Nike Inc’s recently relaunched ACG outdoor brand has named EV maker Rivian as its off-grid support partner for ultrarunning.
Both companies will be deploying a fleet of custom fully electric trucks and SUVs as a mobile “aid station” for a 100-mile mountain race in southern Oregon.
The system, which the brands are calling the Ultimate Aid Station, will support runners at the Siskiyou Out Back Trail Running Festival in Ashland from July 10 to 12, and specifically at the event’s new Brink 100 Mile Trail Run.
Rivian said it converted several of its vehicles — including the R1T pickup, the R1S SUV and its smaller, more affordable R2 — into an integrated support network that runs on the vehicles’ own batteries, without diesel generators.
Remote aid stations at ultramarathons, which can span 100 miles and more than 20,000 feet of elevation gain, have long contended with melted ice, warm drinks and a lack of shade in terrain that is difficult both to reach and to power.
A Rivian R2 anchors a misting station, described by the companies as a “cool corridor” that runners pass through to lower their body temperature without breaking stride, shaded by a canopy made from Nike ACG’s Radical AirFlow recycled-polyester fabric.
An R1T outfitted as the “Recharge” truck serves as the hub, carrying an integrated slushie system, a front-trunk ice bin and a slide-out “Gear Tunnel Shuttle” for snacks and gels beneath a second Radical AirFlow canopy.
An R1S is fitted as a mobile first-aid unit offering blister relief, cold compresses and nausea support.
A second R1T, billed as “Hot Fuel,” prepares warm pancakes using Rivian’s Travel Kitchen accessory, while a further R1T is converted into a self-powered “DJ Rig” that Nike said uses the truck’s onboard energy to stage an off-grid music set intended to motivate runners.
Two additional trucks carry Dometic 65-litre coolers to shuttle ice between staging areas and the station.
The Special Projects division of Rivian built the vehicle in 12 weeks on a quad-motor R1T with an approximately 140-kilowatt-hour battery, according to MotorTrend‘s report.
“Our mission is to support athletes in pursuing truly wild, inspiring goals by helping them thrive in all conditions,” Noah Murphy-Reinhertz, Nike’s senior director of sustainable product design, said in a statement.
He said the collaboration was shaped by “the voice of the athlete” and aimed at “the most critical issues trail runners face out in the wild — from managing heat and staying hydrated to refueling and finding the energy and moral support to keep moving when conditions are at their toughest.”
Jeff Hammoud, Rivian‘s chief design officer, said the project “challenged us to look beyond a single vehicle and design a collective, responsive system,” adding that combining the company’s “trail-ready vehicles with ACG’s deep athlete insights” allowed the teams to build an aid station that was “as inspiring, motivating, and fun as it is functional.”
Nike relaunched ACG, which stands for All Conditions Gear, last February, repositioning the four-decade-old label as a dedicated outdoor-performance brand centered on trail running and hiking.
That relaunch introduced an “All Conditions Racing Department” of elite runners and partnerships with major trail races, and the Radical AirFlow material used in the fleet’s canopies is drawn from the brand’s racing apparel.
For Rivian, the activation is the latest from its Special Projects division, an Irvine, California-based rapid-prototyping group that has previously produced one-off vehicles including an ambulance for the television series “Grey’s Anatomy” and an electric ice cream truck for Ben & Jerry’s.
The company in February also formally launched a related unit, the Rivian Adventure Department, or RAD, focused on testing its vehicles in extreme conditions and feeding the results into consumer features.
Financial terms of the partnership were not disclosed.
