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.

The Running Event 2012 - Monday

Turned out quieter than I expected. The show has started, but kind of slowly. We went to get everyone's badge and see what was happening at the Austin Convention Center. There was a lunch and some marketing presentation, and a little foreword by Bart Yasso from Runner's World. Josue and I didn't hang around for too long... the sun was out and we were itching to get back on the trails :)

So we snuck out and, went to get Josue's dog and headed for the park. He took me along a riverbed trail that slithered up and down on some pretty impressive rocks. They look volcanic, but they are very sharp. Most stick out of the ground and some smaller ones roll under you. To me, very technical.

I discovered first-hand why they call Josue The Wolverine. Not only is he fast and strong, he is also very nimble. I was amazed to look at him just fly over the trail, duck under trees and jump up and down like there's nothing to it. Compared to him, I felt as gracious as a drunk, one-legged hippo :)

We finished the run earlier because I snapped my left knee trying to keep up. It made a pretty scary creaking sound and I had some trouble bending my leg, but it settled after a couple minutes and we were able to run down an easier trail without any issues.

We picked up our friends Tom and Scott at the airport. Although I was bummed that Bookis couldn't make it, I was really happy to see Scott again. The last time we were together, we crossed the finish line of the Copper Canyons Ultra in pure magic. Maria came in a couple hours later and we all noisily got together around awesome burgers and beers downtown Austin. We skipped the Monday night mingling session altogether, and convened that we would have an early start Tuesday morning instead.

So today will be a big day. We'll have a group breakfast, attend a conference, go out for a run, come back and freshen up, then set up the Luna / Copper Canyon booth and get ready to meet you all at the Convention Center from 4:00 to 8:00 pm. If you're around, drop by and say hi... we have a great surprise for you there :)

The Running Event 2012 - Sunday

Out on the Green Belt trails in the first morning light

The show hasn't even started yet and I'm having a blast! I went for an early-morning run with UMCB co-director Josue Stephens and world-citizen Zoli Bihari in Austin's Green Belt, a beautiful park right in the center of town. I discovered very beautiful single-track trails and had a raspberry gel for breakfast atop a high boulder overlooking the dried-out riverbed.

We finished up our first 7-miler, headed for a close-by Whole Foods store to get second breakfast, then met more running people and headed down to Luke's Locker, an awesome running store close to the park. Scott Jurek was there to lead a run on some more trails, so we weren't going to miss out on that kinda fun! So we headed out for a second 7-miler :)

Scott was there to give a talk, sign some books and present his awesome new running vest he created for Ultimate Direction, a super light, very minimal pack that holds enormous amounts of liquids (up to 2 liters in the back bladder and 2 additional bottles in the front) and that features clever gel pockets and plenty more room to carry your stuff during long solo runs and ultras.

After the run, we hit downtown Austin for some sushi on a terrace. What an awesome feeling to be outside, on the first week of December, and to enjoy such beautiful, sunny weather. It's a true blessing that I'm really grateful for :)

The event begins tomorrow. I'll be reporting from there on Twitter (@flintportable), so you can follow the show all day long!

Meet Us At The Running Event 2012!

Many of you already know that I work with the Ultra Marathon Caballo Blanco with co-directors Maria Walton and Josue Stephens. A couple weeks ago, we traveled down to the Copper Canyons to visit our friends in the Urique and Batopilas canyons, where we were welcomed with open arms by everyone. It was an emotional experience for all of us and a rare chance to meet outside of the pre-race craziness.

While traveling around, my friend Bookis, Chief Monkey at Luna Sandals, invited the UMCB team to join his crew at The Running Event in Austin, this December 3 to 6. It's a great chance for us to meet runners from everywhere and invite them to join us in Urique in March for a unique celebration.

If you are in the neighborhood, come hang out at the Luna Sandals booth! And if you can't make it, I'll be reporting here from the event every day, and I'll be tweeting live from the show floor :)