MADRID, 8 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Nike presents the ‘EK Umoja’ collection, a capsule of running footwear and clothing based on the spirit of the legendary Kenyan athlete Eliud Kipchoge, two-time Olympic and world champion and marathon world record holder, according to the American multinational in a statement.
Umoja means ‘unity’ in Kipchoge’s native Swahili, and the collection honors the unifying legacy the champion has left in the running community through products that all runners can purchase.
Each item in the collection – including the Nike Alphafly 2 and the Windrunner jacket – features colors and graphics inspired by Kipchoge’s first victory at the 5,000 meters World Championships in Paris in 2003.
The collection, available now, is the result of Kipchoge’s 20 years competing at the highest level and collaboration with Nike to rethink human potential and advance the world through running.
That momentum continues in the new EK Umoja collection, based on the spirit of the world’s greatest marathoner. “Umoja means unity in my native language, Swahili. This collection represents the work we have done together as a family and running community,” Kipchoge explained.
The collection includes five Nike running shoe silhouettes: Nike Alphafly 2, Nike Vaporfly 3, Nike Zoom Fly 5, Pegasus 40 and Nike Victory track spike.
In apparel, the line includes the Nike Windrunner Jacket, Nike Rise 365 T-Shirt, Nike Stride 7-inch Shorts and a Nike Dri-FIT T-Shirt.
The recurring red color represents Kipchoge’s proud Kenyan heritage and is a nod to the Nike Kenya kit he wore when he won his first gold medal. The insole of the collection’s footwear, as well as some clothing items, show the official time of his 5,000-meter victory in 2003, 12:52.79.
On the midsole of each shoe and on each garment you can find a handwritten graphic by Kipchoge that reads ‘No Human is Limited’, his personal mantra.
The Dri-FIT T-shirt includes a quote that guides Kipchoge’s optimistic approach to life: ‘Let’s imagine we are in a garden. Let’s focus on the flowers and not the weeds.’
Kipchoge’s achievements as an athlete are unparalleled. Through Nike’s Breaking2 project, Kipchoge became the first – and only – person to run a marathon in less than two hours, although it is an unofficial record.
He also holds the world marathon record, has won 10 world marathon titles and is a four-time Olympian, with medals in every Games he has competed in since Athens 2004.
His elite status has not separated him from the running community.
Kipchoge strives to use his fame to attract more people to running, to show them the benefits the sport brings and the deep bonds it can create.
Together, Nike and Kipchoge are committed to realizing their dream of turning this world into a world of runners. As he says: “A world that runs is a healthy world. A world that runs is a peaceful world. A world that runs is a happy world.”