Nike Treads the Line Between Runners' Agony and Ecstasy

Success comes with a price

To win, you must do more than show up. You have to put in the work and grind it out—even when the weather sucks, it’s still dark and you’d rather stay in bed.

Wieden+Kennedy Portland and Nike greet marathon season with “Winning Isn’t Comfortable,” a continuation of their somewhat controversial “Winning Isn’t for Everyone” initiative.

Runners don’t look forward to every run. But braving the elements and downpours can yield progress. A :30 spot set to “You Are My Sunshine” by Christina Perri proves the point, featuring nothing close to a sunny day.

We see elites athletes, running groups and college basketball star JuJu Watkins keeping the pace through dreary days.

Another spot shows bleary-eyed folks lacing up before dawn. It’s set to “1st of tha Month” by Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. The looks of dread on each runner’s face are pretty intense.

In the same spirit, a look of joy for runners is often one of … agony. But that smile when the race is over … priceless (to borrow a vibe from another brand’s campaign).

Megaforce directed the commercials.

OOH ads rock similar themes: