Last week, Nike invited us down to an underground carpark beneath Hyde Park to launch their latest running initiative; Nike Milers.

Having recently rediscovered my love for running (mainly thanks to rejoining Run Dem Crew), a new world of event invitations have opened up. Somehow, these are slightly more daunting than the usual events I find myself at, mainly thanks to public exercise with a room full of actual sports journalists, but I enjoy the challenge and the sneakers. I’ve got a real thing for running sneakers and not just to run in.

Nike Milers is going to be a big focus for Nike in London over the years ahead. The main goal is for Nike to encourage people to “find their fast”, setting PBs for 1 mile races. It may be a part of running culture that you’re less familiar with, what with the movement mainly focusing on distance over the last couple of years, but short distance speed training is a serious part of any runner’s training routine, helping them to build speed and strength. It’s also conveniently less scary than long distance and therefore open to more people (good thinking Nike).

Having made our way to the carpark, we got changed before receiving some inspirational words of wisdom from Paula Radcliffe and Steve Cram, followed by a demonstration of the 1 mile track through the carpark by a group of the UK’s finest young runners. Some warm-up lessons and positive psychology lessons (a big part of racing) followed and we were finally ready to set our PBs.

It goes without saying that running through an underground carpark filled with some of the most expensive cars in the world was a lot of fun. What I didn’t expect was how moreish 1 mile racing is. It’s not too hard, but it’s not short enough to be a sprint or an easy deal. It’s bite sized running that you want to better yourself at again and again. I’ve got the 1 mile bug. Conveniently, I’m a Nike Miler now, so I can feed my addiction thanks to the forthcoming track nights and speed events. Who knows, maybe I’ll start competing at the Westminster Mile.

Thanks to Nike for introducing me to yet another addictive part of running. It’s probably about time I put my running shoes to their correct use. Check out the Nike Milers website for more info on the project and how to get involved.

PS. You can see a photo of me looking like I’m giving it my all over on Instagram, including my current PB (need to get below 6).

• About the Author

Alex Synamatix

One of three co-founders at THE DAILY STREET, Alex is our Editor-in-Chief, overseeing all TDS activity. Outside of TDS, Alex is a respected creative in his own right, from art directing club nights (comm•une) to consulting for some of the largest global brands.