began his debut tour in Beijing in August of 2005. He was invited to watch the awards ceremony of the Nike Battlegrounds tournament, but he’d depart as more than just a spectator. From the moment he stepped down in China, he believed his tour could become a cross-cultural exchange rooted in a shared love of hoops and a mission to inspire the next generation of young players in China. “Basketball is not only a sport, it's also a bridge that connects people," he said.&nbsp;“This is a great learning experience for everyone. I hope I can continue to help grow the game globally and inspire the youth in China to reach their dreams."

LeBron's legacy in China is woven into special China-specific iterations of his signature footwear. In 2007, LeBron James appeared alongside NIKE, Inc.'s then-President &amp; CEO Mark Parker to debut his Nike Zoom LeBron V "China" colorway.

LeBron returned to Beijing in 2009 after his MVP season where he enjoyed a hero's welcome. As part of his trip, he donated equipment and provided scholarships for the Zhenhua School, a school for the children of migrant workers in suburban Beijing.

To celebrate his season, LeBron was presented with an exclusive pair of the Nike Air Max LeBron VII, featuring a Shenyang-inspired design dubbed “Loyalty” created by the local artist Ray Lei, and a Shanghai-inspired design dubbed “Family,” created by the local artist Sic.

2011-2015

LeBron embraced his role as a global ambassador for the game, focusing on the opportunity to inspire China’s young players. In 2011, his tour expanded to eight days over four cities, promoting grassroots basketball through a series of skill clinics and tournaments.

In 2012, with a fresh gold medal to pair with his championship ring, LeBron James made a triumphant arrival in Beijing to kick off a four-day tour as part of the&nbsp;Find Your Greatness campaign. "Greatness is defined by how much you want to put into what you do," said LeBron. "Greatness comes with victory. It also comes with being able to come back from adversity."

In 2013, LeBron returned to China with plenty to celebrate: his second straight NBA championship and MVP awards for both the regular season and the Finals.

In 2014, LeBron James was the first mentor to announce the roster for the Nike RISE, designed to help players raise their competitive game and improve their skill.

In 2015, Nike RISE 2015 evolved with LED Courts and motion-tracking drills to create a pinnacle training experience, teach the fundamentals of basketball and push the boundaries of sports training.

An emotional finale saw four players chosen to represent China at the World Streetball Championships.

2016-2019

After winning another NBA title in 2016, LeBron entered Guangzhou to a massive championship parade, the streets flanked by tens of thousands of fans, many of them in Cavs #23 jerseys. It was a signal for just how widely James’ legacy had expanded throughout Asia.&nbsp;His More Than an Athlete campaign inspired young players to see basketball as one of many tools for affecting social change.

After a warm welcome from thousands of fans, he spent most of his time in Beijing working out with and coaching members of the Chinese Junior National basketball team.

Visiting primary schools throughout Beijing, LeBron shared his personal basketball experiences with young athletes, emphasizing the role that hard work, dedication and self-belief played in his path to success.

In 2018, the first day of his "More Than an Athlete" tour in Shanghai began with a panel discussion with students at the Shanghai Theatre&nbsp;Academy, and ended with a park shootaround. Hundreds of fans gathered outside the court to watch him play, hoping to catch a glimpse of the icon.

This month, LeBron flew to China for his "Forever King" tour, his 15th in the country and marking the 20th anniversary of tours in Asia. There, he joined some of the world’s most passionate hoopers and basketball fans, reiterating his commitment to giving back to the game across the world.

Over the course of his career, LeBron James has shared his passion for the game globally, partnering with Nike to travel throughout Greater China during his offseason, galvanizing a nation in its love for basketball and hoops culture.

Journey of an Icon: 20 Years of LeBron James in China

Hours of powering up steep ascents and navigating gnarly descents. Whipping mountain winds, glaring direct sun and biting evening temps. Getting mentally right with the fact that the next aid station is far, far away. Ultra trail running can sound like a grueling, relentless sport reserved for the wildest, most hardcore athletes among us.According to our <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://about.nike.com/en/newsroom/releases/nike-acg-all-conditions-racing-department" target="_blank">All Conditions Racing Department</a> runners — six of whom just conquered pinnacle UTMB races across the French, Italian and Swiss Alps, on trails spanning 15 to 174 kilometers, with elevation gains of 1,200 to nearly 10,000 meters — the grit, determination, joy and freedom trail running gives you is worth every ounce of work. See for yourself.

<h3>ROSS GOLLAN</h3>Race: ETC; 15km with 1,200m elevation gain Global finish rank: 29th

<h3>MARIE NIVET</h3>Race: Experience Trail Courmayeur (ETC); 15km with 1,200m elevation gain Global women’s finish rank: 7th

CESARE MAESTRIRace: ETC; 15km with 1,200m elevation gain Global finish rank: 2nd

<h3>BAPTISTE COATANTIEC</h3>Race: Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB); 174km with nearly 10,000m elevation gain Global finish rank: 11th

<h3>ANTHONY COSTALES</h3>Race: Courmayeur – Champex – Chamonix (CCC); 101km with more than 6,050m elevation gain Global finish rank: 15th

<h3>DREW HOLMEN</h3>Race: CCC; 101km with more than 6,050m elevation gain Global finish rank: 3rd

Powering up steep ascents. Navigating gnarly descents. Whipping mountain winds. Ultra trail running is a relentless sport. But the payoff is well worth the grind.

Ultra Trail Running Can Take Everything You’ve Got — and Give You Even More

NExt volume

Born of need and elevated by expertise and diligence, today the Department of Nike Archives (DNA) cares for hundreds of thousands of artifacts and a limitless vault of connected stories.&nbsp;The brand archive began organically in the 1970s and officially became DNA in 2006. The department’s purpose is to both preserve and accelerate the ever-evolving and interconnected story of Nike. “Knowing who you are and the fights you’ve come through can do huge things for morale, inspiration, and creativity. That’s what DNA provides.” - Phil Knight

Department of Nike Archives

At the base of K2, the world’s second-highest peak, two American climbers sat among their gear, snow-streaked ridgelines rising behind them. Their faces were lean from 68 days on the mountain. Both wore yellow Nike Long Distance Vectors (LDVs) — one of the brand’s top long-distance running shoes at the time — which looked as battered as the climbers themselves. A picture was needed to mark the moment; one of the men raised a thumb toward the camera. The photograph, taken by mountaineering photographer Dianne Roberts in 1978, would go on to become one of Nike’s most unexpected origin stories.

An Unlikely Sponsorship

Months earlier, Nike had quietly supplied the expedition with those lightweight trainers, a last-minute gift meant for the 110-mile approach to basecamp. “A lot of it was off-trail,” recalled Rick Ridgeway, one of the climbers in the photo and a leading American alpinist of the era. “You can imagine they were pretty trashed by the time we got there.”In those years, most climbers relied on stiff leather boots built in Europe. The LDVs were the opposite: soft, breathable and fast. “They were just more flexible and more comfortable,” Ridgeway said. “What was really cool about those LDVs is that you need to hop around on rocks. This was a rough hike so you could boulder hop. They breathed better. They were functionally superior to the more rigid traditional trekking shoe.”

Internally, Nike referred to the model as the “Long Distance Vixie” because Eugene podiatrist Dennis Vixie made the last. Externally, it was known as the Long Distance Vector.At the time, Nike hadn’t yet stepped into the outdoor business — the shoes had simply been a goodwill gesture for the expedition. No one could have predicted that they would plant the seed for an entirely new category.

By the time the team descended, the fabric sneakers had nearly fallen apart. Ridgeway and Roskelley held them together with tape and glue for the long walk back to the roadhead. “Being up that high for that long without oxygen, it was hard,” Ridgeway remembered. “But we made it. And on the way out, we started talking about how the shoe could be modified to make it into a usable trekking shoe.”When they returned home, the climbers mailed their blown-out LDVs to Nike along with a short list of suggested improvements, including a tougher sole and more rugged upper, while still keeping the shoe lightweight and flexible. Those notes would help spark Nike’s first outdoor footwear line and, eventually, the category that became <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://about.nike.com/en/newsroom/releases/nike-reintroduces-acg-all-conditions-gear" target="_blank">All Conditions Gear</a> (ACG).

From Climb to Concept

Nike’s design team took the climbers’ feedback to heart. The field-worn LDVs had proven that lighter footwear could thrive where only heavy boots once ruled. The idea that “light is right” began to ripple through the brand’s ranks.By 1981, that thinking produced three shoes that merged the best of Nike running with durability for rough terrain: the Lava Dome, the Approach and the Magma. Nike’s first shoe to use a GORE-TEX lining; the design shape would later inform early thinking behind the Air Force 1. “It became very apparent that world-class athletes [were] going really lightweight,” recalled product manager Monte Mayko, who helped lead the project from Nike’s Exeter, New Hampshire factory. “It made total sense.”

Inspired by the K2 photograph and the climbers’ firsthand notes, the Nike team reimagined what a hiking shoe could be. The result was a category shift toward performance minimalism. “The whole notion of light is right and less is more and functional minimalism — climbers really get that at their core,” explained Kirk Richardson, a lifelong mountaineer who would later lead ACG. “Nike intuitively got it. Bowerman and Knight were absolutely right.” The new designs, built in Exeter and Saco, Maine, featured lightweight uppers, waffle soles and durable midsoles derived directly from Nike’s running heritage. For climbers and trail runners, they felt revolutionary: fast, flexible and protective enough to take the punishment of rock and scree. “Turning a training shoe into a trekking shoe. Nobody had done that,” Ridgeway later said. “It was kind of revolutionary.”

As those early designs hit the market, Ridgeway continued testing prototypes and corresponding with Nike designers. “They’d send me a prototype of the shoes to try out so I field tested them,” he recalled. One of those early ads — the first print campaign for Nike Outdoor — used Roberts’ K2 photograph of Ridgeway and Roskelley. The caption read: “Not everyone was willing to wait for our hiking boots."

