Nike Oregon Project
Corporate brand
UnclaimedA Nike-backed elite distance-running program that developed prominent athletes before closing in 2019 amid doping and athlete-welfare controversies.
Last updated August 25, 2026
Overview
The Nike Oregon Project was an elite distance-running group created by Nike in 2001 in Beaverton, Oregon. It was established to improve the competitiveness of American athletes in long-distance track and road events, an objective associated with Nike vice president Thomas E. Clarke. Alberto Salazar, a former elite marathoner and three-time New York City Marathon winner, became the program's central coach and public figure. The project combined professional coaching with unusually intensive sports-science support, recruiting and developing athletes inside a Nike-sponsored environment. The program trained runners in and around Portland, Oregon, with key sessions conducted at or near Nike's headquarters campus. Its facilities and methods included a specially designed house capable of simulating high-altitude living by reducing oxygen concentration, physiological monitoring, underwater treadmills, and reduced-gravity running equipment. The altitude simulation was intended to reproduce some of the red-blood-cell adaptations associated with living at elevation while allowing athletes to train at lower altitude. Nike Oregon Project also worked with Colorado Altitude Training on hypoxic equipment. These methods attracted attention because they represented an aggressive application of sports science, but the altitude house itself was not prohibited by anti-doping authorities. Salazar initially worked with established runners but later concentrated on younger athletes, including Galen Rupp and Kara and Adam Goucher. The program subsequently became associated with a number of high-level American distance runners and Olympic competitors. Jerry Schumacher joined in 2008 after leaving the University of Wisconsin–Madison, bringing athletes including Matt Tegenkamp, Chris Solinsky, and Evan Jager. Pete Julian also served as an assistant coach. The project therefore functioned less like a conventional consumer-facing Nike product line than like a private, sponsor-funded performance and athlete-development platform. Scrutiny intensified over the program's training practices and Salazar's conduct. Early criticism focused on the ethics and competitive implications of simulated-altitude facilities and on the recruitment of promising young athletes. In 2017, reporting based on a leaked and unverified United States Anti-Doping Agency document raised questions about L-carnitine administration and other practices. In October 2019, USADA imposed a four-year ban on Salazar, finding violations involving testosterone trafficking, administration of a prohibited amount of L-carnitine, and attempted interference with doping controls. The Court of Arbitration for Sport later upheld the ban. Separate allegations by former athlete Mary Cain described emotional and physical mistreatment and pressure relating to weight and medication; Salazar denied most of her claims, while Nike issued a response disputing aspects of her account. On October 10, 2019, Nike announced that it was closing the Oregon Project. Nike said the controversy surrounding Salazar had become a distraction and impaired athletes' ability to focus on training and competition, and it offered to help affected runners find alternative arrangements. Later proceedings involving Salazar produced a permanent sport-related ban after findings concerning sexual misconduct, further separating the former coach's conduct from the program's athletic legacy. The project is consequently best understood as a defunct Nike-sponsored elite training group whose innovations and athlete achievements remain part of distance-running history, but whose reputation was fundamentally reshaped by doping-control and athlete-safety controversies.
History
Nike created the Oregon Project in 2001 in Beaverton, Oregon, as an effort to strengthen the United States' performance in elite distance running. Nike executive Thomas E. Clarke was associated with its creation, while Alberto Salazar became its defining coach. Salazar brought experience as a successful marathoner and sought to build a professionally supported group capable of competing at the highest international level. The program evolved from an initial focus on experienced runners toward the development of younger athletes. Salazar believed that younger runners were more receptive to changing their training habits and could be shaped over a longer period. Galen Rupp and Kara and Adam Goucher were among the athletes associated with this phase, while Matthew Centrowitz was also coached within the project. The program's approach blurred the boundaries between a commercial sports sponsor, a professional team, and a laboratory for performance experimentation. Training took place around Portland and at Nike's Beaverton headquarters. Athletes had access to a simulated-altitude residence, where reduced oxygen was used to imitate high-elevation living. The project also used physiological monitoring, underwater treadmills, and low-gravity treadmills to reduce impact while maintaining training volume. Colorado Altitude Training collaborated with the program on hypoxic equipment. These technologies were presented as legal performance tools, but critics questioned whether simulated altitude could create an effect comparable to blood manipulation. The World Anti-Doping Agency reviewed the issue in 2006 and decided that the altitude-house method should not be prohibited at that time. Leadership changed after Salazar suffered a heart attack at Nike's campus in 2007. In 2008, Jerry Schumacher joined the project after leaving the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He brought Matt Tegenkamp, Chris Solinsky, and Evan Jager into the Nike environment and was identified as a possible future leader of the group. Pete Julian served as an assistant coach, while specialist staff supported medical, scientific, and physical preparation work. The program's methods and governance continued to attract criticism. In 2002, former assistant coach Steve Magness reportedly urged USADA to investigate aspects of the project, prompting discussion of the ethics of its altitude facilities. In 2017, The New York Times reported on a leaked, unverified USADA document that raised questions about L-carnitine use and infusion procedures. These allegations were followed by a formal USADA case. In October 2019, USADA banned Salazar for four years for trafficking testosterone, administering a prohibited amount of L-carnitine, and attempting to tamper with doping controls. Salazar appealed, and the Court of Arbitration for Sport later upheld the sanction. The project's final crisis also involved athlete welfare. In November 2019, former member Mary Cain described alleged emotional and physical abuse, weight-related pressure, and harmful treatment during her time with the group. Salazar rejected most of the allegations, and Nike disputed elements of Cain's public account. On October 10, 2019, Nike had already announced that it was ending the Oregon Project, citing the distraction created by the controversy and promising to help athletes transition to other training arrangements. Subsequent safe-sport and disciplinary findings led to a permanent ban for Salazar. The program's record therefore contains both significant athletic achievement and a lasting institutional controversy over anti-doping compliance, coaching power, and athlete protection.
