Mike of KidsWifeWorkLife was kind enough to send along this story from TIME about the birth of the Nike+ Sport Kit.

With Nike Plus, a group of Nike executives has combined the world’s top sporting-goods brand with the world’s most beloved gadget, all while cleverly capitalizing on the social-networking craze.

The result is a product that could completely transform the way we run.

The story tells how Nike conceived the concept and pitched Apple in late 2004, providing insight into how these two very different companies worked together to create the product that we know and love today. The project was very cloak and dagger.

Apple is famously secretive, surprising the market with its new products, while Nike usually informs retailers of its plans six months in advance. In this case, Nike acquiesced to the Apple way, putting Nike Plus on sale just 50 days after announcing it.

Read the entire article here.