The Big Ascent

By the mid-1980s, Nike’s outdoor experiments had evolved from one-off projects into a legitimate design philosophy. Yet without a unifying category, they remained scattered, a mix of hiking boots, trail runners and small-batch apparel experiments without a single name or purpose.That began to change in 1987 when a small internal team was tasked with formalizing Nike’s outdoor efforts. According to Tom Clarke, then vice president of product marketing, Nike had been talking about being in the outdoor business for some time and had a stable of avid outdoor people around product management.

The team saw an opening in a market dominated by European legacy brands still building heavy, rigid gear for mountaineering specialists. An opportunity to create athletic gear designed for movement in all conditions.Clarke, Richardson and a small team in Beaverton and Exeter began sketching out a strategy. Footwear and apparel would live under a single collection guided by four principles: high performance, durability, versatility and functional excellence. It was the beginning of a significant shift in performance outdoor footwear that would also make its way into apparel.The idea quickly gained traction. Within two years, a full outdoor business plan emerged.

The Name Takes Hold

Nike’s outdoor plan was coming together, but a fitting name was still missing. Around the same time, Nike Running had begun using the phrase “All Conditions Gear” for a small line of year-round performance apparel — gear designed to handle any weather. The overlap in philosophy caught the Outdoor team’s attention. When Clarke’s group discovered the term, they adopted it to define the new collection, a name that embodied Nike’s commitment to performance regardless of terrain or weather, echoing the same spirit that had driven Ridgeway and Roskelley’s K2 ascent a decade earlier.

By 1989, it became official. Under Richardson’s leadership, ACG launched as a fully integrated line of footwear and apparel designed for athletes who ran, hiked, climbed and explored outdoors.Nike made sure its debut felt authentic. The first catalog shoot took place at Castleton Tower in Moab, Utah, a notorious rock spire revered by climbers. “We wanted to position it as a pretty real brand,” said art director Ron Dumas. “We had these guys climb this tower and so we got in a helicopter. It was just about sunset and I was sitting on the rail holding onto the photographer and he’s hanging out of the helicopter. The tower was beautiful and these guys are just little dots on top. It was phenomenal.”

Released in 1989 as part of ACG’s inaugural product launch, the Huascaran jacket featured a nylon microfiber GORE-TEX shell.

Inspired by Mount Huascarán in Peru, its design included underarm gussets, double storm flaps, cargo pockets and a zip-in liner capability, reflecting ACG’s early focus on durable, all-conditions performance.

Additionally, the warm winter jacket was constructed with a Regulator-lined interior and a snap-off hood.

A decade after the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, Nike ACG marked the mountain’s irreversible transformation with a before-and-after patch showing a landscape changed forever. Instead of measuring height like other ACG “landmark” pieces, the jacket captured impact, memory and permanence.

Built as an insulation layer within ACG’s late-’80s systems approach, the Mount St. Helens Jacket used thick Polarfleece, ribbed cuffs and a reversible YKK zip to integrate seamlessly with outer shells. Technical and modular by design, it showed how storytelling and function came together in early ACG systems thinking.

This Kilimanjaro Anorak K2 was worn and autographed by climber John Roskelley, one of the two Americans photographed at K2 basecamp in LDVs whose trek later appeared in an early 1980s poster and in a 1989 ACG ad.

Built with two- and three-layer GORE-TEX and a nylon microfiber shell, the anorak included reinforced yokes, underarm gussets and multiple zip pockets, reflecting the technical design ethos that shaped ACG’s early years.

When the first ACG collection dropped that fall, anchored by the Air Wildwood, Lava High and a series of Gore-Tex and fleece outerwear pieces, Nike had officially staked its flag in the outdoor market.

The photograph of two climbers at the base of K2 had become something larger: the spark that ignited an entirely new dimension for Nike.

The wild moment that sparked Nike’s first outdoor footwear line and, eventually, the category that became All Conditions Gear.

History

The Birth of ACG: The Summit that Launched a Legacy

About Nike - Stories from Inside NIKE, Inc.

If golfer Tony Finau had to name his Flu Game moment, it was during the 2018 Masters. He had just sunk a hole-in-one on the par-3 course at Augusta National. He celebrated by taking off sprinting toward the hole, when improbably, he took an awkward step and dislocated his left ankle (fair warning for anyone who wants to look up the video: it was gnarly). In grimacing pain but undeterred, he popped his ankle back in place himself and resumed play, where he’d complete the week with a top 10 finish. Oh, and two months later, he’d make the final group at the US Open. And he’d qualify for his first Ryder Cup. All in a year when he could put barely any pressure on his left foot.Digging deep to test his physical limits is a signature quality of Finau, who joins Jordan Brand this month as the newest member of its Golf roster. You wouldn’t know any such challenge existed just by looking at him. The lithe 6’4” athlete has one of the most powerful drives on the pro tour, able to crush the ball at over 200 mph since he was 17 years old. He was recruited for hoops out of high school, and he descends from a proud lineage of skilled Tongan and Samoan athletes, particularly in football. When his personal calling to golf was too great to ignore, he worked as hard as possible to reach the sport’s top level, rolling the dice by auditioning for a reality TV golf show, then undergoing a brutal mini-tour schedule for years that forced him to travel at a ruthless pace across the country. Was it worth it? No question. Below, Finau talks about the twists his career has taken, his moments of greatest perseverance and all things drive.&nbsp; Certain career moments cause you to flip your definition of what winning means. Take that Masters in 2018. It was an incredible moment, that hole-in-one, followed by the most embarrassing moment of my life on national TV. Fast forward to the end of the tournament. I birdied six out of my last seven holes. I shot 66 that Sunday. Walking off the 72nd hole, I truly felt like I won. I felt like somebody should’ve given me the green jacket. In life, we’re going to fall down a lot more times than we’re going to win. But does that actually mean that we lost? I don’t look at it that way.

There’ll be windows of your life where you need to gut it out just to see what you’re really made of. I turned pro in 2007, but I didn’t get onto the PGA Tour until 2013, so there was a six-year period where I had to tough it out on the Mini-Tour life and learn how to play the game, travel and take the small wins where I could. On the Mini-Tour, you’re fighting for every dollar, your literal livelihood. There were plenty of nights I slept in my car and I went without eating just so I could scrape by. Those were some of the hardest years of my life, but also some of the greatest, because I learned what I can become with a little bit of sacrifice.&nbsp;Individual sports demand a certain kind of passion. In a sport like golf, you don’t have any teammates to lean on. It’s just you out there. Some people have a hard time without that team component, but when I started golfing at a young age, I found I really enjoyed the game’s individual aspects. It was on me to figure it out, to piece together the ways I could improve. When I got on the golf course, it was a matter of locking in and learning how to focus.Composure has nothing to do with your athletic skill but has everything to do with the life of an athlete. My brother and I went on The Big Break, a reality TV competition on the Golf Channel, in 2009. I was 20 years old at the time. We were around the camera 24/7. Everywhere we went, they were recording us. It was crazy, and it took some getting used to, but I remember leaving that experience and telling myself, “You’re going to be a great golfer. This media exposure is how it’s going to be if you turn pro.” Being on the show got me to the point where it didn’t really matter who was watching me. I just needed to stay focused and play my game.&nbsp;Sport was only part of my family’s background. Being Polynesian, my mom had a luau show as I was growing up, so I learned how to play a lot of different instruments as a performer in her show. One of the first instruments I learned was the to’ere, which is like a Tahitian drum. I also did traditional Polynesian fire dancing as a kid. Music and dancing were as core to my identity as sport was.&nbsp;It’s easy to be an on- and off-switch person. But greatness means being your best at all times of the day, not just when it’s convenient. My mom used to tell me, “The way you do one thing is the way you do all things.” Golf is just one example. Trying to be great at a game that’s impossibly hard, a game you can’t perfect, doesn’t mean that you stop trying. You keep trying to reach for more out of yourself. I’m trying to be great in all aspects of my life, whether that’s on the course, in the gym, being a husband, being a father. I’m trying to push past my own limits in all aspects of my life.&nbsp;

Golfers tend to be pretty superstitious people. One of my rituals is that I wear green every Sunday. My mom, she passed away in 2011 — her favorite color was green. Wearing green is a way I like to honor her, a way to remember she’s with me all the time on the course.&nbsp;Joining the Jordan Brand marks a new chapter in my career. Obviously Michael represents excellence at the highest level. Jordan Brand is incredible to be a part of and Michael is an incredible individual to represent. I met him for the first time when I was 17, and during the times I’ve played at his private course in Florida, The Grove, he’s always told me, “Anytime you’re in this area, you’re welcome here.” So in 2024, I’m playing a playoff event. I know I’m going to be in West Palm after the playoffs, for a shoot I was doing with one of my sponsors. My son was with me on the trip, and the thought crossed my mind, “It would be the coolest thing on Earth if I could bring my son to play The Grove.” I texted Michael on a whim and asked him. He got back to me 30 seconds later: “We’re actually closed for the weekend, but I’ll open the course just for you and your son. Please bring him and we’ll make it happen.” We played 18 holes that day and had the entire course to ourselves, just me and my son. That single experience is something I’ll never forget. That’s the effect Michael has on people. You can download more images as well as an accompanying film welcoming Finau to the Jordan Brand family by clicking <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://media-assets.nike.com/en/pitches/jordan-brand-welcomes-tony-finau-to-its-golf-roster?secret=29e440c91211da0d9af84d3e374afd15" target="_blank">here</a>.

The pro golfer and newest member of the Jordan Brand Golf roster has never backed down from a challenge.

For The Win

For Tony Finau, Going the Distance is a Mindset

While most of us got through middle school trying to blend in, Jane Hedengren remembers wanting to leave her mark: Breaking her school’s record in the mile. She was 12 years old, new to organized track, and intent on sealing the record by the end of the school year. Her father John took her to a college track on a cold fall afternoon for 400-meter repeats to test her capacity. She was trying and failing to hit her splits. That’s when John, a former runner at Brigham Young University (BYU), joined her for the workout, cutting through the chilly, high desert air, pulling up the pace but staying near enough to encourage Jane as she willed herself forward. She’d eventually hit those splits, and she’d later break her school’s record that spring.&nbsp;Now out of high school, Jane Hedengren has established herself as one of the most accomplished amateur distance runners in American history. She arguably had the most dominant high school season ever in 2024, male or female, breaking nine high school records spanning the mile to the 5K. She’d be the first to say that she hasn’t accomplished these feats alone.&nbsp;Along with her family’s support, Jane’s teammates include those coaches and runners from the Nike Elite Program, which invites 40 of the nation’s top runners to experience the comprehensive training tools provided by Nike coaches all year long, culminating in some of the nation’s preeminent meets during the cross-country, indoor and outdoor seasons. All seasons in which Jane dominated.Here, in her own words, she speaks to how that support has set her up for a professional running future — and starting her own collegiate running career at BYU in the fall.

