A trio of runners will "attempt to complete a marathon in under two hours early Saturday, the culmination of an audacious" Nike marketing stunt that would "require shaving nearly three minutes off the current world record," according to Sara Germano of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. Nike has been "planning this moment for years." The company "developed new, technically sophisticated footwear for the project." And it "curated a roster of elite runners game for the task." It "selected an ideal running surface and climate -- a Formula One race track in Monza, Italy -- for the race." Nike even "waited until this week" to declare 5:45am local time on Saturday as the start time, an "attempt to pinpoint ideal weather conditions." Failure to break the two-hour mark, or at least challenge it, "could cast Nike’s marketing efforts in an awkward light." The results "may not be widely embraced either." Nike’s new shoe has "raised questions about whether it provides an unfair advantage." And the contest itself is "being run in a carefully controlled environment that does not pass muster for world-record consideration." The three racers are Gold Medal-winning Kenyan runner Eliud Kipchoge, two-time Boston Marathon winner Lelisa Desisa and half-marathon world record holder Zersenay Tadese, and each racer will wear Nike's Zoom Vaporfly Elite. The three men are all "sponsored by Nike and decided to forgo the lucrative spring marathon season, including the Boston and London races that can carry six-figure paydays, in order to take part in the Nike project." The contest is an "ambitious marketing event even by the standards of Nike." The brand "admits that Saturday’s race won’t be world-record eligible." Nike said that the point of the contest is to "demonstrate what is possible" (
WSJ.com, 5/4).
MASTER BUILDER: Distance runner Riley Masters on Wednesday on his Instagram page announced he is "signing with Nike." In Maine, Ryan McLaughlin notes Masters "had been sponsored by Brooks Running since turning pro" in '13. There were "a lot of factors" that played into Masters' decision, but "mainly location." Masters: "I understood to be sponsored by Brooks I had to live in Seattle." McLaughlin notes Masters "recently moved" to Boulder to train with Univ. of Colorado track & field coach Mark Wetmore (BANGOR DAILY NEWS, 5/5).
