What does it take for a marathon runner to ditch their trusted shoes on race weekend? For Nike, the answer was just four words. That was after Nike put up a controversial sign on its Newbury Street store, which read, “Runners Welcome. Walkers Tolerated.” For many people, this did not sit well and felt like a targeted swipe, after which Nike was forced to take down the sign. But that’s not where things ended for one runner who had a louder reaction.

For Carlie Siegel, this controversy meant she had to make a change. The 38-year-old planned to run the Boston Marathon in a pair of Nike Vomero Plus shoes, but as soon as she got to know about the sign controversy, she went out and bought a new pair of Adidas Pro 4s. 

“I don’t believe in things being exclusive,” Siegel said, as per Runner’s World.

“I don’t think it’s fair to be like, ‘Oh, you’re not invited to this, or you can’t do this because you’re not at this level.’ I just felt that people that were not qualifying and the whole walking thing was kind of, not disrespectful, but kind of took away from the shine.”

For context, Nike has had a trend of rather intense, spiky running ads for years. In fact, their “Starting Line ad in September 2025 toed the line between motivation and spikiness. Nike’s “So Win” ad at the Super Bowl and their “Winning Isn’t For Everyone” ad in 2024 also demonstrate this trend.

And after the recent controversial sign, the American shoe and apparel giant had to issue a statement,  apologize for the poster, and mention about being more inclusive.

“We want more people to feel welcome in running—no matter their pace, experience, or the distance,” read the statement. “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.”

It’s likely why the replacement poster at Newbury Street read, “Boston will always remind you, movement is what matters.” But for Seigel, that simply didn’t feel like enough, especially given the struggles she endured during the race. The 38-year-old had to stop multiple times at medical tents for checkups and glucose, but still finished the race, registering a time of 6:13:29.

“You’re walking, but you’re moving forward, and you’re still moving,” Siegel added. “You’re going to finish. You’re going to cross that finish.”

And the 38-year-old marathoner didn’t stand alone in her frustration at Nike, as several other runners hit out at the American apparel giant. However, for Nike’s competitors, it marked the perfect chance to take full advantage of the moment, and they did just that.

How other brands reacted to Nike’s controversial ad

After all, taking advantage of another brand’s mistake in an instant has often led to immense success. And this was no different, as Nike’s competitors immediately took to the streets with their own posters in response. Some followed the simple route as ASICS put out a billboard just after the finish line that read: “Runners. Walkers. All Welcome. Move your body, move your mind.”

They didn’t just put up one; they put up multiple to emphasize the point. And ASICS weren’t the only ones as shoe company Altra also followed suit. They reacted with an ad that read, “Run. Walk. Crawl,” and then put out a social media post with the caption, “Go where you’re celebrated. Not where you’re tolerated.”

Ecco, a brand that releases walking-focused footwear, quickly followed up by releasing a Boston-wide ad. It read, “No run intended. Walk your walk,” and as if that wasn’t enough, they also gave away 100 sneakers during the marathon. For a brand like Ecco, Nike’s mishap marked the perfect chance to steal some market share. That is what helped their cause, according to Ecco’s global CMO, Ezra Martin.

“You wouldn’t expect walking to be part of the marathon conversation, but because of Nike’s ad, walking turned into a current cultural conversation,” Martin told PRWeek. “Because our shoes are fundamentally designed for walking, it was an opportunity for us to pivot that conversation to be more about Ecco.”

“But it’s important to understand that – even if your brand wasn’t part of that conversation when it first started – it’s important to keep paying attention and picking up on those opportunities when they come.”

With that said, a controversial poster brought trouble for Nike while its rival brands quickly capitalized on it. And as runners like Siegel made their stance clear, Adidas and others walked away.