Spring has been the perfect time for running with many Marathon events taking place in recent weeks. Earlier this year, American sportswear goliath Nike launched a global “After Dark Tour”, a series of night runs attended by all-female participants in six cities: Sydney, Shanghai, Seoul, Mumbai, Los Angeles and Mexico City. On 27 April, the Shanghai leg finally kicked off.
Nike opened sign-ups for the Shanghai event between 28 and 31 March. For 50 RMB (6.88 USD), any one of the over 3,500 women runners who won the ballot received a Nike product trial, professional online and offline coaching for 6 weeks, preparation service, after-run recovery and celebration, etc., as well as a custom pack from Nike with a T-shirt and supplies, and a voucher for a free Nike Sports Bra. Anyone who finished the race also got a Nike necklace with its iconic swoosh logo, called Speed Lace.
The event itself was a 10km run and took place at 9 PM on 27 April. The starting point was Century Square, and the finishing line was at Miaojiang Road. With an all-women pacer team and feminine hygiene products in the portable toilet cubicles, the event pays special attention to female runners’ needs. All proceeds from the signup fees will be donated to Nike’s Boundless Girls programme, which empowers girls through sports and PE.
The Nike After Dark Tour is no doubt a very meaningful moment for women runners, whether they were lucky enough to get in the Shanghai run or not. But more importantly, it shows how a more considerate sporting event can be managed, in this case, for women. It was also a perfectly framed opportunity for Nike to showcase their products to female consumers, from the sport bra to running shoes like the Vomero 18, which featured heavily in the event. With events like this and the fashion show at Shanghai Fashion Week, Nike has been delivering resonant, sports-focused messages in China.
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