Nike Kicks Off After Dark Tour 2025 with Reflective Necklace Medal for Women

Nike has officially kicked off its 2025 After Dark Tour – a global women’s nighttime running series spanning six cities – by unveiling a groundbreaking twist on the traditional finisher’s medal. The new award for race finishers is a sweat-proof, reflective necklace designed specifically for female runners.

The After Dark Tour is being hailed as a bold celebration of women in sport, inviting thousands of female athletes to “race the night away” in 10K and half-marathon events that blend competition with community, culture, and nightlife. In an atmosphere Nike calls “the ultimate girls’ weekend,” participants will run under city lights and come together in festive post-race celebrations, all while championing a message of empowerment and unity in the global running community.

Celebrating Women with Nighttime Races Worldwide

Nike’s After Dark Tour spans six major cities from April through June 2025 – Sydney, Shanghai, Seoul, Mumbai, Los Angeles, and Mexico City – uniting women runners across continents under a common banner of community and competition. The series kicks off in Sydney on April 12 and concludes in Mexico City on June 21, reflecting Nike’s mission to bring more women into sport through memorable experiences on a global stage.

Each race night offers more than a run: participants enjoy pre-race coaching sessions and local run club meetups, on-site Nike product and style experiences, and celebratory post-race concerts and festivities that turn the finish line into the start of a weekend of camaraderie. “We’re creating a space where women runners feel welcome and empowered... The After Dark Tour is about more than crossing a finish line — it’s about joining a community that supports and uplifts you,” said Seema Simmons, Nike’s Vice President of Global Women’s Running & Training.

Simmons emphasized that women of all backgrounds are encouraged to “come as they are” and find “the strength within themselves and the power of the collective energy” through the event’s inclusive community spirit.

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Reimagined Race Medal: A Wearable, Reflective Necklace

Nike’s reimagined race medal is a sweatproof, reflective necklace featuring a sculpted Swoosh pendant and a shoelace-inspired chain, blending performance and style. Designed by an almost all-women team at Nike, this innovative medal – available exclusively to After Dark Tour finishers – doubles as an elegant piece of jewelry that easily transitions from the finish line to everyday life.

The necklace’s pendant takes the shape of the iconic Nike Swoosh and is etched with contour lines drawn from the elevation profiles of the After Dark Tour racecourses. Its chain is inspired by a running shoe’s laces – complete with metal aglets engraved to commemorate the “After Dark Tour 2025” – nodding to Nike’s running heritage in every detail. A magnetic clasp allows for easy fastening and a customizable fit, and the entire piece was engineered with advanced materials to withstand sweat and movement during runs.

For the runners who earn it, the necklace is as practical as it is symbolic. It’s built to be sweatproof and durable, meaning it can be worn during runs without worry, and its reflective surface enhances safety for nighttime training or racing. Nike developers even gathered input from a women’s running forum of top athletes to ensure the design met female runners’ needs and style preferences. The result is a piece of performance jewelry that celebrates race achievement while seamlessly integrating into runners’ personal style – a tangible reminder of their accomplishment that they can wear proudly beyond race day.

Symbolism and Significance for Female Runners

Nike has imbued the necklace with layers of symbolism meaningful to female athletes. Every element of the design is intentional and tells part of a story. The gleaming Swoosh-shaped pendant is more than a brand logo – it represents each runner’s physical and emotional journey through the highs and lows of the course. The chain’s likeness to a shoelace underscores a deep connection to running as a lifestyle, and even the metallic aglets (shoelace tips) are engraved to celebrate the wearer’s path through the After Dark Tour experience.

For the women who earn it, this medal carries both practical value and emotional significance. It serves not only as proof of a finish time, but as a wearable badge of honor symbolizing perseverance and community. By transforming the traditional medal into a piece of functional jewelry that can be part of daily life without losing any of its symbolic value, Nike is reinforcing the idea that a woman’s athletic achievement is something to be celebrated openly, not tucked away on a shelf.

The necklace allows runners to literally wear their pride – a subtle but powerful statement of empowerment and visibility for women in the running world.

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Empowering Women in Sport: Nike’s Mission in Action

For Nike, the After Dark Tour is the latest manifestation of a decades-long commitment to empowering women athletes. For more than five decades, the company has been at the forefront of the running revolution, working to expand opportunities for women in running and inspire the next generation.

Nike describes the new series as a pinnacle expression of its efforts to champion women runners and their communities. It also aligns with the brand’s broader mission to make sure women feel supported at every step of their athletic journey.

This commitment is evident in how the After Dark Tour has been crafted both on and off the course. An almost entirely female design team led the creation of the reflective medal, exemplifying Nike’s dedication to elevating women’s perspectives in product innovation. At the events, a holistic, community-powered support system — from training plans and local run club meetups to on-site recovery lounges and mentorship programs — helps participants feel prepared, perform their best, and form lasting bonds through sport.

That encouragement extends especially to women taking on their first race. Nike Run Club coach Diljeet Taylor, who leads the official training program for the tour, emphasizes building confidence and community among new runners. “Getting athletes to the starting line knowing that their coach believes in them is the best race day preparation,” Taylor said, reflecting on the importance of support for participants. She added that being able to “motivate and train an entire community of runners that maybe wouldn’t have sought out a goal like this” – and ultimately help them cross the finish line – is “very humbling and fulfilling” for her as a coach.

The tour’s influence also extends beyond the physical race events. A parallel virtual series on the Nike Run Club app invites women anywhere to complete running challenges coinciding with each After Dark race, allowing them to earn digital finisher badges and even rewards from Nike’s partners. By opening participation to a global community, Nike is ensuring that the celebration of women in sport is truly worldwide – every runner can feel included in the After Dark movement, whether racing under city lights or in their own neighborhood.

As the first After Dark Tour race night approaches, anticipation continues to build among runners. Many have shared their eagerness to hit the pavement after sundown – and to claim the glimmering necklace that awaits at the finish – through enthusiastic posts on social media and in local running groups. For the running community, the tour represents more than just a series of races; it’s a rallying moment for women in sport, combining personal triumph with collective celebration.

In launching this tour and its novel medal, Nike is not only recognizing the accomplishments of women runners, but also encouraging them to shine together in the spotlight they deserve.

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