Erik Sowinski quickly moved out creating distance between the pack and himself. As a pacesetter, he won’t win the race. His job is creating the tempo. Watching him is like seeing a chef make the perfect plate. The chef creates the meal, lays it out to amplify the experience and then continues to create never watching the satisfaction of the person enjoying the flavors. Sowinski has been consistently laying out championship performances only to disappear as the real race begins. In the video below, Erik is wearing a Bell Lap Elite kit a company created initially to help track and field athletes earn additional revenue by selling the gear they receive from brands. Only a few pros receive a stipend, but they all receive gear and before launching their own kits, Bell Lap was the Sowinski of running.
The 1500m event in the Wanda League London competition the final image above and the video of this spectacular race lent itself to a narrative highlighting not just the athletes, but the sportswear brands they are sponsored by. One look at the screenshot and the first, second and third place winners all stand just ahead of those wearing Nike running kits. On Athletic Club’s U.S. National champion Yared Nuguse ran a dramatic conclusion to upend Hoka sponsored Narve Nordas of Norway (say that five times fast) who finished second and Great Britain’s Neil Gourley, in an Under Armour kit, set a PB to wrap up 3rd. Behind them were all Nike sponsored athletes and a field of New Balance and adidas runners. Nike is still the giant in the industry, but watching these events and continually seeing On and Hoka win is definitely emblematic of changing consumer sportswear habits. These victories become the source material for stories the brands will tell to inspire future runners and the everyday athletes.
