Nike announces Breaking2 race date

By

Cassidy Mantor

Published
May 5, 2017

On Saturday, May 6, Nike will host its team of three elite runners in a trial race where they will attempt to create a defining sport moment in running by breaking the two hour marathon record. The current marathon record is  2:02:57, set by Dennis Kimetto of Kenya on September 28, 2014 at the Berlin Marathon.

The event will take place in Monza, Italy, and will feature Nike's team of Breaking2 runners Eliud Kipchoge, Lelisa Desisa and Zersenay Tadese.

Start time for the race is 5:45am, however the race itself is not open to the public. Instead, the event will take shape for consumers through a social media campaign. As Nike creates a potential moment in sport history, fans can turn to Nike's Breaking2 Twitter landing page where the race will be live tweeted. Alternatively, there will be a live stream on Nike's Facebook and Instagram moments.

In support of the event, Nike has assembled a team of media and athletes to host. Renowned sports commentator Sal Masekela will host the broadcast with runners Paula Radcliffe and Craig Masback. Kevin Hart will also play a role in the event, having built a bridged between the entertainment industry and athletics with this year's Run with Hart campaign with Nike.

The product that ties into the campaign is featured in the Zoom collection of running shoes. To spread the word, Nike is also going to launch a custom footwear emoji on Twitter of the Vaporfly Elite shoe that Kipchoge, Desisa and Tadese will run in.

The hope is that one of the elite runners will break the record at the event this weekend. Regardless, Nike has also partnered with National Geographic for the production of a feature length documentary film chronicling the journey towards breaking the two hour marathon record that will release later this summer.