The indoor and outdoor seasons give you many opportunities to prove yourself. Nike Indoor Nationals this year was special, because I was able to run the 5k for the first time on the track. I had to put myself out there.Good coaches can turn a phrase and get you motivated. During that Nike Indoor Nationals meet, one of my coaches from the Nike Elite program, Juli Benson, told me, “I know you’re in a good spot. Let’s see if you’re in a great spot.” Then it was like the lesson my dad taught me: You’ll see once you’re in that last 2K of the race. I was able to close out hard. A lot of good stuff can come from having an open mind and getting the most out of yourself.&nbsp;This year was a season of firsts. Last fall was my first time at <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://about.nike.com/en/stories/nike-cross-nationals-2024-official-images" target="null">Nike Cross Nationals</a>. It was really exciting to feel as fresh as I did on race day. The field was strong, so I wanted to stay patient, because the course with the weather conditions can be unforgiving. I kept steady early on and maintained my pace. It’s special to finish a race and not expect that level of performance out of yourself.

I love how running has different disciplines within it. Cross country and track are special in their own right, and they’re so different. I love how the competition of cross country takes place in this long, tough terrain. It embodies what running is all about: Being out in nature, competing with other runners. Track is really fun for me. It’s a bit quicker, and competition also plays a role, but there’s a certain thing to be said about trying to hit certain times. You’re also able to use a variety of distances as a guardrail to monitor how you’re feeling.&nbsp;Your performances aren’t the only part of your racing that evolves. Your training changes, too. Strength training has been a big part of my development process. Early on, I was running around 30 miles a week, doing some light workouts here and there with some cross training. As the years have gone on, I’ve upped the intensity and volume. This last season, I was doing up to 55 miles a week while doing more intense workouts and feeling good and strong. I think I realized I had a talent probably right around my sophomore year of high school. I had been working and staying more consistent. Plus, no matter how I performed, I always had a love for running. I loved the freedom it afforded me. I could get away from my life’s stresses and have this thing I could work toward and use to discover more about myself. That happened as soon as I started running, and it’s evolved as I’ve gotten older and have been more in touch with the sport.&nbsp;

You can always find a new challenge to overcome as you get older. I’m really excited for this next chapter with BYU. I’m open to trying new distances, racing against different competition. I want to try it all. It’s great that college isn’t just a one-off experience. You learn these lessons over time. I'll have time to get a hold of things, find my rhythm and routine, get to know my teammates, <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://about.nike.com/en/stories/women-running-culture-mumbai-india-nike-after-dark-tour" target="null">Coach Diljeet Taylor</a> and the other staff.&nbsp;I’ve been really careful about thinking too far ahead. People will ask me about aspirations like medaling in the Olympics or finding a prominence on the world stage. Those goals are incredible, obviously, and I’m working toward them, but the truth is, I don’t know where I’ll be in a few years. What I can focus on right now is keeping myself healthy, enjoying the sport and loving those around me.&nbsp;I’m taking things one step at a time.&nbsp;

Proving her talent across Nike’s cross country, indoor and outdoor championships, Hedengren finished her high school career as one of the most accomplished middle- and long-distance runners of all time.

How I Got Here

Indoors and Out, Runner Jane Hedengren is Rewriting History

Think <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://about.nike.com/en/newsroom/releases/jordan-brand-luka-4-official-images" target="_blank">Luka Dončić</a>, and your mental picture is likely his signature step-back jumper. The unthinkable passes that land perfectly in the hands of his teammates. The creativity under pressure and borderline court omniscience that cause endless headaches for his opponents.You likely know Luka as a fierce competitor who brings a trademark tenacity to each play. A generational talent, fueled by an expert basketball IQ. A force to be reckoned with, owning every possession and controlling the pace of the game.But Luka, a consummate hooper, also contains multitudes off the court. He loves the serenity of the ocean and grilling a good cut of beef. He’s <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@espn/video/7467995779832024362?lang=en" target="null">as comfortable gaming</a> as he is driving to the hoop for a Euro step, and if he weren’t on the hardwood, he’d choose running point on the gridiron. Above all else, he’s incredibly proud of his 1-year-old daughter, Gabriela, whom he considers his greatest inspiration.Here, Luka shares more about his passions away from the game and how they make him a better player, when he knew he was living his childhood dream, and the crossover skill between two of his favorite pastimes, fishing and basketball.Getting out on the water is one of my favorite things. My father had some small boats when I was young, and we started going out together when I was maybe 7 years old. Today, renting a boat reminds me of my childhood: I love being on the ocean, just relaxing, driving the boat and getting some sun.I enjoy the peace of the ocean — there’s so much space and nothing more important than appreciating the views and catching some fish. The last time I was in Mexico I caught a marlin. That was an amazing moment. Probably the coolest thing I’ve ever caught was a little shark. Once I had a very big fish on the line, battling for seven to 10 minutes, but it escaped right under the boat — a definite disappointment.Fishing betters my game and basketball betters my fishing because they both require an essential skill: patience. Mostly, I like to fish to get out on the water, relax and enjoy the sun. But fishing is a reminder of the patience that’s required in basketball and in life. You need patience no matter what.

My mentality away from the game is much more relaxed. I think off the court I’m more chill — staying home, enjoying time outside, not talking too much. On the court, I like to talk more and be aggressive; it’s&nbsp;working hard and having fun.I was born with an intense competitive drive. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been competitive in almost everything I do. That’s why it’s important for me to compete hard on the court and then to recharge with other hobbies and have time with my family and friends.If I had to pick a position in another sport I’d love to play quarterback. When I was younger, I played a lot of sports. Basketball was obviously my favorite, and I played outdoors almost every day after school. I also tried tennis and soccer —&nbsp;just being outdoors was fun for me. I’ve since really grown to like American football, and I have a strong arm and great vision, so I think I could QB pretty well.When I’m not training or competing, I like to go out and grill, usually a good steak and some corn. I normally cook out when it’s sunny, which helps me relax with my family and recharge for my training and busy schedule during the season.My daughter brings me the most pride of anything in the world. She’s my greatest supporter in life, even if she doesn’t know it yet. That drives me every day. She’s 15 months old, and I love spending time with her and playing with her.I remember when I realized I was living my childhood dream. I left my home when I was 12 years old to go alone and play for Real Madrid. I was just settling in during my first year with the team. But in my second year, I started to come into my own. Playing for the best basketball club in Europe, that’s how I knew I was making my dreams a reality.I don’t usually get nervous before games. But when I do feel some nerves, like before my first home game with the Lakers, I tell myself to remember that I’m good at what I do — I just need to go through my routine and do what I do best.The best advice I return to is simple: Have fun, especially on the basketball court. When something doesn’t go as planned, I just remember: “You’ve been doing this your whole life. You know how to do it. Go out there and have fun.”

The Los Angeles Lakers guard goes deep on fishing, grilling and the secret to staying sane on the court.

Luka Dončić Is More Than Just One of the Best Players in the League

Five games into his professional career, on his third straight road game, Victor Wembanyama was already at home in the NBA. He scored 38 points, grabbed 10 boards and put up two blocks by the end of the night. At season’s end, he’d average nearly four blocks a game, leading the league.&nbsp;Victor is all unreal numbers. The 20-year-old’s&nbsp;7’4” frame swallows every square inch of the court. Offensively, he’s fluid and mobile. Defensively, he’s a one-man zone, able to turn away opposing fast breaks through his size and his stare. Evaluating rookies in the NBA is usually a challenge of evaluating their floor. At a minimum, what can this player become? He entered the league, and instantly, the question was how high his ceiling might be — or whether there was one.&nbsp;Here, Victor answers our questions on what it takes to win — from transcending his own limits to banishing fear from his life. I knew from an early age the kind of professional I wanted to be. There’s a lot of things we have to do as pro athletes that people in other jobs don’t need to worry about, like getting enough sleep after you play a back-to-back and fly to a different time zone. I decided I need to get better sleep. When I start my dinnertime meal, my alarm for the next morning is already set on my phone, and I’m not going to use my phone for the rest of the night.&nbsp;I’m lucky in that I can say I’m competing for multiple places. Wearing the France national jersey is one of the strongest feelings I know. In the NBA, I’m attached to the city of San Antonio. I’m a part of it. They’ve welcomed me.&nbsp;

All my life I’ve been much taller than everyone on the court. So, when coaches saw me doing dribbles through the legs and doing fadeways and stuff, their first reflex was to tell me not to do it. All my life there’s been this pressure to put me in a box. It’s been the toughest battle I’ve fought my whole life. Now, I do have more freedom than before, but I'm convinced that my freedom wouldn't be here without my efforts to go against those stereotypes.Here's what I’d tell any kid who’s struggling with something:&nbsp;When I was 12 years old, I went through a discouraging period. I was having trouble with my shot during my games. I obviously was growing a lot at that time, and I was even skinner than I am now, so I had trouble getting my shot off consistently against defenders. My coach told me, ‘When you’re a professional, you’ll be working on the present. But right now, you’re working for the future.”&nbsp;Seeing a kid wear my jersey is special. Any time I catch highlights of our games, I like watching the reactions in the stands, and you naturally see the kids who are wearing your jersey. It’s not the first thing you think about when you become an NBA player, but you realize you can positively influence the next generation through something you love. It’s beautiful.&nbsp;It really saddens me when I see a lack of ambition from people. Usually, it comes from being scared and thinking ‘I’m not enough.’ Assuming that things are too big or too ambitious are things I’ve decided to banish from my life.At the end of the day, it’s on you to define what your goals are in life, what you want to become. Winning is accomplishing those things that matter most to you.&nbsp;

I want to help create a new era of dominance for French basketball. That involves promoting the sport and making it more popular in the country for our youth. For professional basketball in France, I think our potential doesn’t match our current investment. How can we improve our facilities? How can we train the best staff? We just need to match our potential and foster our pool of talent that’s already here. France has the brightest future of any country in the world for basketball.Someone asked me how I make sure my name doesn’t grow bigger than the Spurs organization. That will never happen. The team wants me to succeed and be the best I can be. They’ve made a lot of sacrifices for me. I want the whole organization to know how much I understand all that they’ve done. Sometimes it’s a little thing, like sending a text or welcoming someone new to the organization. I try to show people their worth in all they do. I’m not scared to grow bigger than them, because I want to make the Spurs as big as I can. I want to give back to them as much as possible.&nbsp;I don’t think anyone could have a higher expectation for me than I have for myself. So, it’s really no big deal when I hear people call me a once-in-a-generation player. The only people to whom I have something to prove is my coach and my team. Even my parents don’t have expectations for me, they just want me to be happy. When I don’t want to see all that pressure, I turn off my phone. It’s simple as that, but there’s really no pressure or expectations. I never felt like I had something to owe to the world. I’m just playing basketball.

