CAMERON STRAND x FAITH KIPYEGON x NIKE "BREAKING4" LIMITED-EDITION ZINE
Earlier this year, Nike tapped Cameron and NYC-based Something Special Studios to create "Breaking4," a zine chronicling Faith Kipyegon's attempt to be the first woman to run a mile in less than four minutes. Here, Cameron takes us through a process that was both far-flung and inspiring…
“My task was to capture the speed, effort, and grace of Faith’s pursuit," explains Cameron. “I traveled to Kenya, her home, where she trains among the greatest runners alive, for National Geographic. I went inside the Nike Sport Research Lab in Beaverton, Oregon, to observe scientists, designers, and engineers working to refine every detail of the attempt.
Finally, I followed Faith to Paris. The images document scenes both monumental and intimate. Together, the photographs form a portrait of an athlete at work. Faith did not break four. But she did run the fastest ever mile by a woman, and by breaking her own world record, etched her name deeper into history.
To photograph Faith over the course of this project was to witness the power of human potential. I’m grateful to have had the rare opportunity to follow an athlete of her caliber on such an inspiring and emotional journey. Faith’s Breaking4 attempt proved that the future of sport is written when belief meets preparation and when innovation fuels imagination. It is what happens when audacious athletes have people willing to dream alongside them. It is what happens when you dare to try.
This was about nine months in the making for me and a lifetime in the making for Faith.”
ZINE
KENYA
NIKE WORLD HQ
PARIS
“Shooting track events is a fun challenge for me—I get all day to find my angles and figure out what works,” says Cameron. “I shoot a ton throughout the day and hopefully walk away with something I like. Then there’s Breaking4. It wasn't until I was in the stadium on the evening of the event that I realized this shoot was different. I didn’t have an entire day to dissect and shoot this new place. I had maybe an hour. I had to figure out what the hell to do with 4 minutes—or 4 laps—around a track. I have to say, with limited time and limited access, I’ve very happy with how everything came out and I feel lucky to have been a part of this historical moment.”
ZINE LAUNCH EVENT
