Nike Denies Kipchoge’s Request to Work From Home
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Nike, the main sponsor of world marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge, today denied the running legend’s request to work from home, Dumb Runner has learned. It was the most recent in a series of such denials stretching back at least four weeks.
“Come on, man,” Kipchoge reportedly told his Nike supervisor, a man identified as Rob. “I could totally do my job remotely. Having me come into the office is crazy. Especially these days.”
That was a reference to the coronavirus pandemic, a source said. The global health crisis has shut many nonessential businesses down completely and spurred others to allow their employees to do their jobs from home if possible.
The source said that during one conversation with his boss, the famously cool-headed Kipchoge “totally blew his stack” and called the situation “rubbish.”
“For Eliud to use the R-word, wow,” said the source. “I’ve only ever heard him swear like that once, and that was when he was walking barefoot in his apartment and stubbed his toe on his coffee table.”
“You know when that happens? How bad it hurts?”
Rob declined to comment for this article.
In a statement, Nike said, “Mr. Kipchoge isn’t just a world-class athlete. He is also an extremely valuable member of the Nike family—the very picture of an essential worker. At this critical time, we need him more than ever.”
The statement did not explain exactly what work Kipchoge performed in its office, or why that work couldn’t be performed remotely.
At last report, Kipchoge was poking around in a photocopier trying to fix a paper jam.