The 20-year-old phenom speaks to transcending his own limits, banishing fear from his life, turning off his phone and more.

The Legend of Victor Wembanyama is Growing

If there was ever a moment that showed <a href="https://about.nike.com/en/newsroom/releases/nike-sabrina-2-official-images-sabrina-ionescu" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sabrina Ionescu</a>’s ability to see the game differently than the rest of the world, it was on November 9, 2019, when her Oregon Ducks played an exhibition game against the greatest dynasty in sport: The USA Women’s National team. The night before the game, Ionescu texted her teammates. We have nothing to lose, she encouraged them. Go out and play our way. Don’t let another team come to our home floor and dictate our system. This was in response to an opponent that hadn’t lost to a college team in 20 years, longer than some of Sabrina’s teammates had been alive.&nbsp;But where other players saw crushing odds, Sabrina saw opportunity. She would lead her team to an improbable victory, 93-86, posting a 30-7-4 statline. Defeating a global powerhouse. Securing college basketball’s triple-double crown. Becoming a No.1 draft pick in the WNBA. Helping lead the New York Liberty to its first Finals appearance in over two decades. Every time Ionescu sees an obstacle, she sees right past it.&nbsp;Ionescu’s ability to process the game at an elite level results from a lifetime of dedication to her craft. For her, perfection is found in the smallest of details: the angle of the foot during a jab step, the arc of a stepback jumper, the spin on a crosscourt bounce pass to a teammate. To see what she sees, we asked Sabrina to share about her focus and determination and her pursuit of excellence.&nbsp;&nbsp; ﻿Craft is a lot bigger than what’s seen in a stat sheet or on the scoreboard. It’s about mastering a process, not necessarily just one aspect of a game, or one technique. When you master a process for how you see improvement — maybe its scoring, maybe its facilitating for your teammates, maybe it’s doing the little things — you end up encompassing everything on the court.&nbsp;Mentally, practice is sometimes more exhausting than a game. In practice, I try to put myself in specific moments and situations over and over again. Whether it’s where a defender would be or a buzzer-beater shot, I'm always using my imagination to create situations when I'll be under pressure. And that takes a lot of work. But if I’ve put in the mental preparation, the work in practice actually sets me free during games, because I’ve already lived that moment in my head.&nbsp;The offseason is the time to work on those aspects of your game that you want to elevate. I’ve worked a lot out of one-on-one situations lately.&nbsp;I know I’m a great passer, but I think finding ways to create space on my own and not needing a screen or needing my teammates to get me open is a next step for my game. I’ve also focused on being able to attack downhill and make decisions and finish around the rim.

Competitiveness has always been one of my superpowers. I’ve always been a competitive and intense kid. I used to fight with my brothers all the time during games growing up. The older I’ve gotten, the better I’ve been able to harness my desire to win and use it for my advantage.&nbsp;Not everyone has the same driving force for success. I became a better leader when I realized that some people are more competitive than others and have different desires. For me, that realization hit in middle school. I saw that some of my teammates were just playing for fun, or to see if they liked the game. But I knew I still had to relate to them for our team to be the best it could be. And that meant knowing that not everyone is motivated the same way I am. I had to learn to accept that. Now, I’m on a team that demands excellence from one another, and we hold each other accountable. Everyone in my circle is aligned to the same goals I have. Second place isn’t an option.In college, I loved being able to help put a program on the map. I had the opportunity to go anywhere in the country I wanted coming out of high school, but I wanted to go to a program that wasn’t as established yet, because I knew the reward would be greater. We sold out almost every game my senior season, and we were competing for a national championship.The coaches who know you the best are often able to push you the hardest. I had the same coach from fourth grade to my senior year of high school. He coached me harder than I think he ever coached anybody else. If my jersey wasn't tucked right, if my socks were different heights, if my shoelaces were tied differently, I was running laps. He would act like I was putting myself above the team, but he was really showing me how I needed to act as a leader and how I need to be pushed. The higher up you want to go, the higher up you want to be, the higher the expectations.

I’d tell my younger self to have a kind of tunnel vision for her process. What that means to me is to focus on your own journey, rather than allow someone else to tell you what you can or can’t be. While I think I did a good job of that, but when I was drafted first overall and turned pro, I could feel a different pressure to speed up the process and succeed. I wish I would’ve reminded myself more to keep my tunnel vision, no matter what.&nbsp;As a player, you remember the people who saw the potential that was within you. I don’t just want to prove people wrong who doubted me. I want to prove people right who believed in me.&nbsp;

The all-star guard on her incredible focus and determination, and her relentless pursuit of excellence.

How Sabrina Ionescu Sees the Game

<h3>In 2011, Faith Kipyegon walked the grounds at Unhuru Gardens in Nairobi, Kenya, the wind tossing the long grass in her path. She was 16 years old and competing in the junior division of the Kenyan National Cross Country Championships, recognized as one of the most competitive races in the world, a 6-kilometer sprint over rough, hilly terrain through Kenya’s Rift Valley. After checking out the race course on a leisurely walk, the only variable that mattered to Faith was, poetically, the matter under her feet. “I took one look at the texture of the grass, how soft it was, and I told my coach ‘I’m not going to use my spikes today. I’m going to win barefoot,’” she says. And she did.</h3><h3>In some ways, Faith Kipyegon, now 30, still describes herself as that same, barefooted young runner who believed she could go the distance. Her performance in Paris this summer secured her place in track lore as the only runner, man or woman, to win three back-to-back gold medals in the 1,500 meter. Her 2023 campaign, when she set world records in the 1,500m, the mile, and the 5,000m, is considered one of the greatest individual seasons in the history of track and field. In other ways, her identity as a runner has fundamentally changed, particularly since the 2018 addition of her very junior training partner, her daughter Alyn.&nbsp;</h3><h3>Here, Faith shares more on her dominant career, the intersection of motherhood and running identity, the one thing Alyn needs after a victory by her mother, and more.&nbsp;</h3> Running barefoot has always felt comfortable to me. When I started running competitively at 14, I was given spikes to wear for the first time. I was happy to have them, but feeling as comfortable in spikes as I was while running barefoot took a long time. I even turned down wearing spikes a few times. Now, I still can’t believe how I’m running in the fastest spikes on the planet.Running is a shared childhood experience in Kenya. I grew up in a small village called Ndababit, in Nakuru country, about 140 miles west of Nairobi. From the time I was in preschool, we’d run four kilometers to school, run back home for lunch, run back to school, and then run four kilometers home, every day through the 8th grade.When young runners from the next generation watch me compete, I want them to see freedom — the freedom to challenge themselves in new ways. My 2024 season was beautiful. I was thankful for competing in the 5,000m in Paris and the 1,500m, which happened a few days later. But when I held that silver medal from the 5,000m, I thought to myself, “I can’t let this disturb my 1,500 dreams.” So I put that silver medal away. I had to be mentally strong to achieve my goal in the 1,500m.Motherhood gives me life as a runner. I’ve gotten extra energy from being a mother to Alyn. She sees how committed I am, how hard I work. During the season, she understands that I go to training camp from Monday to Saturday, and then I go back home, only to spend one day with her. It’s really not easy, but she understands the sacrifices I’m making. She motivates me to work as hard as I can.I talk to my daughter before every race. She normally says the same thing to me: She wishes me all the best, and she asks me to bring chocolate back home — and the gold medal.

Motherhood can affect how you see your running career. My approach to Rio, Tokyo and Paris were all totally different. My first gold medal in Rio, I was 22, so young. I was still running for myself. In Tokyo, I had my daughter around me, but she was only three years old, and she couldn’t fully understand what I was doing. She was watching me and going, “Mommy’s running,” not, “Mommy’s running for a gold medal.”&nbsp;In Paris, she knows what it’s like when I win, but she also knows what it’s like when I lose. After the 5,000 in Paris, she called me and asked, “Mom, why were you in position two this time? What happened?” It’s very difficult to explain to a child what happened in a race while still being a role model to her. It’s totally different from Rio. Today, I’m running to inspire my daughter and other young girls like her.All athletes have something that exists outside their comfort zone. For me, that’s swimming. I remember in 2011 when I was in Punta Umbria for the youth international cross country championships. I met with my team at one of the local lakes to celebrate. I looked down at the water, believing it was this shallow pool. I jumped in. The next thing I knew, the water was up to my ears, and I couldn’t hear anything. Swimming is the one thing I wish I was better at.When I reach the end of my career, I want to be known for empowering all women, and especially new mothers. It’s possible to be a mother, go on maternity leave, and come back even stronger than before. Being a mother is not the end of your career. It’s the beginning of a new chapter.

The middle-distance champion on her dominant career, the intersection of motherhood and running identity, and more.

