Nike removes controversial Boston Marathon sign after major backlash

April 17, 2026

A Boston Marathon Nike campaign, put up outside its flagship store on Newbury St. in Boston on Thursday, has the running world up in arms. The sign, which read, “Runners welcome. Walkers tolerated,” was heavily criticized for pace-shaming and not being inclusive to runners of all levels or abilities. On Friday, Nike removed the sign and issued an apology.

“We want more people to feel welcome in running–no matter their pace, experience, or the distance,” Nike’s statement read. “During race week in Boston, we put up a series of signs to encourage runners. One of them missed the mark. We took it down, and we’ll use this moment to do better and continue showing up for all runners.”

Across running forums and social media, people are arguing about whether Nike is implementing a unique marketing strategy or a display of elitism.

“This ad doesn’t sell anything, but it gets us talking about Nike,” one LetsRun.com forum user wrote. “It’s a single piece in an advertising campaign–and your browser/socials will spit other Nike ads at you after viewing this thread.”

In contrast, Houston run coach and influencer Amy Gougler took to Instagram to say, “We should be a more inclusive community and stop shaming walking. To say that walking is only ‘tolerated’ diminishes the work of many. Adverts like this are not okay–we need to do better.” Running Magazine