Alpine Run Project
You can’t fall in love with trail running if you’ve never seen the trail.
The challenge
Nike athlete John McAvoy and Youth Beyond Borders (YBB), supported by Nike Running and JD Sports, set out to make trail running accessible to a more diverse audience.
Their ambitious mission: inspire 100,000 young people across Europe to take up trail running by 2027. For the Alpine Run Project’s first year, our task was clear—engage young inner-city audiences who had never seen themselves in the outdoors, let alone the white middle-class-dominated world of trail running.
The insight
Young people from inner cities face barriers—lack of exposure, resources, and relatable representation—that disconnect them from outdoor sports like trail running.
Traditional outdoor content often feels distant, irrelevant, or inaccessible to this demographic. To connect with them, we had to reflect their lived experiences authentically, creating content that resonated culturally and emotionally.
The game plan
We recognised that typical cinematic, documentary-style outdoor storytelling wouldn’t cut it. Instead, we embraced an urban-inspired, social-first approach, using gritty aesthetics, trending music, athlete-generated footage, and TikTok-inspired editing styles.
By showcasing the athletes' journey from their own perspective, we positioned trail running as an accessible and empowering experience, breaking stereotypes and shifting perceptions.
Bringing it to life
Our creative approach centred on relatable storytelling. We documented 12 young athletes’ journeys—from urban training grounds to competing at the prestigious UTMB trail race in Chamonix. Our dual-capture setup allowed real-time delivery of high-energy, vertical-first content to Nike and JD Sports’ channels, while simultaneously capturing cinematic footage for a longer-form documentary.
Working closely with Nike and JD Sports, we executed a year-long social campaign, sharing dynamic, vertical-format content directly to young, digitally-savvy audiences. Alongside this social-first strategy, we created a 30-minute documentary for Prime Video, capturing deeper personal stories and the athletes’ inspiring journey to UTMB. This layered approach ensured both broad reach and meaningful impact.
The results
The Alpine Run Project achieved remarkable visibility and acclaim:
500,000+ views on social platforms, effectively reaching a young, diverse demographic.
Major PR coverage across the UK and international acclaim at film festivals, including winning Best Mountain Sport Film at the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival.
Featured prominently on Prime Video, the Banff World Tour, and Outside Online, significantly raising awareness of YBB’s mission and impact.
The extra mile
Beyond the initial scope, we delivered additional value by creating a dedicated music video for one of the young athletes—emerging artist JS Starz—and developed a longer-form documentary that went far beyond original expectations.
Our approach stood out by deliberately rejecting traditional cinematic outdoor storytelling norms, choosing instead authenticity and cultural resonance, genuinely connecting with the audience it aimed to inspire.
“I wanted to work with Cut Media because of how important it was to capture the powerful stories of the young people. Seeing the content, I made the right decision.”
JOHN MCAVOY
ALPINE RUN PROJECT LEADER
