Running Insight 7.15.17

THE NEWSMAGAZINE FOR RUNNING SPECIALTY RETAILERS / RUNNINGINSIGHT.COM

BOOK EXCERPT

YOUR BEST STRIDE JACKRABBIT OWNERS ON THE PROWL PODCAST TIPS FOR RETAILERS NEW RUN SHOPS OPENING

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The Myth of

MAGIC SHOES

BEWARE THE MYSTICAL BEAST

BY JONATHAN BEVERLY Excerpted with permission from Runner’s World Your Best Stride (Rodale 2017).

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oth the traditional running shoe model and the minimalist model failed by encouraging the myth of magic shoes. For years, we were told that if we found the right shoe—one that supported our weaknesses and matched our mechanics—we would stride better, avoid injury, and run faster. Minimalism pointed out the errors of these claims, but it fell for a different brand of magic. The minimalists claimed that simply switching our overbuilt shoes for minimal models would automatically make us change our strides to a better, more natural style, thus helping us to avoid injury and run faster.

“Footwear is this mystical beast that has been given far more credit than it deserves,” says Simon Bartold, podiatrist, biomechanics researcher, and consultant for Salomon. “The problem with running has got nothing to do with footwear.” Runners get injured, Bartold says, because of repetitive stress. Training overwhelmingly accounts for both injury and running improvement.

That said, everyone agrees that shoes do have RUNNING INSIGHT® is a registered trademark of Formula4Media, LLC. © 2017 all rights reserved.

Running Insight is published twice each month, is edited for owners and top executives at running specialty stores and available only via email.The opinions by authors and contributors to Running Insight are not necessarily those of the editors or publishers. Articles appearing in Running Insight may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express permission of the publisher. Formula4Media, LLC, P.O. Box 23-1318, Great Neck, NY 11023. Tel: 516-305-4709.

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The Myth of the Magic Shoes (continued) “I think pronation has been given a very bad rap, It is just a movement, and it is a normal movement, and it is a very essential movement.”

Simon Bartold Podiatrist, Biomechanics Researcher

“Pronation is a natural movement of the foot and excessive pronation is a very rare phenomenon.”

Benno Nigg Biomechanics Researcher

“Everyone should be in cushion neutral or below.”

Rob Conenello, Podiatrist

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a large impact on the runner and the running stride. Which is why, besides the influence of marketing, the myths persist. The question of what shoes can and cannot do and how to find the right ones for you could be the topic of its own book. Here, let’s look briefly at what we seem to know now and what is important to pay attention to if you’re working to improve your stride.

Pervasive Pronationism The driving idea at the center of shoe design and prescription for most of running shoe history has been the belief that overpronation—the foot rotating too far inward—is a sign of a poor stride, a cause of injury, and something the shoe should protect against. The pervasiveness of this idea has culminated in what Bartold calls “pronation-ism.” A runner goes to a shoe store or podiatrist and comes home devastated. “Oh my god, I’ve just been told I’m an overpronator and my world has ended,” Bartold jokes—a joke with a bite because it is so close to the truth. I’ve encountered runners, from ages 12 to 70, who have been told they need motion control and consider it a diagnosis, a lifetime sentence to wearing heavy, stiff, controlling shoes.

Despite this persistent emphasis, neither science nor experience has confirmed the connection between pronation and injury. “I think pronation has been given a very bad rap,” Bartold says. “It is just a movement, and it is a normal movement, and it is a very essential movement.”

Everyone pronates. Some pronate more than others. We can measure the angle of pronation, Bartold explains, but we don’t know how much is too much. “We’ve had this suggestion that somehow we were able to identify what was overpronation,” Bartold says. The truth is that some people pronate quite heavily without any ill effects. “Everybody has an envelope of function— we all work in that envelope. For some people it is very narrow; for some, it is wide.”

Benno Nigg, one of the world’s most respected biomechanics researchers, now retired, agrees, despite most of a lifetime trying to prove otherwise. “When I got into the field, there was never a question that pronation was a major thing,” Nigg says. “The only thing I wanted to do was provide proof that it was a bad thing.”

Over 50 years of studying shoes and runners, however, he failed to find the direct connection between pronation and injury. “The injuries didn’t reduce over the 50 years,” Nigg says.

“The instances [were] about the same.”

In a 2015 article in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, Nigg wrote, “It is difficult to find supporting evidence that foot pronation (eversion) is a strong predictor of injury.” He wrote, in his 2010 book, Biomechanics of Sports Shoes, “Pronation is a natural movement of the foot and ‘excessive pronation’ is a very rare phenomenon. Shoe developers, shoe stores, and medical centers should not be too concerned about ‘pronation’ and ‘overpronation.’”

The first danger comes when runners are put in a heavy, stiff motion-control shoe just because of the extent of their pronation, without concern for whether or not that pronation is stressful to their system. Experts agree that the majority of people do not need the level of support they’ve been wearing.

“Everyone should be in cushion neutral or below,” says podiatrist Rob Conenello. Bartold estimates that serious motion-control shoes are necessary for no more than 1 in 1,000 runners.

“Most runners simply don’t need that kind of stability,” he says. Martyn Shorten, head of the research lab BioMechanica, estimates that only 10 percent of runners need any kind of stability in their shoe at all.

Shoes Can’t Correct You Not only do we not know what level of pronation requires support, but the methods typically used to try to control motion are suspect.

