Nike Owns the Night with Second Annual Race Series

Thousands of women take to the streets of Europe for an after-hours run series like no other.

Last year Nike's We Own The Night run series exploded across iconic European cities as thousands of girls claimed the night in an energetic celebration of running, music, friendship and the after-glow of giving their all. The anticipated race returns this May and the noise is louder, the crowd is bigger and the after party is even more worthy of a sprint to the finish.

The series kicks off Saturday, May 10, in London's Victoria Park, uniting thousands of female runners in a celebration of sport, style, design and culture. We Own the Night (WOTN) will create a festival atmosphere throughout the streets of Europe's capitals — London, Amsterdam, Berlin, Paris and Milan — with live music and DJs, light shows and after-parties.

Each 10k will serve up a unique experience that speaks to the respective city’s attitude and energy.
WOTN participants took part in six-week personalized training programs combining physical and digital experiences leading up to the races. The journey included invites to VIP Nike Training Club classes at locations such as the SoHo House in Berlin and London, Paris's Eiffel Tower and secret yoga classes in hidden locations.

To motivate each girl’s training journey, Nike treated them to boutique shopping celebrations with expert fitness and style consultants, and inspirational rewards, such as a VIP private concert with platinum award-winning singer Jessie J.

The races have attracted women from the worlds of film, fashion, music and design to lace up their Nike Frees, or lend creative support. Top designers Vivienne Westwood and Holly Fulton’s bespoke tote bags bring unique style to London and Milan, and acclaimed jewelry designer Alex Munroe has curated the finisher medals for the London race.

Digitally, runners have been able to get more out of each run by tracking their time, distance, pace and calories burned via Nike+. They have made every workout count with the Nike+ FuelBand and the Nike Training Club App, and connected with Nike communities via Facebook as they prepare to run and party together.

Here's a preview of each race:

London

In East London, the city’s epicenter of emerging street style and culture, the series will kick off with a race full of vibrant colour and music. A host of key Londoners will be in attendance including fashion designer Holly Fulton, who will face stiff competition at the starting line from marathon world record holder Paula Radcliffe. As London 2012 Olympians Perri Shakes-Drayton and Katarina Johnson-Thompson fire the starting gun, competitors will include honorary "girls for the night" fashion favourite Henry Holland, and designer Alex Monroe, who designed an exclusive finisher necklace for all runners.  DJ Nick Grimshaw will keep energy levels high with an after-party as runners cross the champagne-fuelled finish line.

Berlin

On May 30, Berlin, capital of sneaker culture and urban cool, will take over city hotsport Mauerpark. WOTN Berlin will transform the park with LED lightshows, special live act and deep house music by acclaimed club scene regular DJ Sam. By nighttime Mauerpark will be turned into a crescendo of inspiring and motivational sound of Berlin's energized runners. Traversing the fast course and illuminated bridges will be German middle distance champion Caterina Granz vying to retain last year's WOTN title.
 
Amsterdam

Europe's current hottest city of culture will play to its strengths; transforming iconic cultural hotspots into one-night-only light and sound shows. The Rijks museum will be alive — inside and out — with resonating classical music and an energizing VJ display, as runners flood through the central atrium. Participants will start and finish the course with a lap of the Olympic stadium, and the course takes in the sights and sounds of the Vondelpark, Prinsengracht and the Amstel. Former participant DJ Eva Simons will fire up runners along the route with a handpicked soundtrack to amplify the party atmosphere. The competitor village offers a host of treats for those taking part - from nail and beauty bars where runners can match their manicures to their Nike Flyknits, to champagne and chocolates as reward for the 10k effort.

Paris

The morning after the night before; style hub Paris will host the finale to complete the glamorous training journey WOTN participants began a tsign-up. Nike offered late-night Nike Training Club classes to Parisian runners in iconic city landmarks — from the panoramic views of the Eiffel tower to the city's most prestigious private fashion addresses. The race course embodies the city of chic, with views alternating between the contemporary architecture of the Bibliothèque nationale de France, historic buildings and the borders of the Seine. The city's running and style mavens will join French actress Sabrina Ouazani on the starting line and the city of beauty will embody its reputation with explosions of confetti and balloons creating a scenic spectacle. As the route unfolds an array of light, sound and sensory experiences will be revealed to surprise and delight those going the distance.

Milan

City of design Milan will offer a visual landscape like no other on a dramatically scenic 10k course on May 30. The route takes runners past the breathtaking scale of Piazza Duomo to the ancient Roman track and field stadium and iconic La Scala Theatre.  Milan's fashion and culture scenes will come together at the starting line as pop star Emma Marrone and model and presenter Fiammetta Cicogna compete for the fastest finish time and coolest running style. The stars will join Olympic marathoner Valeria Straneo and Nike runners Anna Incerti and Veronica Inglese on the course, bringing both style and inspiration to the starting line. Passing through illuminated tunnels, 3D projections and colliding soundscapes, the run will end with a celebration party in Milan's hottest new fashion district, Piazza Gae Aulenti, with live music and DJs playing until late.


The party starts May 10: check this space for post-race updates and details.

For course, event and results information, also visit:

London: Facebook.com/nikerunninguk
Amsterdam: Facebook.com/nikerunningnederland
Berlin: Facebook.com/nikerunning.deutsch
Paris: Facebook.com/nikerunningfrance
MIlan: Facebook.com/nikerunningitalia

This year, WOTN runners will make their runs go further.  Nike will donate €5 (£4 in the UK) from each We Own the Night entry to Women Win in support of programs that help get young people more active in each WOTN city. Runners can unlock even more funds for the girls in their cities by reaching their respective distance goals using Nike+ and sharing them on Facebook and Twitter. The support is made as part of Nike's commitment to the global Designed to

Move initiative. Nike spearheaded Designed to Move - a call-to-action supported by public, private, and civil sector organizations dedicated to ending the epidemic of physical inactivity. Find out more at www.designedtomove.org.

Nike's We Own The Night Race Series 2014 is powered by official Music Sponsor Spotify and official Coconut water Sponsor Vita Coco.

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Source Nike


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