The 2nd Annual Estes Trail Running Conference has come to a close and WOW what a great weekend. Met some amazing folks and was fortunate enough to take part on a few discussion panels over the weekend regarding the "Future of the Sport" regarding Mountain, Ultra, and Trail running. Also took part in the footwear development panel and was honored to sit amongst a panel of guys who have worked in the industry for years like Brian Metzler and Henry...Check it out here>>>
http://youtu.be/kg4dY693otE
The Future
A few key notes from my side to mention regarding "The Future" of our sport: I'm a huge believer that we need to create role models to expand the sport and also to make sure that we are promoting well being. Dopers are not good role models, I hope you'd agree. With that said, there is one specific way that I would really like to achieve that. DRUG TESTING. I propose that no athlete can win money in trail events no matter the distance, age, gender, or amount if they are not in a National or International Testing pool for doping controls. The lack of testing in a growing sport where money is being sought exposes a grave threat to the sport of off road racing.
Footwear Development
One key note to take away from my conversation in the video is that my personal preference for footwear development is that companies not chase fads, but rather aspire to innovative greatness and creating a genuine product. So many companies out there jump on board with the newest fads and copy other companies. I also believe that no 1 shoe will solve a runners problems. That is why I believe its important for an athlete who is looking for a brand to select their running shoes from, to choose a company who covers all bases and has shoes that can get a runner through wet and muddy conditions, road, rocky, technical, uphill performance as well as downhill performance.
I was able to connect with my fairly new sponsor Spenco at the Conference this year to spread the love (free insoles to some lucky folks!) and share the greatness of Spenco foot care products!
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| Helping Mountain Running Ambassador Richard Bolt decide!?! |
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| Group run with Spenco and Altra |
We were able to set up a few athletes with Spenco Total Support sandals and a variety of insoles depending on the athletes' needs! I was truly delighted to share the secret of using quality insoles with other runners because I myself have found them to be so helpful with keeping my body tuned and healthy over the year. Looking forward to more events with Spenco and sharing knowledge about insoles with other runners in events to come!
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| Conference Director (Terry C.) and I showing our favorite Spenco insoles! A special thank you to Terry C. for inviting me to come and take part in such a great event as well as the rest of the participants who took part in the event and allowed me to share my thoughts. ~Live and Love..in Peace~ |
3 comments:
Really great interview and nice to see the video from the conference. I really wanted to go. I love your point about shoe companies chasing fads. There seems to be many doing that. I am struggling right now to find that perfect company and perfect shoe. I am living near Boulder but have an upcoming 50k in Oregon which should be wet and muddy. I still don't know which shoe I should wear. I love the grip of my Salomon Sense but they are uncomfortable on my foot for long runs...I love my Pearl Izumi for long runs, but not for technical..I ordered some Inov 8 trail roc 245's so hopefully they will work for everything. I like that Scott is working to have such a variety of shoes for different terrains. I will check out the Trail Rocket...Thanks!!!
Hey Dawn also look into the Kinabalu or test it out if the course is extremely technical. Goodluck with your training leading up to your race!
Thank You!
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