“I hope I can meet him one day. Nike has hundreds of athletes under contract. Gallegos signed on the spot. How many fantastic brand ideas were discarded for the wrong reasons? Consider this: 2,480 people ran the Eugene Half Marathon in April.

Justin Gallegos is a runner at the University of Oregon. As consumers, we can all be inspired by Justin's, and therefore Nike's, story.

Paralympic silver medalist Danielle Hansen raised another issue when we met along the Head of the Charles race course. And trust in God! Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. From Bo to Tiger to Michael to Serena, Nike has made last names unnecessary for these high performers.

Ask them to marry the idea to modern times. I stayed with him the entire way and blew by him in the last quarter mile and [set a personal record.] Nike declined repeated interview requests. But the journey is damn sure not over!!! . John Truax, a Nike footwear marketing manager, presented the contract to Gallegos after an Oregon running club practice, while a film crew from Elevation 0m captured the emotional moment on camera. “It is definitely a possibility. Justin Gallegos became the first professional athlete with cerebral palsy (CP) last week when Nike signed the University of Oregon club runner to a surprise contract. Very excited! It redefines what "it" is when saying "Just do it."

There's no talk of speed records. The college junior wrote on Instagram, “This was perhaps the most emotional moment in my seven years of running! Trust the process! But if I sat down and negotiated a contract, I would be more like, 'OK, you want me; I want you. Beyond blessed to officially represent the swoosh! Justin has cerebral palsy, that's what. I have gone through just about everything in the book to be where I am today! Everest! Still can’t believe I made Nike history! Let's see what we can figure out.' Prior to founding Ideasicle, I worked at some of the most. He finished in 2 hours, 3 minutes and 49 seconds. It is definitely possible, but the odds are most definitely not in your favor! Hundreds of miles, blood, sweat, and tears has lead me here along with a few permanent scars!

#ProfessionalAthlete #SWOOSH #Nike72 #NikeTrackandField #NikeXC #ThereIsNoFinishLine #StrongerEveryMile #NoSuchThingAsADisability #NikeRunning #Limitless #Breaking2 Video Credits: @elevation0m, A post shared by Justin "Magic" Gallegos (@zoommagic) on Oct 6, 2018 at 5:33pm PDT. In Justin's case "it" is all about an athlete overcoming an obstacle that would certainly be overwhelming to just about anyone else. "Me signing and that moment occurring in front of my own teammates — it was a very emotional moment," he said. I’m still at loss for words! Yet something seems a little off to Johanna Beyer. All Rights Reserved, This is a BETA experience. Some athletes with disabilities are hoping Gallegos's future work with Nike showcases more fire — and fewer tears.

Gallegos said he is not allowed to disclose the terms of his deal, but he will keep his GoFundMe page active to help defray the cost of out-of-state tuition at Oregon. Gallegos and Kipchoge actually appeared in a Nike ad campaign earlier this year, playing off Kipchoge’s attempt to break two hours in the marathon with Gallegos’s quest for a sub-two half marathon—though they were filmed separately. Justin Gallegos. I don't care if Justin has never won a race in his life.

He fired me up.". So is top American Galen Rupp, who was fifth this year after winning in 2017.

Lebron is about winning. The video of Gallegos getting the contract was posted on October 6—World Cerebral Palsy Day. ", "It's literally the first sentence that you see that says, 'This is Justin, and Justin suffers from cerebral palsy,' " Kisin said.