Nike Teams With Runner Faith Kipyegon On A Record-Mile Attempt

Nike announced that it’s partnering with world-record Kenyan runner Faith Kipyegon on an ambitious attempt to help her become the first woman to run a mile in under four minutes.

Why It Hits: Despite being the world’s largest sportswear brand, Nike has been sagging under declining sales and waning cultural relevance as competition has heated up. By helping Kipyegon beat the running record, it could show the world that Nike still has the best performance — and performance products — in the game.

Behind the Sprint: Three-time Olympic gold medalist Faith Kipyegon already holds the women’s mile record (4:07.64 in 2023)… but she’s got a need for speed.

And Nike wants to help.

•  Nike announced that it would assist Kipyegon with every aspect of performance, including “apparel, footwear, aerodynamics, physiology and mind science,” per Bloomberg.
• That will likely include piloting some new cutting-edge performance tech that could become the basis of a new line of running gear.
• And that tech will likely be kept under lock and key until Kipyegon’s record-breaking attempt at the Stade Charléty in Paris on June 26th.

Last Lap: This isn’t the first time that Nike has helped a runner go the distance. In 2019, Nike worked with Eliud Kipchoge to finish a marathon in under two hours. While athletics authorities didn’t officially recognize the feat due to failing to meet some fine-print regulations, it still helped Nike make a new top-selling shoe line.

And at the end of the day, that’s what Nike is really racing toward.