The Running Event 2012 – Wednesday

They say time flies when you’re having fun; it felt like I only got here. Today was my last day, a busy one again, with many people visiting the Ultra Marathon Caballo Blanco booth. We were very pleased to welcome running legend Bart Yasso and to share Canyons stories and images with him. Mr. Yasso knew about Micah True’s work and dream for the Sierra Madre and spoke very highly of the Raramuri runners.

We also spent some time with Caleb Simpson from The Bearded Brothers, a company that creates healthy, tasty runner treats and bars. Their products are vegan, gluten-free and made from organic ingredients. He brought us 4 different flavours to try out and I was quite impressed with the blueberry and the mango.

We had a quick encounter with Scott Jurek, who was as busy as always, greeting fans and presenting the running vest he created for Ultimate Direction. This thing is ultra-light and built from a material that feels like paper, but that’s virtually unbreakable. It can hold a bladder in the back and two bottles in the front, so that you can carry different types of liquids or a mix of liquids and snacks.

Caleb Simpson, of the Bearded Brothers

 Our friendly neighbor Eric Orton took some time to show us his prototype B2R trail shoe and let us take the road version for a quick spin around the show floor. The shoe is light and feels sturdy; the separate big toe compartment didn’t seem to be too much in the way and the interior is smooth and well-conceived enough to be worn without socks. When B2R finishes the touch-ups on its trail shoe design, we will feature a more in-depth analysis.

I was sad to leave my friends Scott and Tom from Luna Sandals, Maria, Josue, Paula and Amanda, but smiling at the promise that, the next time I’ll see them, we will be in Urique :)

The Running Event 2012 - Tuesday

Maria Walton, Flint and Tom Norwood of Luna Sandals

What a busy day! We started out with a business breakfast / conference, then all agreed we could step outside and go play for a bit. Everyone went to change and we took out our spiffy new Luna Oso sandals that our friends had brought us and took them for a spin on the Green Belt.

You might remember I had tested the Leadville model a couple months ago. I had initial doubts about my ability to run in sandals, then took a gradual approach and eventually ran in them. I was quite happy with the results, but experienced increasing problems with the plug system that holds the front lace. It twisted and bent the strap so much that it tore through the skin between my toes.

Upon trying the Oso, I could see right away that much work had been done to improve the concept. The plug now holds firmly in place and Luna added rubber patches to the laces so that the front buckle doesn't slip and the back strap sticks to your heel. The outsole is an aggressive spiky pattern that looks mean and grippy.

I took to the trails with a bit of a worry that I'd have a hard time breaking in the sandal without breaking my skin. I was wrong. From the first steps of the run, I felt the sandals were solid, firmly in place and very grippy. And Texas trails are not easy.

Something needs to be said about how the Luna Sandals somehow force a shorter stride and thus a faster cadence, even for a reasonably experienced forefoot striker like me. This results in great control and quick turnover, two key elements for running surefooted. In a nutshell, I loved them! I'll spend some time writing about the Oso in a further review.

The B2R shoe

Then back we went to the Convention Center, where the show floor finally opened at 4:00pm. To our great surprise, our booth space was neighbor to Eric Orton's, who was in town to display his new B2R shoes and their intriguing split-toe tips.

I will spend more time with Eric tomorrow and ask him a lot of questions about this shoe, but I already know it's been over 2 years in the making... and that he's already working on a trail version. Definitely to be followed.