Making running fun…by making fun of it
Working in the running industry can be brutal. It’s tough to compete with big running brands like HOKA, ASICS, Adidas, and Saucony, to name a few. Fed up with not receiving nearly as much booth traffic at The Running Event as any running shoe company, one nutrition company held a brainstorming meeting on how they can attract more people to their booth next year.
Each year, running brands travel to Austin, TX to showcase their new running shoes to retailers at The Running Event. Oh, and they also display their new running apparel, but no one cares about clothing when there’s new shoes. The truth is, I’d be perfectly fine running in the same outfit for the rest of my life so long as I can continue buying a baker’s dozen or so new running shoes each year. Sure, my shorts will rip, my tops will tatter, my socks will get holes, and my skin will be exposed to the elements in the cruel winter months, but at least my feet will be comfy, right? But I digress. Here are the most exciting new running shoes I saw at The Running Event 2023.
I started The Size 15 Runner blog less than a year ago, so I wasn’t sure what to expect attending my first running expo this week as a “run blogger.” Each year, thousands from running brands and retailers attend The Running Event to do business. Additionally, members of the media play a crucial role in promoting the event—and all the new running shoes and gear on display—to the public. Here are the most common—and head scratching—questions I was asked as a media attendee of The Running Event in Austin, TX. Enjoy my random, head-scratching movie and music references littered throughout.
For years, I’ve watched from afar with great interest as running media including Believe in the Run, Kofuzi, Road Trail Run, and others cover exciting running innovations and insights, showcased at The Running Event. At the risk of sounding overly dramatic, the industry’s “premier run and outdoor specialty retail conference and trade show” is the event to witness the evolution of running. This week, I’m getting up-close and personal with the event in Austin, TX by attending with a press badge.
I have a lot to be thankful for in 2023, both on and off the roads. With Thanksgiving around the corner (best of luck in dealing with your relatives), I figured I’d spend a blog post detailing why I’m thankful for running (and more) and sharing it with complete strangers like you. After all, gratitude helps us feel positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve health, and more. I can’t fit everything I’m thankful for into this post, so I chose six, in no particular order.
Like most children growing up, I never could’ve dreamed I’d be running marathons. I mean, I never thought I’d even be running, period. Like, who chooses to run for fun? But, thanks to my dad, I was introduced to the wonderful sport at just the right time in my life. It would take awhile to stick with it, but once I did, my relationship to sports—and life—changed forever.