Three On stories in as many days. I know. We’re sorry. But this is the last one, promise. What good is a press trip if you can’t actually talk about the press trip?

The Next Generation of Elite Sprinters l From Compton to LA28

So I wouldn’t forget anything, I recorded a voice memo on the way back from the launch party Wednesday night because I knew if I waited until morning, I’d lose something. Maybe our exhausted legs wouldn’t carry the same feeling. Maybe we’d forget the specific texture of the LA Memorial Coliseum as the sun disappeared behind it.

To recap, we came out to Los Angeles for a press trip centered around the new professional On Athletic Club (OAC) Sprint Team. Made up of four highly accomplished sprinters, the team will train with On’s full backing as they build toward the Olympic Trials and ultimately LA28. It’s a cool concept with a ton of storytelling potential, and we’re excited to follow where it goes.

The last three days have been great, with the launch party easily becoming my favorite part of the experience. Which honestly surprised me, not for the reasons you might think. By this point, we’d already seen the athletes on the track, done the interviews, and gotten the access. But something about standing inside the LA Memorial Coliseum in perfect weather with maybe 50 people just felt different.

The word I keep coming back to is intimate.

Typically, when big brands throw events like this, they’re about scale. Launch parties and press experiences go wide and reach deep with hundreds of media members, influencers, photographers, and writers. There are walls of handlers everywhere and you quickly realize how massive “the machine” really is.

This wasn’t that.

This felt closer to a dinner with people you actually wanted to meet.

We got there around 6:00 p.m., shuttled in, and the first thing that hit me was how beautiful the setting was. And how calm it felt. A DJ, a bar, On-branded specialty drinks — both alcoholic and non-alcoholic — and just people talking. Not performing. Talking. No Cirque-style acrobats necessary.

I ended up spending a lot of that first hour with Max. We’d crossed paths throughout the previous 24 hours, but last night we actually got to just be human beings for a minute. No agenda. He’s genuinely awesome — the kind of person who makes you feel like the conversation matters.

And honestly, that was true of everyone there.

The On staff were open about their vision. The athletes were open about theirs. Nobody seemed guarded or spitting PR messages.

After about an hour of mingling, they brought everyone together for a panel hosted by Emily Abbate, who runs the podcast Hurdle. She did a great job pulling thoughtful conversations out of the group. The panel included the four athletes, Flavio from On, and Coach JB, and they were all remarkably candid. They talked about what working with On has meant to them, where they see this going, how they communicate with the brand, and the relationship between performance and mental health.

You can listen to Hurdle anytime. But being there, in that open space for a conversation like that felt different.

Then the final hour opened back up. Food came out on trays — mini burgers, shrimp tacos, vegetable pockets, chocolate tarts for dessert — and conversations picked right back up like nothing had interrupted them.

That’s the thing about an experience this size: there’s nowhere to hide, and no reason to.

By the end of the night, you actually know people. Other media/influencers, athletes, brand folks, and comms hustlers.

I think what On did here, intentionally or not, was create the conditions for real connection. With the athletes. With each other. With the brand itself.

And as someone used to throw huge press events for tech companies, and now covers this endurance space for a living, that’s not something I take for granted.

The big machines are everywhere, all chasing the next viral moment. Experiences that feel genuinely human are increasingly rare.

Last night reminded me that not every company, at every moment, is solely focused on the almighty dollar. Sometimes, if you’re lucky, you get to experience something much simpler and much more memorable: real human connection. ✌️