There are some perks to working in San Francisco. One of them is being so close to the Niketown located near Union Square. During the week, Nike holds a night where runners can meet and run together usually anywhere between 3-7 miles. Typically 20-40 runners will meet around 6:00 pm and start the run as a group at 6:30 pm. Nike usually has 2-3 employees join the running group with one in the front to middle and a second from the middle to back to make sure everyone stays with the course and to help if someone needs assistance. Afterwards Nike supplies some water or sports drinks along with general snacks such as bagels, fruit, etc. to all the runners to round out the night’s event.
Occasionally there are Nike shoe trials. Nike will select 2-3 pairs of running shoes and if you’d like, you can try running in them for the night. It’s a cool experience because A. You’re not putting extra miles on your shoes. B. If you are interested in buying a new pair of shoes, you can try them out first. and C. You start to learn the difference between various kinds of shoes and support. Afterwards you fill out a quick survey on what you thought and return the shoes. Pretty good deal if you ask me.
Also, every week you can put your name into a raffle for a free pair of running shoes ($130 value) at the end of the month (must be present to win). So if you show up every week for a month, you get 4 entries. Not too shabby. Bonus: They also have weekly trivia questions every once and awhile where the winner will receive a small gift.
And as if mapping out a course, supplying running shoes, providing snacks and refreshments, allowing you to sample their shoes (for Free) wasn’t enough… they usually offer a discount after the run around 30% or give away some Nike schwag. It isn’t every week, but it’s a nice surprise when it happens.
Here is a link to find the nearest Niketown Run Club. Maybe I’ll see you out there.
