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The story of the Defiant Dozen who put American track and field back on the map and sparked running as we know it today

After releasing the teaser a couple of weeks back, Nike has now put the Defiant microsite produced with agency AKQA, San Francisco, up on the Nike Sportswear homepage.

Beautifully animated, it tells the story of Athletics West, an American running team formed in 1977 by keen runners Bill Bowerman, Phill Knight and Geoff Holister, who recognised the sorry state of running in their country, which had been left behind on the track by global competition.

Taking the meager profits from their fledgling Nike company, they formed an elite running crew in the hope of saving their sport, picking up other promising athletes along the way and forming the Defiant Dozen, a 'rag tag group of misfits' that competed in Europe against guys who had benefited from years of state sponsorship. A team who had their uniforms hand sewn and meals cooked by the coaches' wife went on to collect a gold medal and several world records.

As well as an interesting back story, looking at the new lines from Nike Sportwear it is clear Athletics West has had a long lasting influence on the ethos and style of the brand. In the early 70's athletic wear was typically worn out on the tracks, and the Athletics West members were some of the first runners wear hoodies and track pants out in social situations.

nikesportswear.com/defiant