To get across the childlike joy that running used to have for all of us we created a real life video game that gave everyday, elite, and even non-runners a chance to experience the shoe in an attention-getting and spreadable way. Players designed avatars, had their their skeletal points motion-tracked, and then used custom-built giant treadmills to run their characters through a 400-meter virtual race that reacted to their every move. Advanced 3D rendering techniques turned players’ motions into animation via 12 powerful gaming rigs that processed, packaged, and instantly transmitted gigs of real-time data to giant digital billboards in downtown L.A. Nike athletes like Ashton Eaton joined celebs as well as passersby to try to make it onto the leaderboard, with ESPN SportsCenter and Jimmy Kimmel showcasing the event on their shows. Fans could also play the game via the first ever Snapchat AR lens.

Running is tough to get into. It isn’t fun, it’s painful, and the culture of it can feel exclusive and intimidating. Which is too bad, because running is great exercise that’s cheap, accessible, and that makes your mind and body feel amazing once you get the hang of it. As a brand founded on running, Nike knows that people need help to the get the hang of it—something that gets them out the door when they don’t want to go, that keeps them from turning back when they’re exhausted, that gives them a gear they didn’t know was there on kilometer 8 of a 10K. The goal with React was to introduce the technology as something that makes running accessible for anyone interested in it but too afraid to try.