- 2021
Anti-doping ban is upheld
[4]The Court of Arbitration for Sport upholds Salazar's four-year sanction.
- 2021
Permanent ban follows safe-sport findings
[1]A later disciplinary process results in a lifetime ban for Salazar concerning sexual misconduct findings.
- 2019
Salazar receives a four-year anti-doping ban
[2]USADA sanctions Salazar for multiple anti-doping-rule violations.
- 2019
Nike dissolves the Oregon Project
[1]Nike announces the closure of the group on October 10 and offers transition support to its athletes.
- 2017
L-carnitine allegations are reported
[5]Reporting on a leaked and unverified USADA document raises questions about L-carnitine administration and the project's practices.
- 2008
Jerry Schumacher joins the program
[1]Schumacher moves from the University of Wisconsin–Madison to Nike's program and brings several prominent distance athletes.
- 2007
Salazar suffers a heart attack
[1]Salazar has a heart attack at Nike's Beaverton campus and indicates that he may take a more limited role.
- 2006
WADA reviews simulated-altitude training
[1]WADA considers whether the altitude-house method should be prohibited and ultimately does not ban it.
- 2002
Early anti-doping scrutiny
[1]Concerns about the project's simulated-altitude facilities prompt discussion involving USADA and sports-science ethics.
- 2001
Nike establishes the Oregon Project
[1]Nike creates an elite distance-running group in Beaverton, Oregon, with Alberto Salazar becoming its principal coach.
Products and positioning
A sponsor-funded, high-performance distance-running program combining elite coaching, athlete development, and experimental sports-science facilities.
Professional training program · 2001
Elite distance-running coaching
The project's principal offering was not a retail product but a Nike-funded coaching environment for elite middle- and long-distance runners. Athletes received structured training, race preparation, performance monitoring, and access to specialist personnel. The program was designed to develop competitors for major track, road, and Olympic events.
Performance technology
Sports-science and recovery systems
Nike Oregon Project integrated physiological monitoring with reduced-impact training equipment, including underwater and low-gravity treadmills. These tools were intended to help coaches measure athlete condition, preserve training volume, and manage physical load during preparation and recovery.
Hypoxic training facility
Simulated-altitude residence
A specially designed residence used reduced oxygen levels to simulate living at high altitude. The method sought to encourage adaptations associated with altitude exposure while athletes continued training near sea level. Its legality and ethics were debated by anti-doping officials and coaches, although it was not prohibited by WADA at the time of review.
Controversies
2021
Permanent ban involving sexual-misconduct findings
A subsequent disciplinary process resulted in a lifetime ban for Salazar following findings concerning sexual misconduct involving athletes.
2019
USADA sanctions Alberto Salazar
USADA imposed a four-year ban after finding violations involving testosterone trafficking, prohibited L-carnitine administration, and attempted tampering with doping controls. The sanction became the immediate institutional crisis preceding the project's closure.
2019
Mary Cain's athlete-welfare allegations
Mary Cain alleged that Salazar subjected her to emotional and physical mistreatment, weight shaming, and pressure involving illegal diuretics. Salazar denied most allegations, while Nike disputed elements of Cain's account.
Brand decisions
2019
Nike decides to close the Oregon ProjectOtherBackground
The project faced the USADA ban against its longtime coach and growing public questions about doping practices and athlete welfare.
Action taken
Nike announced on October 10, 2019 that the group would be disbanded and said it would assist current athletes in finding alternative training arrangements.
Aftermath
The Nike Oregon Project ceased operating as a team. The later permanent ban against Salazar continued to shape assessments of the program.
Sources5 sources
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