NIKE - HAVE A BEAUTIFUL RUN
Eliud Kipchoge is the greatest marathon runner in human history. Ahead of the 2023 Berlin Marathon, I was invited to help Wieden & Kennedy London develop a campaign to celebrate Eliud and bring some of his monk-like wisdom on running to the world.
We were immediately struck by how humble and soft spoken Eliud seemed to be compared to other GOATs at the top of their sports. Known by some as “the running monk”, he once said that he never aims on having a fast or intense race, but a “beautiful” one. This immediately felt like a really fresh point of view on running, and we hoped that in a sea of sweaty, gritty running commercials, it was something that would truly stand out.
We brought the idea to life with “Kipchoge Vision” - a mysterious pair of glasses that a young runner discovers right at the most challenging point of her run. The glasses let her briefly see her run through Kipchoge’s eyes, eventually showing her that there is beauty to be found in all parts of running - even the tough bits.
The film was supported by a huge out of home takeover at the Berlin Marathon. Our idea was to flood the Berlin Marathon route with Kipchoge’s wisdoms, wish participants “a beautiful run” and give them a brief glimpse into Kipchoge Vision as they race. Fun fact - this was a bit of a sneaky one as Adidas were the official sponsors of the race.
