In recent months, I’ve taken to a hobby that I never envisioned myself liking: running. It started as a casual effort, a couple miles here and there, but now I’m in deep. So deep that I’ve signed up for the City to the Sea Half Marathon October 14th (yikes). In my time on the road, I’ve become privy to this hidden in plain sight running culture founded upon humble hard work, bike lane etiquette, and above all else, the proper shoes and socks.
As luck would have it, I also found an amazing Adidas advertising campaign that celebrates the idiosyncrasies of runners everywhere. The campaign titled “Runners. Yeah, we’re different.” was created in 1998 by Leagas Delaney in San Francisco to highlight some of the inside jokes or funny stories that come from pounding the pavement. Their striking (and often hilarious) print ads speak to me in a way I’m sure they wouldn’t have just a year ago. I love the fact that such a major campaign revolves around a premise that only percentage of its audience will really understand. It takes guts to single out your target market and speak only to them, but as one of those now in that audience, I hear it loud and clear! I too have blown my nose while running down the street only to face the stares of more casual pedestrians. I’ve (very slowly) made my way up a steep hill as passing cars laboriously shift gears to handle the incline. I’ve stretched in the oddest of places. It feels so satisfying to see other runners doing the same thing and a company celebrating our efforts, not matter how silly they seem.
For those in the know, enjoy the wonderfully funny and all too accurate images below. See you on the starting line October 14th!
Robyn