How Faith Kipyegon Empowers Herself — and All Women Runners

<h3>Any conversation about women in golf inevitably includes Michelle Wie-West. A phenom who picked up clubs at age 4, Michelle is a force on the greens. She was the youngest player ever to make the cut for the US Women’s Open at 13. She signed with Nike at age 15. And as a teenager, she famously fought for women's sports equality to play alongside men on the PGA circuit, debuting at an early season open in 2004 with a second-round 68 that still claims the record for the lowest PGA round by a woman.</h3><h3>Michelle went on to win the US Women’s Open and five more events on the LPGA tour. Last year, she retired from her professional golf career, earning a standing ovation as she sank her putt on the 18th hole at Pebble Beach. She’d set her mind to a new goal: Growing her family. Michelle and her husband, Jonnie West, had a daughter, Makenna, in 2020, and wanted a second child — but the couple hit heartbreaking obstacles, including pregnancy loss and a difficult IVF journey.</h3><h3>Finding strength to get through hard moments is something Michelle says she’s always tapped into as an athlete. It’s those same athlete-minded traits — perseverance, dedication, passion — that she wants to instill in her daughter, and as of this past October, her new baby boy, Jagger Jerry Yoojun West.</h3><h3>Here, Michelle shares what victories look like to her now, the joy she’s found in working with Nike on products for women and mothers, and what’s next for her in sports. </h3>

To get through IVF, I drew from my experience in hardship and adversity as a professional athlete. Especially the physical aspects. As a professional golfer, I had to learn how to keep my stamina up, keep my body strong, and that helped me steel myself through the injections, the bruising. Of course, it’s not a complete one to one but I found there were many similarities to sports. You can try too hard, get frustrated, and feel stuck. I’ve learned in both that sometimes you have to let the process take over.When I think about pregnancy now, I think about it like training for a major. When I got pregnant with my first child, it was during Covid, and it happened so easily that I didn’t even think about it. Getting pregnant the second time was completely different. It didn’t come as easily. I paid more attention to preparing my body for birth. I worked with a nutritionist on an eating plan. While I couldn’t really work out too much, I was mindful about movement like walking. And I was more intentional on managing my energy levels, and my emotions as well.

Michelle Wie-West IVF

As a mom, I absolutely channel the mental training I developed as a golfer. When I’m tired, when my toddler’s crying, I tell myself to take a deep breath and not auto-react. It's like hitting a really bad shot on the green and just not letting it get to you. And just like in sports, leaning on other people is crucial too. Making sure I involve my partner, and not trying to do everything myself, not trying to be that super mom or guilt myself into that. And then sometimes I’ll just text my husband and say “I'm going to get my nails done. Figure it out.”

Being part of the <a href="https://about.nike.com/en/newsroom/releases/nike-athlete-think-tank-second-cohort" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nike Athlete Think Tank</a> [a collective of women athletes who help advise the brand] has been a such a cool experience. I feel grateful and lucky to be welcomed into that community, and I’ve made so many amazing friends — women ranging from young girls in their teens to fellow moms. It’s been interesting to see that, while we all have different sports backgrounds, we’ve battled many of the same issues and problems. And it’s been fun and meaningful to have input into <a href="https://about.nike.com/en/stories/all-movement-all-moments-our-next-era-of-designing-for-women" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nike women’s products</a> that have come to market, like the <a href="https://about.nike.com/en/newsroom/releases/nike-leak-protection-period-innovation" rel="noopener noreferrer">Leak Protection Period short</a>, and to see Nike incorporate our suggestions. Part of the work I did with Athlete Think Tank was giving insights for <a href="https://about.nike.com/en/newsroom/releases/nike-s-new-wearable-pump-compatible-sports-bra-and-easyon-shoe-give-mothers-more-support" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nike’s new Swoosh (M) Bra</a>. This nursing bra allows women to move while they express breast milk, and I’m really excited to try it out. When I was pregnant last time, the technology was just being developed, so this pregnancy I absolutely got a hands-free pump. I think the bra is <a href="https://about.nike.com/en/stories/we-knew-women-needed-this-bra-yesterday" rel="noopener noreferrer">a gamechanger for women</a>. When you're plugged into a wall to pump, you're stuck. To be able to nurse or pump while you're, say, walking on the treadmill, doing something for yourself, is so huge. After having my daughter, I remember I would have to leave the golf course to go pump between shots. I’d have to take a hole off. With this bra, I could pump on the golf cart! It is physical, mental and emotional freedom to not have to be in the corner of a locked room every two and a half hours to pump. And I think products like this can prolong breastfeeding journeys. It’s been fun to see the Nike maternity line expand, to try out different things from the line. I also helped give insights for the Nike (M) apparel, which people think is just for pregnancy and postpartum, but can absolutely be for an IVF journey too. You get so bloated and nothing fits, and that takes a big hit on your psyche when you’re already feeling pretty low. My maternity style this second time around was tighter rib-knit dresses, two-piece sets. I wasn’t afraid to experiment. I wore a <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C-Vqi9eyJ0-/?hl=en&amp;img_index=1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Nike Swim two-piece in my third trimester</a> and just sized up. I got the triangle bikini, and it was holding on for dear life. One thing I would love to see more of is people supporting women through pregnancy losses. To talk about that more, and to put supporting loss on par with supporting prepgancy. I think Nike, and all of us, has done a good job of starting to <a href="https://about.nike.com/en/stories/this-is-a-product-that-can-change-people-s-lives" rel="noopener noreferrer">talk about periods and menstrual cycles</a>, to develop products to help support those moments, but I think there's so much more that is involved in the road to motherhood.

The Nike (M) Swoosh Bra has adjustable cups to accommodate wearable breast pumps; proprietary hardware on the straps allows individual strap drop-down for nursing; and the interior lining features Nike Leak Protection: Breast Milk, a special moisture-managing material that helps prevent visible breast milk leaks.

Periods can be a barrier to sport and movement for teens and adults — physically, mentally and emotionally. Knowing this, Nike created Leak Protection: Period, an ultrathin, absorbent liner that helps protect against period leaks to provide extra comfort and confidence. It debuted in the Nike One Leak Protection: Period Short.

Nike has extended its Nike (M) collection, adding a new dress along with refreshed tanks, tops, shorts and tights.

Nike's Expanding Pre- and Postpartum Products

What fueled me as a pro golfer was that obsession to get better, to see how good I could be. That drove me through practice and through training and through the hard times. If I didn’t have that single-minded way of thinking, I felt like I wouldn’t reach my potential. And, when I was out there pushing myself — it was fun. There was nothing more fun than playing great golf, knowing that every shot that you hit is going to be good, the putts are going to drop. And when tough times inevitably hit, you’re just trying to get back to those moments again. Throughout my career that’s what I leaned on, an insatiable desire to be back in those moments. Now, I’ve transferred some of that ambition into my family. My daughter, Makenna, is 4 years old. And I’ve loved seeing the positive impact I can make on her and how she sees the world. You know, when they're younger, you don’t really know what you’re doing, you’re just trying to keep them alive. Now, I can see her trying to emulate me, and I’m focused on being the example I want to set — showing her strong work ethic, how to self-motivate, the power of kindness and empathy. During my golf career, I tried to make bold choices, to not be afraid to fail or make a fool of myself, and those are the values I hope to instill in my daughter, my new baby. And it’s a fun ride. Makenna is just starting sports, and I am introducing her to golf, but also soccer, swimming, and she’s recently gotten into tennis. Really, I'm just her Uber driver at this point. I remember with Makenna, I was on the range 10 days after giving birth. This time I will not be doing that. I definitely want to <a href="https://about.nike.com/en/stories/six-instant-benefits-of-running" rel="noopener noreferrer">get back into running</a>, to do Pilates and strength train and feel strong in my body again. And I still enjoy playing golf! Though tennis is my game at the moment. I’m looking forward to seeing how good I can get at that — and doing it with my daughter.

The golf champion talks about her challenges with IVF and pregnancy, and the model she wants to be for her daughter and new baby.

Michelle Wie-West Is Still Breaking Barriers

Find Out What Drives Our Athletes

Story Landing

3-Minute Portrait

3-Minute Portrait Alysa Liu

Alysa Liu’s Best Advice for Sports and Life

3-Minute Portrait Sky Brown

Sky Brown Shares Her First Skateboarding Memory

3-Minute Portrait Michelle Wie West

Michelle Wie West on When She Realized She Was a Golf Phenom

Images: <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="/company/people/cameron-strand-contributing-photographer" target="_blank" class="ql-size-small">Cameron Strand</a> Two world records broken. Nike athlete <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://about.nike.com/en/stories/faith-kipyegon-profile" target="_blank">Faith Kipyegon</a>'s 1500m WR, forecast last week during her <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://about.nike.com/en/topics/breaking4" target="_blank">#Breaking4 attempt</a>, and Beatrice Chebet's 5000m WR. <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://about.nike.com/en/stories/pre-classic-bowerman-mile" target="_blank">New national records set</a>. Personal bests across the board. All in front of a sold-out crowd at Eugene’s Hayward Field, a venue considered sacred ground in the world of track and field. The 50th anniversary of the Pre Classic was every bit worthy of the meet’s namesake, <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://about.nike.com/en/stories/how-steve-prefontaine-set-the-pace-for-nike" target="_blank">legendary runner Steve Prefontaine</a>, and the images below show what fans of this sport have always known: For witnessing drama, suspense, electric energy and endless passion, there is nothing better than the athlete magic of track and field.

The drama, suspense, energy and passion — if you're not yet a fan of track and field, you're about to become one.

