California Track & Running News Sept–Oct 2013, Volume 39 NUMBER 3 | Page 12

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At the recent Outdoor Retailer trade show in Salt Lake City, I came face to face with how much our
world of running has changed. The show is a celebration of year-round outdoor activities, from
adventure to trail, from camping to environmental concerns, to running. You’ll see investment bankers
walking the show on the hunt for the next “cool” thing, and then there are the aging hippies who helm
their own small running apparel brands.
Cregg Weinmann, your footwear guru, and I spent a day checking out footwear and apparel brands.
We visited a Brooks launch party for the Transcend, a new concept shoe coming in Spring 2014, and
an ASICS media event where I was reminded of the intense competition in running footwear. Right
behind the ASICS booth was the Saucony booth, where the Saucony lightweight running products
continue to astound. In front of ASICS was the Brooks traveling trade show that takes a humorous
look at advertising and communications and displays its fine performance running gear.
I also enjoyed spending time with Jim Van Dine, president of HOKA ONE ONE, a young shoe company
gaining cache in the ultra running community and among age 40+ ru