New Katie Schide interviews, Hayden's fueling, trail running vs surf culture, more David Roche science, Candice is back, Amelia presses pause, a Grand Teton FKT, and the livestreams to watch this week
Thanks for sharing the MoB article comparing trail running to surfing in the discussion about Ambush Marketing. I worked in the surfing industry during the glory days, in the early 2000s, when it burned hot and was in the zeitgeist. It was a wild time, and it was all about growth (plus a lot of partying and breaking things). At the same time, many bemoaned that surfing had already lost its way, that the big brands had sold out, and there was no longer any soul. Specialty retailers were hoping for upstart brands that didn't dilute their equity by selling to Kohls, et al.
The UTMB article reminds me of what it was like to be on the North Shore during the Triple Crown. Each brand had their own house and put on their own events, with their own vibe. It's apples to oranges, but an interesting take nonetheless. When it comes to trail running, we might not be there yet. Because as of today trail running isn't creeping into the culture in the same way that surf/skate bled into the mainstream, infiltrating the malls, magazines, ESPN, and MTV. Trail running hits an older demographic, and while its inspirational, I'm not convinced that the lifestyle is aspirational. At least not in the same way that surfing was. But an interesting comparison, still.
Thanks for the thoughtful comment! Yea, I thought it was an interesting take. I have no personal experience with surf culture, so can't really comment on the comparison, but I've definitely noticed trail running increasing in popularity, especially here in Austin where there are hundreds of running clubs with big groups of 20 and 30 somethings hitting the trail every weekend. To your point, though, it still seems far away from the mainstream and not nearly as ubiquitous as surf or skate culture. Perhaps when a rising pop star writes a song about a trail runner boy (or girl), that's when we'll know we've hit the threshold.
It does seem that trail running has been gaining steam, and sign ups for trail/ultra races have exploded over the years (starting from a small base, of course). And I agree: While some names like Courtney and Kilian and Jim have crossed over, we have yet to see them jump into pop culture in a major way (though apparently the USWNT watched Courtney talk about the pain cave prior to their quest for Gold in Paris).
Thanks for sharing the MoB article comparing trail running to surfing in the discussion about Ambush Marketing. I worked in the surfing industry during the glory days, in the early 2000s, when it burned hot and was in the zeitgeist. It was a wild time, and it was all about growth (plus a lot of partying and breaking things). At the same time, many bemoaned that surfing had already lost its way, that the big brands had sold out, and there was no longer any soul. Specialty retailers were hoping for upstart brands that didn't dilute their equity by selling to Kohls, et al.
The UTMB article reminds me of what it was like to be on the North Shore during the Triple Crown. Each brand had their own house and put on their own events, with their own vibe. It's apples to oranges, but an interesting take nonetheless. When it comes to trail running, we might not be there yet. Because as of today trail running isn't creeping into the culture in the same way that surf/skate bled into the mainstream, infiltrating the malls, magazines, ESPN, and MTV. Trail running hits an older demographic, and while its inspirational, I'm not convinced that the lifestyle is aspirational. At least not in the same way that surfing was. But an interesting comparison, still.
Thanks for the thoughtful comment! Yea, I thought it was an interesting take. I have no personal experience with surf culture, so can't really comment on the comparison, but I've definitely noticed trail running increasing in popularity, especially here in Austin where there are hundreds of running clubs with big groups of 20 and 30 somethings hitting the trail every weekend. To your point, though, it still seems far away from the mainstream and not nearly as ubiquitous as surf or skate culture. Perhaps when a rising pop star writes a song about a trail runner boy (or girl), that's when we'll know we've hit the threshold.
It does seem that trail running has been gaining steam, and sign ups for trail/ultra races have exploded over the years (starting from a small base, of course). And I agree: While some names like Courtney and Kilian and Jim have crossed over, we have yet to see them jump into pop culture in a major way (though apparently the USWNT watched Courtney talk about the pain cave prior to their quest for Gold in Paris).
*also, edit above: "surf industry" not "surfing"