Incredible Scenes from the 50th Anniversary of the Pre Classic

Words: <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="/company/people/davis-jones-senior-editor" target="_blank" class="ql-size-small">Davis Jones</a> Images: <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="/company/people/cameron-strand-contributing-photographer" target="_blank" class="ql-size-small">Cameron Strand</a>To fully understand the look on Niels Laros’s face after narrowly clinching this year’s Bowerman Mile in Eugene, you have to go back to the ringing of the bell lap, when he still trailed the race leader, American Yared Nuguse, by more than three seconds.In front of a sold-out crowd in Eugene, Ore. at the 50th&nbsp;Pre Classic, the 20-year-old Dutch runner tapped into his own brand of Hayward magic. He separated himself from the chase pack with 400m to go. Then, at the final 200m mark, he took off for Nuguse, running an unthinkable 25.9 second split and making up an almost 8-meter gap in the homestretch. The two racers lunged at the finish line. A few seconds later, Laros saw the official time, wearing a look of disbelief: 3:45.94. He’d won the Bowerman Mile by one-one-hundredth of a second and set a new Dutch national record. His final lap — 53.3 — was one of the fastest fourth laps since the United Kingdom’s Steve Cram broke the world record in 1985.“Man, that Hayward magic is real,” says Laros. “It’s a once in a lifetime feeling to experience a race like that.”For 25 years, the Bowerman Mile has brought together the world’s most talented milers, assembling pros, world champions and Olympic medalists. The event is one of four premier mile races left in the world: the Dream Mile in Oslo, the Wanamaker Mile in New York City and&nbsp;&nbsp;the Mile Invitational in Iowa. Of those, it’s produced more sub-4-minute miles than any other race, counting 418 such performances to date, including this year’s race in Eugene.&nbsp;Speaking of which, the 2025 race was arguably the deepest mile race in history, featuring the most men in one race under 3:50 (13), 3:49 (9) and 3:48 (8).What makes the Bowerman Mile stand apart? Fast times don’t always correlate to a fast track. The latter can be an immeasurable mix of qualities tied to time, place and circumstances, leading to generational performances. But talk to anyone who’s competed in the race, and they’ll tell you: there’s something different about the Bowerman Mile.&nbsp;

The Competitive Field

Year after year, the Bowerman Mile draws a stacked lineup, assembled with reigning world champions and record holders. Since 2000, it’s taken a time of 3:51.84 or faster to win the event. The race’s buy-in is all the more impressive considering that its results don’t count toward points at the end of the pro circuit, even though it’s classified as a Diamond League meet.A runner who always circles the date of the Bowerman Mile is Australia’s Cam Myers, who finished sixth this year and set an Australian under-20 record with 3:47.50. In 2023, at just 16 years old, Myers ran as a pacer for Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who clocked the Bowerman Mile’s fastest-ever time in 3:43.73, setting a European and Diamond League record.“We all want to win this race in particular,” says Myers. “It’s intensely competitive, and it’s the perfect environment for fast times.”Whether or not a record falls at the Bowerman Mile, each year’s race teases out greatness in every runner, carrying the makings of a personal best.

Grant Fisher, who holds the American Record in the 2-mile distance, ran his first Bowerman Mile this year, laying down a 3:48.29. The race is a self-fulfilling prophecy, he says. When racers know they are surrounded by a fast field, they all raise their game. Plus, the Bowerman Mile is almost always rabbited, or led by a pacer. Runners know they’ll get wrenched to their physical thresholds. Once the pacer drops, there’s no time to think. Just go.“We all know the pacer is going to take us deep into the race,” Fisher says. “When the pacer drops, the field is of such high quality that these amazing times just keep rolling.”

Consider one of the Bowerman Mile’s most memorable performances — when Alan Webb, then a high school senior out of Virginia, broke the national high school mile record set by Jim Ryun that had stood for 37 years. The pacemaker took the first 409 meters at a searing 54.6, equivalent to a mile pace of 3:34.8.At the race’s halfway mark, Webb had moved up from last place to 13th. The pace was brutal, and yet, with 400m to go, Webb remembers how his body felt loose, light and capable of much, much more. He began picking runners off on the backstretch. His turnover cycled with a power that outlasted men a decade older, who had competed for medals, who had set national records.&nbsp;“Sometimes, the stars align in a race, and I knew this was one of those moments,” says Webb, recalling the moment. “When I got to that bell lap, I was able to find something in myself. Running the Bowerman Mile has that effect on people.”

The Historic Location

The grandeur of the former Hayward Field, with its wooden grandstands and its Bowerman Building as the sentinel watching from the track’s eastern end, is different from how a spectator would describe the view from the updated stadium — a colossal venue built for the modern age. Webb remembers while he was barreling down the backstretch in 2001 how the extreme slope of the west grandstands gave the feeling that the fans “were right on top of you.” The passion and knowledge of the fans sitting in those seats rivals any locale in track and field.&nbsp;

“Even before Prefontaine, Oregon had a history of domestic milers who were very, very good, people like James Bailey, Dyrol Burleson and Jim Grelle back in the Bowerman coaching days,” says Pat Tyson, who ran for the University of Oregon in the early ’70s, where he was roommates with Pre himself.&nbsp;&nbsp;“The mile always had a cache among fans here, even before the Bowerman Mile officially began.”

Hayward Field is a place where fans take on the role of engaged sports scientist versus passive spectator. They’ll set their personal stopwatches to the smoke of the gun and scribble a runner’s splits in the margins of their program.&nbsp;Kaarin Knudson knows. She ran for UO’s track &amp; cross-country team from 1994 to 1999. A seven-time NCAA qualifier who won the NCAA’s Woman of the Year for Oregon in her senior season, she now serves as the mayor of Eugene. Her experience as a civic leader and a former athlete gives her a uniquely personal view on what makes Eugene’s passion for track so special.

“I have distinct memories while at UO of going on my easy runs and being stopped by community members, people I didn’t know; they’d congratulate me on a race I ran the previous weekend,” says Knudson. “When you’re an athlete, it’s motivating to be surrounded by a community who both root for you on race day and who recognize you when you’re ‘offstage,’ so to speak.”Few competitors benefit from the Hayward energy quite like those who ran for UO during their college years — runners like Cole Hocker, who’s run his top three fastest mile times at the Pre Classic. During his rookie season in 2022, he donned the Nike kit in front of his home crowd for the first time at the Bowerman Mile. This year, he improved his personal best to 3:47.43.“Every time I get the chance to run at Hayward, I remind myself to appreciate the moment, just because of the history that has happened there before me,” says Hocker.&nbsp;

The Special Distance

The mile and its cousin, the 1500m, are separated by a little more than 100m. Depending on who you ask, the difference in how you run the mile compared to the 1500m is marginal. Webb jokes that you’re basically doing the same event, but the mile comes down to “who’s willing to suffer a little longer.” Others, like Laros, say the tactical game of the mile is slightly different than the 1500m. For him, the main difference comes from the start.&nbsp;“Because you’re starting on the opening curve in the mile, you have less time to figure out your position before you need to tuck into the right spot,” says Laros. “You basically have to get shot out of a cannon and find a good slot so you’re not sorting it out on the corner and running a little extra distance.”The cultural power of the mile gives it a revered place in the consciousness of running, along with the marathon. Both are niche distances in track and field, yet still count for world records.&nbsp;The wonder of the mile might come down to its clean simplicity. Four laps. Taking the laps at one minute a piece add up to four minutes, considered the standard for the elite miler. The starting line is in roughly the same place as the finish. The same fans who cheer on the field at the gun are the same who cheer at the finish.&nbsp;

One could argue that the mile distance, in fact, was the spark that lit Bill Bowerman’s fascination with long-distance running performance. As a freshman at Oregon playing football, he met Ralph Hill, the first elite miler he befriended at the university. One day, Bowerman ran 400m around the track at an all-out sprint to test his speed. The clock read 63 seconds. Bill Hayward, UO’s track coach, leaned over and smirked. “Just so you know,” he said, “Ralph goes that fast for four laps.”

Its relative scarcity at the professional level adds to distance’s mythical status. Pro runners don’t get many opportunities to compete in the mile. You might get a couple shots at it per year, between Eugene, Oslo and New York City.“You can jump into plenty of 1500m races during the year. But it’s no guarantee you’ll get into one of these mile races on the pro circuit,” says Webb. “That’s assuming you’re healthy when your name gets called. If you get a chance at the mile, you better put it all on the line.”That motivation fuels every competitor in the Bowerman Mile. From the young racer who’s traveling to Eugene for the first time, to the seasoned pro who wants to assert their world ranking, the Bowerman Mile summons a kind of communal willpower. For Laros, participation among those four laps, holding nothing back, is a rare privilege, one that can be tough to describe. Ironically, sometimes a fast time takes a backseat to the opportunity to step onto that 1609m starting line.“Winning this race meant even more to me than setting the national record,” he says. “Obviously, running a fast time gives me a lot of pride, but taking the win here, at this place, was what I’m most proud of.”

The Bowerman Mile at the Pre Classic has produced more sub-4:00 times than any event in the world. Here’s what makes it so fast.

Inside the World’s Fastest Mile Race

Every image tells a story. Here, a Nike photographer breaks down one of their favorite photographs and the unique sport moment it represents.﻿

Photographer Cameron Strand reflects on capturing the surprise of Niels Laros' win at The Pre-Classic

Cameron Strand on capturing Niels Laros' win

"As a photographer, so much of what makes a shot meaningful is when you capture a moment that can never be duplicated. You try out certain techniques like these slow shutters in very high-pressure moments, like during a fast race. You get one attempt to get it right. If it works correctly, it’s an unforgettable feeling. At the <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://about.nike.com/en/magazine/incredible-scenes-from-the-50th-anniversary-of-the-pre-classic" target="_blank">Pre Classic</a>, capturing the surprise of Niels Laros as he squeezed by Yared Nuguse in the <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://about.nike.com/en/magazine/pre-classic-bowerman-mile" target="_blank">Bowerman Mile</a> was one of those moments. I was shooting the race from the infield. More often than not, photographers love to position themselves straight onto the finish line at track events so they can get the clearest shots of the winners. If they’re shooting for a brand, they’ll try to get clean looks at logos and faces. I tend to go the other route. I knew I wanted to get a panning, slow-shutter shot of the winner crossing the finish line, to break up some of the sharper photos I had taken earlier in the day. But during the last lap, Niels turned up the heat, running a crazy split in the last 200 meters. Everyone was jumping out of their seats to see if he could catch Nuguse, who was trying to hold on. I positioned myself close to the finish line. It turned out that the slow shutter was the perfect approach for the situation. Not only did Niels run a crazy final hundred meters, but it was looking like it would be a photo finish.This image reminds me how, if you dig down deep enough, you can do things you might not have thought were possible. If you see the look on his face once he finishes, you can see how shocked he was that he won the race in the dramatic way he did. It was the same surprise I felt after I tried something different for one of the fastest, most important races of the day, and ultimately, captured a moment that couldn’t be duplicated."

