Latest Nike Marketing Campaign Recommends Running Barefoot?

BEAVERTON, Ore., May 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Today Nike recommends that athletes start training like they're barefoot. In one of the company's largest spring marketing campaigns, Nike will present the revolutionary new Nike FREE shoe and educate athletes on the benefits of barefoot training.

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Nike learned from legendary coach Vin Lananna and the Stanford Track Team that barefoot training was being used more commonly to strengthen and reawaken athletes' feet. It was through this insight that Nike's Sport Research Lab initiated the design for the company's first shoe with Nike FREE technology.

The new lightweight and flexible design of Nike FREE combines nature with technology to simulate the act of running barefoot on grass helping to strengthen muscles, prevent injury and improve overall athletic performance for a multitude of sports.

"I've been spending a lot of time in the gym this year and wearing the Nike FREE shoe. I've focused on core training, a lot of balance work and flexibility and one-legged stuff. It's been incredible to see how much harder the work outs are when wearing Nike FREE," explains 6-time Tour de France Champion Lance Armstrong as he prepares for his final Tour.

"The Nike FREE shoe has helped me in training and strengthening my feet, enabling me to be more balanced and being able to cut more quickly," says San Diego Chargers Running Back LaDainian Tomlinson.

"For me, I've followed the program that came with the shoes, the walking and then gradual running and then everyday training. Nike FREE has allowed me to see that I can raise my game to the next level, " said US Women's National Team Soccer icon Brandi Chastain.

"This shoe is unbelievable. It feels like you are not wearing anything on your feet, but it gives you a lot of support," said rising soccer star Freddy Adu. "I'm wearing the shoe to do virtually all my training and exercises."

Football star Tom Brady, tennis champions Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova, running greats Paula Radcliff, Ana Guevara, Sean Crawford, Dathan Ritzenhein, Alan Webb and Adam Goucher, are among the many athletes using Nike FREE as part of their training.

Nike FREE running comes to life in the new Nike advertising spot, "Run Barefoot". The new commercial, featuring Webb, Ritzenhein and Goucher recreates the famous beach-running scene from the 1981 movie "Chariots of Fire", as a group of men run barefoot on the beach wearing uniform white shorts and shirts. Shot along California's Pismo Beach, the runners begin passing items from a cityscape along the beach -- a parking meter, a mailbox, a taxi, a fire escape, a stoplight -- before the lead runner appears at a city street corner wearing Nike FREE. It closes with the tagline, "Run Barefoot" and directs athletes to nikefree.com. Both a 30-second and a 60-second spot have been created. The spot will launch on FOX's "American Idol", Tuesday, May 24.

The new line includes four new shoes for running and cross training: The Nike Free Women's Runner 5.0, Nike Free Men's Runner 5.0, Nike Free Freedom Mid 5.0 and Nike Free Trainer 5.0. The Nike FREE line will continue to develop into other areas of sport during the next six months, including Trail, Walking and Kids. In addition, just in time for the Tour de France, Nike is introducing a Lance-inspired Nike FREE shoe with signature yellow band, are part of the 10//2 Collection, which gives $1 to the Lance Armstrong Foundation for every article sold.

The Nike FREE 5.0 was awarded the 2005 Outside Magazine Gear of the Year award for the Road Running Shoe category.

NIKE, Inc. based in Beaverton, Oregon is the world's leading designer, marketer and distributor of authentic athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities. Wholly owned Nike subsidiaries include Converse Inc., which designs, markets and distributes athletic footwear, apparel and accessories; Bauer NIKE Hockey Inc., a leading designer and distributor of hockey equipment; Cole Haan(R), which designs, markets, and distributes fine dress and casual shoes and accessories; Hurley International LLC, which designs, markets and distributes action sports and youth lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories and Exeter Brands Group LLC, which designs and markets athletic footwear and apparel for the value retail channel.