Nathan Sorrell, Nike's Fat Jogger, Vows to Get Thin Unlikely ad star from the Olympics wants to prove his greatness

Nike isn't an official Olympic sponsor, but it's been running a whole campaign anyway around the London Games under the theme "Find your greatness." Among the numerous TV spots from Wieden + Kennedy, one truly stands out—the one with Nathan Sorrell jogging. (It's now over half a million views and counting on YouTube.) At 5-foot-3 and 200 pounds, the London, Ohio, native is, well, fat. In the spot, directed by Lance Acord of Park Pictures, Nathan is shown running toward the camera down a country road at dawn—an arresting and unsettling image of physical struggle and, according to Nike, everyday greatness. Nathan is not identified by name in the spot, and so plenty of people have wondered who he is. Well, a local Ohio paper tracked him down for an interview. It turns out Nathan is not actually an early-dawn runner. In fact, he threw up in a ditch during the shoot. In an editorial, the paper heralds Nathan as an inspiration, though it seems he was the one most inspired by the shoot. Nathan and his mother Monica have vowed to help each other lose weight through good old-fashioned diet and exercise. If they succeed, Nike will return for another taping. How great is that? Check out a bunch of other spots from the series after the jump.