— Cameron StrandSee more of Cameron’s work on Instagram: <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.instagram.com/cameronstrand/" target="_blank" class="ql-size-small">@cameronstrand</a>

Cameron was born in Rochester, New York, but grew up in the small town of Brighton, Michigan. Skateboarding and snowboarding were his life until he minted himself as a photographer. For the first 15 years of his career, after he moved to Los Angeles, he shot for skate brands almost exclusively, constantly pushing himself to capture a familiar subject in a fresh, dynamic way. It was like DIY photo school. Try never to be at ground level, and use everything around you to build a more interesting photograph in camera. Foreground elements, reflections, the grit of the street, sun flare, off-kilter perspectives, light trails — This creative restlessness culminated into a signature look that continues to evolve in exciting ways.His approach to visual storytelling envelops you in the moment. You feel like you’re the runner trying to beat your personal best, hugging the curves of a racetrack on a motorbike, bouldering with your friends, cycling against a spectacular natural panorama, or rounding up cattle at golden hour. “I like the challenge of making the product the focus but having each image feel honest and human,” says Cameron.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Cameron Strand

When Niels Laros powered through to win this year's Bowerman Mile, our photographer was ready.

The Nike Moment

What It Takes to Capture a Photo Finish

Images: <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="/company/people/sofieke-van-bilsen-contributing-photographer" target="_blank" class="ql-size-small">Sofieke van Bilsen</a>No matter where you were watching Faith Kipyegon take to the track to <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://about.nike.com/en/newsroom/releases/nike-athlete-faith-kipyegon-breaks-mile-record-time" target="_blank">break the 4-minute mile</a> — in standing-room-only crowds of employees at Nike’s worldwide campuses; at watch parties in Chicago, Los Angeles, Eldoret, Kenya; on digital billboards in New York City, London and Mexico City; or gripping the edge of your seat inside Stade Charléty in Paris — the emotions of <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://about.nike.com/en/topics/breaking4" target="_blank">Breaking4</a> were palpable: excitement, nervousness, elation, pride.The images below reflect every feeling and show what track and field fans have always known: Faith Kipyegon is a champion. The team at Nike knows it too.“I feel so proud of myself that I’ve tried,” Faith said post-attempt. “Today was a learning lesson, that I have to give it my all, and that’s what I did —&nbsp;I gave it my all. And it’s shown me that everything is possible, and I think I’ve shown other women out there that can be true for them too. We have to push ourselves toward what we dream of and dare to try.”Faith, we can’t wait to see, and support, what you dare to try next.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Go trackside to see and feel the emotion from the champion's historic attempt.

Behind the Scenes of Faith Kipyegon's Breaking4 Attempt Day

From the moment Faith Kipyegon broke the women’s mile world record in Monaco in 2023, there was a palpable energy in the air, a sense that something bigger was beginning.&nbsp;As Nike Footwear Innovation Lead Carrie Dimoff puts it, “I’ll never forget the feeling in the stadium. It was electric. Everyone was amazed but already starting to wonder: Could this be the beginning of the sub-4-minute mile for women?” You could call that the start of Breaking4. But the essence of Faith Kipyegon and Nike’s project is more timeless: Showing all athletes* that barriers are meant to be pushed and dreams meant to be big. Says Faith, “I get motivated by thinking of what I can achieve, the boundaries I can break, and how I can empower the next generation. You can’t limit yourself. You have to go for that dream. I want to show women especially that anything is possible.”Here, a visual chronicle of Faith and Nike’s Breaking4 journey — and clear evidence of the power of daring to try. *If you have a body, you are an athlete.

Faith in the Nike Sport Research Lab

Experimenting with Pacer Formations

Faith and Eliud Walking in Camp

A visual reflection on the shared goal — inspiring all athletes to dream big and break barriers — between the world’s fastest woman miler and Nike.

Feature

The Breaking4 Journey: Faith Kipyegon and Nike’s Unforgettable Project

Every image tells a story. Here, a Nike photographer breaks down one of their favorite photographs and the unique sport moment it represents.

Photographer Sofieke van Bilsen reflects on a culminating moment in the Breaking4 journey

Sofieke van Bilsen on a special Breaking4 moment

"I think this photograph shows the ethos of the <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://about.nike.com/en/magazine/behind-the-scenes-faith-kipyegon-breaking4-attempt-day" target="_blank">Breaking4 project</a> — runner Faith Kipyegon’s attempt to break the 4-minute mile. This race meant more than a time, a competition, beating others. It showed young girls and woman that they can believe in themselves and dream big. I took this shot minutes before the race started. Faith had completed her warm-up, got her <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://about.nike.com/en/magazine/faith-kipyegon-breaking4-speed-kit-behind-the-design" target="_blank">Nike suit and spikes</a> on and was ready to go. The pacers were about to be called up to enter the stadium, and Faith had a moment to herself. She was walking nervously around, putting her head on the table. On the other side of the call room, the pacers were mingling and chatting. Even though she was divided physically in a room, this was a project that was done together.I was personally invested in it too. I’d been following Faith’s <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://about.nike.com/en/magazine/faith-kipyegon-nike-breaking4-journey" target="_blank">Breaking4 journey</a> for months prior to the attempt. Visiting her, together with the Nike team in Kenya, to capture her extensive training sessions, as well as the process and the innovation side of the moonshot. For the attempt itself, in Stade Charléty in Paris, the pressure was high to get the shots I needed but not disrupt Faith’s focus. When I took this image, I was roaming, photographing the pacers, and giving Faith space. Then I saw this framing: Faith alone in the call room, clearly nervous, surrounded by walls, which seem to make the intensity of being trapped within her own anxiousness even stronger. She is in the spotlight, the light shining on her. Then, the contrast to the pacers, ready to be called out, without the constraints of the walls, wearing pink, smiling, and mingling together, in a darker environment — like they will run in the shadow of Faith’s dreams. To me, this image says that there are no limits that you should put upon yourself. Everyone should dare to dream, and you are never alone to achieve those dreams."

— Sofieke van Bilsen See more of Sofieke’s work on Instagram: <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.instagram.com/sofiekevanbilsen/" target="_blank" class="ql-size-small">@sofiekevanbilsen</a>

Experience what the champion runner was feeling minutes before attempting to break the 4-minute mile, through our photographer's lens.

Faith Kipyegon and Her Breaking4 Pacers Minutes Before History

Words: <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="/company/people/davis-jones-senior-editor" target="_blank" class="ql-size-small">Davis Jones</a> Images: <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="/company/people/dan-vernon-contributing-photographer" target="_blank" class="ql-size-small">Dan Vernon</a> and <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="/company/people/sofieke-van-bilsen-contributing-photographer" target="_blank" class="ql-size-small">Sofieke van Bilsen</a> At its core, Breaking4 — <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://about.nike.com/en/newsroom/releases/breaking4-faith-kipyegon-vs-the-four-minute-mile" target="_blank">Faith Kipyegon’s project with Nike</a> to run a sub-4-minute mile — has always been about heart and belief. That’s what’s powering Kipyegon, alongside <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://about.nike.com/en/stories/faith-kipyegon-breaking4-speed-kit-behind-the-design" target="_blank">cutting-edge Nike performance products</a>. But don’t think for a second — certainly not the 7.65 seconds Kipyegon needs to shave off her world record mile time —&nbsp;that Nike didn’t consider hundreds of other factors to get Kipyegon across the line in a time starting with a “3.”To complement and amplify Kipyegon’s bespoke products — including a one-of-one Nike Fly Suit, <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://about.nike.com/en/stories/nike-new-performance-material-flyweb" target="_blank">a revolutionary FlyWeb Bra</a> and a first of its kind Victory 2 Elite FK spike — <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://about.nike.com/en/stories/meet-the-dream-team-behind-faith-kipyegon-s-breaking4-attempt" target="_blank">the Breaking4 team</a> dialed in the attempt’s aerodynamics and efficiency. Preparation and location. Weather and, well, vibes. Each of these points contain smaller details that the Nike Innovation team scrutinized from every angle, all in an effort to nail a perfectly orchestrated approach with Kipyegon. Dive into 10 of the ways Nike offered its support.

<h3>1. Let Faith Be Faith </h3>Faith Kipyegon isn’t toeing the line for Breaking4 as merely an elite runner. She’s built a case as one of the greatest middle-distance runners of all time. She’s the current world record holder across three distances. Her three gold medals in the 1,500 meter span almost a decade and counting. There are intangibles too. She has her training preferences perfectly tuned. She understands her own athleticism like a driver knows its race car. Nike’s role in Breaking4 wasn’t to reset Kipyegon, but to add to the capabilities of an already historic runner.

History of the Women’s Mile

Faith vs. the 4-Minute Mile

<h3>2. Instill Confidence</h3>In the beginning of Breaking4 strategizing, the Innovation team debated the trajectory of Kipyegon’s 1-mile racecourse. What if the path was a straightaway, like in a road race? Remove all the curves, and ensure a pacing formation could be linear instead of skewed for left turns? ﻿When the team shared this with Kipyegon, she was vocal: She’d feel more confident and comfortable running on a track, where she’d built her entire professional career on reading the eight lanes, tuning her focus to the inside rail.“Whether it was a feature of the racecourse, her pacer formation or a detail in her apparel, building her confidence meant everything to us,” says Amy Jones Vaterlaus, VP Innovation, NSRL. “We listened to her intently. We watched for cues she’d give off, maybe without even realizing it. Ensuring she can move freely, without distraction, is just one more way we can help build her confidence.”

<h3>3. Choose the Right Time of Year</h3>Kipyegon’s professional schedule weighed heavily in choosing the month for the attempt. If she’s to peak in mid September during the World Championships in Tokyo, she has to give her body the ideal window of time for training periodization, or the scaling of her preparation to leave her feeling ready to go. The optimal timing: late June.

<h3>4. Game the Weather</h3>﻿Weather conditions on race day can be the dealbreaker for achieving fast times. Heat, wind and rain can all put an additional load on an athlete. Too much heat is a thermal burden that leads to overexertion. Too much wind — and around a track, there will always be a headwind at a certain point — creates drag forces that slow runners down. Weather doesn’t come on demand, of course, and the Nike team knew the ideal geographic location of the attempt would need to cross off as many criteria as possible: zero rain, less than 12 km/hr wind, moderate temperatures.

