Nike has admitted it “missed the mark” with a sign on one of its stores that read, “Runners welcome. Walkers tolerated.”
Nike has since apologised and removed the billboard, but not before it attracted wide media attention. And this weekend, the incident became a major debate at the Boston Marathon.
The Back of the Pack podcast slammed Nike for its lack of inclusivity:
“Elitist snobbery just oozed off that poster.
“You’re saying you only ‘tolerate’ back-of-the-pack runners, injured runners, first-timers, charity runners, adaptive athletes, and marathoners managing heat, fatigue, or medical realities?”
“The APOLOGY needs to be louder than the disrespect,” it added, “And that disrespect was BOOMING!”
Theresa Seitz, author of Built to Finish, said on Instagram:
“To every mid-pack mom, every charity bib, every comeback story, every person who started late, every person who finished slow and cried anyway. You are not tolerated. You are the point.”
Minor support of Nike ‘walkers tolerated’ billboard
Not everyone slammed Nike for being tone-deaf.
Michael Brandt, CEO of Ketone, a high-performance energy company, stated on X, “For those new to running — The Boston Marathon is a race.
“A race is an event where you run as fast as you can and the people who finish first are generally considered to be better at the sport than those who finish later.
“This is why Nike made a sign saying ‘Runners welcome. Walkers tolerated,’ he added, “and most people got a little chuckle from it and moved on.”
Nike apologises about billboard
The Boston Herald reports that Nike’s corporate communications said in a statement that the company wants “more people to feel welcome in running — no matter their pace, experience or the distance.”
“During race week in Boston, we put up a series of signs to encourage runners,” the statement read.
“One of them missed the mark. We took it down, and we’ll use this moment to do better and continue showing up for all runners.”
View this post on Instagram
‘Just Do It’…?
Sporting goods giants Hoka and Altra – and Nike’s competitors – made posts of inclusivity amongst the controversy.
Hoka said: “No matter what pace, we fly together.”
And Altra said, “Go where you’re celebrated. Not where you’re tolerated. Good luck to everyone running (or walking) Boston on Monday!
“Run. Walk. Crawl. No matter how you do it, just stay out there.”
Top image: The removed Nike billboard, Hoka’s response. Images: Instagram
Keep on top of the most important media, marketing, and agency news each day with the Mediaweek Morning Report – delivered for free every morning to your inbox.