The 2007 adidas Auckland Marathon had 11,000 runners determined to reach their impossible. With the finish line 42 kilometres away, they needed more motivation. At the 17 km mark, they got 50 knots of it. From a custom built, hurricane fan. Exhausted runners opted in to the adiBOOST lane and were pushed from behind by a massive blast of air. Giving them a much-needed second wind to power them through to the finish line.

There were going to be over 10,000 runners at the Adidas Auckland marathon. Some will have run them many times before, for some it’s their first time, and some will be planning to do it in a Darth Vadar costume. With a target market this broad, there is one thing they all have in common – they were runners. Runners love it when they’ve been running hard and suddenly there’s a cool gust of tail wind. That extra burst of air cools them down and pushes them that little bit further. Our idea was to create this tail wind when they needed it most.

The results were instantaneous. As soon as the rush of air hit, the expressions of relief were priceless. Whether they spread their arms like wings, laughed with their friends, or just powered through, everyone left the adiBOOST lane lighter on their feet, and closer to beating their impossible. Word spread. The week after, Adidas were approached by the Wellington ‘Hurricanes’ rugby club who want to use the fan for pre-match entertainment during the rugby season. And Adidas PR’d the success of the event throughout the Asia-Pac Adidas network, and the idea now looks set to travel.