<h3>4. Minimize the Jet Lag</h3>﻿Anyone who flies internationally can attest to the physical and mental toil from zooming through time zones, leaving you sluggish and fatigued. Your body has a circadian rhythm, an internal clock, that prompts you to wake up and go to sleep. Somewhere in the middle of that time period is the bioenergetic sweet spot, when you feel most energized, or, in Kipyegon’s case, most physically capable. That made finding the right area of the world for the attempt paramount for Breaking4. Minimizing a shift in time zones would help keep Kipyegon’s body clock from feeling out of whack.“We knew she couldn’t arrive feeling drained,” says Jones Vaterlaus. “Paris having a time zone of one-hour difference from Kenya was a much easier decision than, say, somewhere in the United States, where Faith’s jet lag would be significant.”

<h3>6. Dial in the Track</h3>A track isn’t an inert surface. It possesses levels of responsiveness that can leave a runner’s legs feeling fresh, or it can be firm and dampening, diffusing the precious energy that a runner puts into the ground. Texture matters too. Its grittiness can be well-suited, or not at all, for traction as a runner digs into the turns. For Breaking4, the Nike Innovation team ordered swatches of 10 track surfaces from around the world, sampling from different stadiums, to find the composition ideal for Kipyegon’s performance, which included considerations like Kipyegon’s bodyweight and stride rate.“Our footwear solution for Faith was built on studying the interaction between Faith’s foot and the ground,” says Carrie Dimoff, Sr. Manager for Innovation Footwear. “Our formula had to consider the track surface she’ll be running on, and the properties the surface does or doesn’t carry. While we were still landing on the location, we were able to test our spike prototypes on the exact track surface so we could evaluate energy return and traction effectiveness.”

Stade Charléty Stadium, Paris France

<h3>5. Find the Ideal Stadium</h3>The team knew Kipyegon wanted to compete on a track to stay true to the historical spirit of her sport. That left Nike’s Innovation team with the crucial decision of which track. A track where a runner has preexisting history can give them the comfort they need to lay down a fast time. One of these options was in Monaco, where Kipyegon broke the mile world record in 2023. The team also considered Eugene, Ore. In 2023, Kipyegon stepped onto Hayward Field and cruised to a Diamond League title in the 1,500 meter while setting a Prefontaine Classic meet record. In the end, the team decided on Stade Charléty in Paris, where Kipyegon ran her world record times in the 1,500 meter and the 5,000 meter. “I absolutely think there’s special energy at this track,” says Kipyegon. “I have beautiful memories in Paris, breaking the 5,000 world record, breaking the 1,500 world record there. And now we are going for this special one, and I think the track will bring good results.”

<h3>8. Perfect a Pacer Strategy</h3>﻿Nike’s previous moonshot attempt, Breaking2, was a grand lesson in pacing strategy and aerodynamics. Nailing the drafting formation for Breaking4 would be one of the key elements to give Kipyegon the best chance to go sub-4. To help reduce the drag on Kipyegon, the Nike team considered countless pacer configurations, experimenting with the number of runners, the balance between men and women, and the geometry of the formation itself. They also thought about whether to introduce new pacers during the attempt. The upshot? Disruptions can make the smoothness of drafting go haywire; the choice to switch in runners midway through a lap can create micro-undulations in the air frequency, disturbing Kipyegon’s speed.“Creating a low air pressure pocket for Faith requires total synchrony among all the pacers in the formation,” says Kirby. “Experimenting with different formations is a lot like rearranging the pieces on a chess board. The timing needs to be right, the group positioning needs to be right, and the relationship between any single pacer to Faith needs to be right.”

<h3>9. Pump up the Color</h3>Color choice has the psychological power to motivate an athlete to reach her highest potential. Though the Nike Innovation team used little color in the Nike Fly Suit — one reason was that doing so would affect the aerodynamic properties of the material — the suit’s Nike Aeronodes are in a color-shifting purple, a nod to Kipyegon’s favorite color. The stadium itself will be awash in purple, covering the stands, the jumbotron and the signage around the track. At literally every turn, Kipyegon will see the color that motivates her. Beyond the day-of race environment, Kipyegon’s Nike Running collection is also rooted in purple. The collection, which includes footwear and apparel, is paired with accents of red and green, representing her Kenyan heritage. And on Kipyegon’s Victory Elite FK spike, gold accents denote her gold medal victories.

<h3>10. Give Her All the Nike Advantages</h3>The Innovation team gave Kipyegon the full gamut of Nike tools during her training leading up to the attempt. Some are at the modern edge of athlete recovery methodology, such as <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://about.nike.com/en/newsroom/releases/hyperboot-by-nike-hyperice-official-images" target="_blank">Nike’s Hyperice boots</a>, a heat and air-compression massage tool. Others, such as Nike’s <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://about.nike.com/en/newsroom/releases/nike-vomero-plus-vomero-premium-official-images" target="_blank">new Vomero Premium shoe</a>, were ideal for recovery runs or long mileage. Then there were the innovations that were expedited so Kipyegon could benefit from their advantages before and during the race. Nike FlyWeb, <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://about.nike.com/en/stories/nike-new-performance-material-flyweb" target="_blank">a new 3D-printed material used for </a>Kipyegon<a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://about.nike.com/en/stories/nike-new-performance-material-flyweb" target="_blank">’s sports bra</a>, was moved forward in its production cycle for Kipyegon to train in it. “This attempt is the first time Nike FlyWeb will be tested on the world stage, and in a one-of-one bra,” says Janett Nichol, VP of Apparel Innovation. “Faith gave us a rare opportunity: She would not only wear it, she’d help us evolve it.”

When she takes to the starting line, in every way, Kipyegon will represent Nike’s latest and greatest.

Speed suit, sports bra, spikes, dialed. Here, other essential factors Nike considered to give Faith Kipyegon the best support for Breaking4.

Innovation

10 Details Nike Obsessed to Support Faith Kipyegon and Breaking4

When Marquis Mills Converse founded his eponymous company in 1908 in Boston, Mass., his mission was to create an operation that functioned independent of the industry’s monopolies, rooted in a community of the best rubber shoemakers. His first products were galoshes and waterproof winter boots, which meant demand for his wares dipped in warmer seasons. To keep his highly skilled craftspeople occupied year-round, Converse needed a summer offering. A canvas tennis shoe with a rubber sole debuted in 1910, but the company’s true breakthrough didn’t come until it saw an opportunity to apply its signature innovations to a sneaker expressly designed for a then-newfangled local sport: basketball.Invented in 1891 in nearby Springfield, Mass., basketball was growing in popularity and being adopted by regional colleges when Converse introduced its “Non-Skid” shoe in 1917, defining the design as the “All-American Basket-Ball Shoe.” It was crafted on the company’s original dress shoe last with two-piece quarter for superior ankle fit and paired with a non-skid sole that employed Converse’s patented diamond-tread pattern.&nbsp;

The sneaker was first marketed to the area’s coaches, who provided Converse with constructive feedback, including noting that they’d prefer a darker canvas upper because the light tan hue revealed too many scuffs and dings. In response, the company created a dark brown version of the Non-Skid, featuring black trim up the eye row. The iteration was officially branded the “All Star” in 1919, kicking off a new round of basketball-specific innovations that came to characterize the silhouette as the leading performance basketball shoe of the next half-century.As for the shoe’s namesake, Chuck Taylor (aka Charles Hollis Taylor), he arrived a few years later.

Converse Archivist Sam Smallidge on the intersection of Converse, Chuck Taylor, and basketball.

He was hired by Converse in the early 1920s…

True to its name, the Chuck Taylor All Star was worn by basically every top basketball player pre-1965. These athletes included players competing on the world’s biggest stage in 1936, when Converse equipped the U.S. men’s basketball team with white Chucks featuring red and blue stripes on their foxing tape. The custom version was such a hit that competing teams adopted it, and the colorway was permanently added to the product line. In 1939, America’s first national college basketball championship featured players in Chucks. In 1962, basketball’s professional single-game scoring record&nbsp;of 100&nbsp;points was made in Chucks. In 1971, Chucks debuted in team colors, allowing teams to match their uniforms to their shoes for the first time. Chucks was basketball, and basketball was Chucks.

A 1922-23 catalog detailing the performance merits and evolution of the Converse All Star.

Chuck Taylor, a Converse salesman and player-coach for the Converse All Star basketball team in the early 1920s.

Chuck Taylor, the man, coaching a basketball clinic in the 1950s in Chucks.

Converse Non-Skid All Stars, circa 1923, a later version of the original design, which debuted in 1917.

A Converse Athletic Footwear Catalog from 1957, the year the low-top Chuck was released.

Howard “H” White on the Chuck’s basketball legacy

Howard “H” White on how Chucks made the game

As it turns out, the performance innovations that made the Chuck a great basketball design also made it a great skateboarding shoe.

Skateboarding debuted in mid-century California as “sidewalk surfing,” a pastime for when the waves were flat. The low-top Chuck, which came out in 1957, was already a favorite of these “beach boys” and perfectly adapted to the new street sport, thanks to its underfoot cushioning, grippy rubber and form-fitting canvas upper.

Converse Archivist Sam Smallidge on how the slip-on style became an instant hit with “sidewalk surfers."

The low-top came out in 1957…

Over 50 years later, the Chuck retains its foundational status in skate and with its top athletes — even as the sport has moved from the street to the world’s premier competitions and into its leading museums. In 2023, the Design Museum in London hosted “Skateboard,”&nbsp;the exhibition arm of a multimedia project that also included <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.phaidon.com/store/design/skateboard-9781838667498/" target="null">a book</a> created in collaboration with curator Jonathan Olivares, Converse and Phaidon, chronicling the countercultural design history of skateboarding.

A 1975 "sidewalk surfer” sporting laid-back, high-performance Chucks.

The shoe’s journey from afterthought to global icon defies convention, which begins to explain why the Converse Chuck Taylor All Star has served as a talisman of self-expression for multiple generations, subcultures and genres: It has never tried to fit in.

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