The Breaking4 Journey: Faith Kipyegon and Nike’s Unforgettable Project
- June 27, 2025
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. 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.
In September 2024, Faith came to Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton, Ore., for the first time and received a champion’s welcome, wearing her 1,500m gold and her 5,000m silver medal from Paris.
Faith visited the Nike Sport Research Lab (NSRL) for tests that would guide the team in creating one-of-one products to help her achieve her goal — shaving 7.65 seconds of her world record mile time.
“I had no idea how many Nike people were involved in this big dream with the passion of getting me to my goal.”
Faith Kipyegon, on her first trip to Nike’s NSRL
At Faith’s training camp in western Kenya, she and her teammates train Monday through Saturday, week over week, harnessing their implicit talent through focus, discipline and teamwork.
The camp’s teamwork is key, and a resolutely Kenyan value. Signs throughout camp remind the athletes of the values they share and inspire visitors, like the Nike team here.
“This project didn’t come with a road map, and that’s actually what made it great. This whole effort thrives because there was no script. Every day, it was about balancing what we could learn with what we had to deliver, finding the art between exploration and execution.”
Brett Kirby, Principal Researcher, NSRL
For Faith and her Kenyan compatriots, who operate almost entirely in metric kilometers, there’s a novelty about the mile. The distance is “a big thing,” says Faith — a milestone in every sense.
Faith’s training regimen includes weekly track workouts, tempo runs, strength training and sunrise long runs through the Kenyan countryside that range from 20 to 40 kilometers.
“My advice to women,” says Faith, “if men can try, women can try. We are closing the gap. Men have always pushed each other to break barriers — I want women to know they can too.”
The Nike Innovation team made several trips to Faith’s training camp in Kenya to get her feedback on the bespoke products they created — the Nike Fly Suit, FlyWeb Bra and Victory Elite FK spike.
“A product feature might help make Faith faster,” says Amy Jones Vaterlaus, VP Innovation, NSRL. “But if it doesn’t match how she likes to feel, move and show up, then we’re not doing our jobs.”
“When I first heard about Breaking4, my immediate reaction was, ‘We’re in. What do we need to do?‘ I recognized right away how significant, as well as how challenging, it would be. But I also knew this was exactly the kind of audacious innovation challenge Nike was made for.”
Amy Jones Vaterlaus, VP Innovation, NSRL
“We challenged ourselves constantly,” says Lisa Gibson, Project Manager, Innovation. “What if apparel could be the game-changer? How far could we push aerodynamics without sacrificing how Faith felt?”
“As we considered her footwear, we kept asking, ‘Is this better than what she already has? Is it faster? Is it more confident?’” says Carrie Dimoff, Footwear Lead. “If it wasn’t, we scrapped it.”
“If you have the right product, it gives you energy,” says Faith. “If you feel comfortable — the shoes, the clothing — you can perform.”
“Before the gun, I normally tell myself, ‘You can do it. You are strong, give it your all.’ I think believing in myself and pushing myself has meant everything.”
Faith Kipyegon, on how she starts every race
Faith the day of the Breaking4 attempt, shaking out her legs on Stade Charléty's warmup track in the Nike Vomero Plus.
A quiet moment for Faith before the attempt began.
"The suit looked and felt so amazing," says Faith. "I was asking my team if I could run in it the rest of my season. I felt like a superhero."
Faith raced with 13 pacers, including Olympic medalists and Nike athletes Grant Fisher and Georgia Bell.
The final Breaking4 pacing formation, a highly choreographed strategy developed by the Nike Innovation team, guided Faith through the four laps.
Faith's splits: 1:00.20 at 400 meters; 2:00.75 and 3:01.84.
The pacers fell back for the final 50 meters, allowing Faith to sprint solo to a 4:06.42 finish, ripping 1.22 seconds off her world record time.
"The noise, the crowd was really pushing me to that finish line," says Faith. "I was not expecting to see so many people, I was so surprised — the crowd pushed me to run fast."
More than 4,500 people packed the Stade Charléty stadium, including a cheering Kenyan contingent.
“When you are going for a fast time, you can’t concentrate on the wavelight, you concentrate on how the body feels,” says Faith. “I gave everything today — next time I will catch up with the light.”
At her champion's welcome the day after the attempt, Faith spoke with Tanya Hvizdak, VP, Global Sports Marketing, about how she wanted the attempt to open a world of possibility for women athletes.
To celebrate and recognize Faith's Breaking4 attempt, Nike is dedicating a maternity ward in her name in her home region of Kenya: “The Dare To Dream Maternity Ward in Honor of Faith Kipyegon.”