“You can’t control motion,” Bartold states.

“Science tells us that you can put all this stuff in a shoe and make it very stiff, with motion control, and if you have a foot that pronates, it will pronate very nicely inside that shoe. The whole concept that you can build a shoe that is going to control pronation is fatally flawed.”

Once again, Nigg agrees. “The degree to which a change in shoe construction can affect total foot or ankle joint eversion [inward twisting] is small and not relevant,” he says. Nigg goes on to say that these “control” devices are not only ineffective but counterproductive. He returns to the idea that each person’s body finds a preferred © 2017 Formula4media LLC.

The Myth of the Magic Shoes (continued)

We shouldn’t look to shoes and think they will make up for stride weaknesses.

PICK UP A COPY OF RUNNER’S WORLD YOUR BEST STRIDE for more expert opinions on shoes, including where minimalism overpromised, what matters most in shoe choice and how the specialty retailer can best assist in this process.

movement path to minimize effort around its specific parameters.

“If you put people in a shoe, they have a preferred moving path, the path of least resistance, where energy demands are at their lowest,” Nigg says. When I tell him about my results in experimenting with wearable stride monitors and finding that my metrics stayed fairly consistent in a wide variety of shoes, from racing flats to Hokas, he is not at all surprised. “If you put all these gadgets on, they just show you that you are running in the Jonathan style, and the shoe doesn’t make a big difference,” he says.

“If you start to fiddle around and control movements,” Nigg says, “These elements may want to throw you out of your preferred movement paths. That means your muscles work against that, and that costs energy. That’s not desirable.”

It is easy to accept this analysis if the shoe is messing with our natural gait, like being too stiff to let our toes flex, but our pronationism makes us think that controlling excessive inward rolling is necessary. Nigg disagrees. “Let’s take a person who is heavily pronated,” Nigg says. “If you put that person back into straight alignment, that costs energy. They want to pronate, then their muscles have to do something against that, and that certainly is not advantageous.”

While Shorten agrees that “most stability features don’t work,” he is “not ready to throw out the baby with the bathwater.” He explains that while science can’t very well measure what is happening within a control shoe—and scientists don’t even agree on what exactly pronation or

overpronation is—in practice, out on the roads, support shoes work for many people, relieving symptoms and allowing them to run comfortably.

A 2016 study by the Luxembourg Institute of Health confirmed that people with pronated feet showed a lower risk of injury while wearing motion-control shoes. “Some people need a [Brooks] Adrenaline,” Shorten says. He agrees, however, that probably far fewer need a stability shoe than think they do.

The bottom line is that if we want to run better, either to avoid injury or run faster, we shouldn’t look to shoes and think they will make up for stride weaknesses. This type of thinking leads to such fallacies as believing you need more shoe because you’re increasing your mileage or training for a marathon—thinking that with added stress you’ll need more support. Bartold thinks the opposite: “If you’re marathon training, you’re probably going to lose weight, improve your technique. You’re probably going to need less shoe as you go along.” If your stride is falling apart due to excessive fatigue from your marathon training, the shoe isn’t going to prevent you from getting injured—you need to look instead at your training and timing.

Some might argue that a clunky shoe is a small price to pay for protection. But science and years of experience show that the perceived protection is false. “It’s a choice borne out of fear, and the fear is not reality—it is probably the opposite of reality,” Bartold says. “At the end of the day, in the sport of running, the less shoe you have is better.” n

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EVERY RUNNER WANTS A SMOOTH, light, powerful, and resilient stride. But there isn’t one ideal form all runners should try to emulate. Instead, research and experience show that people can run effectively in a wide variety of patterns with some universal elements. Runner’s World Your Best Stride distills the expertise of physical therapists, podiatrists, biomechanics researchers, and coaches to reveal in runnerfriendly terms how you can apply these principles to improve your running performance, avoid injury, and enhance your enjoyment on the run.

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New JackRabbit Parent On the Prowl in Key Markets

CriticalPoint, the owner of JackRabbit, is looking to bolster its position.

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riticalPoint Capital, which acquired the JackRabbit running stores from Finish Line earlier this year, is seeking further acquisitions.

The private equity firm has reached out to running store owners in markets where it already has stores, apparently looking to bolster its position in areas such as Kansas City, Michigan and New England.

Store owners told Running Insight they received unsolicited phone calls from CriticalPoint executives asking if they were interested in selling

their stores. Store owners were told if they were interested that the next step would be signing a non-disclosure agreement and then providing financial information.

In Kansas City, JackRabbit owns the Garry Gribble’s Running Sports and in Michigan, it purchased the Running Fit stores in 2014. Critical Point owns about 65 stores in total. The stores operate under a variety of nameplates including: The Running Company, Run On!, Blue Mile, Boulder Running Company, Bob Roncker’s Running Spot, Running Fit, VA Runner, Capital RunWalk, Richmond RoadRunner, Garry Gribble’s Running Sports, Run Colorado, Raleigh Running Outfitters, Striders and Indiana Running Company.

CriticalPoint plans to convert almost all of its stores to the JackRabbit nameplate starting with stores on the East Coast and that process is already under way.

At least two store owners contacted by CriticalPoint said they attempted to “flip the script” with the private equity company, saying that they were not interested in selling but would like to buy the stores JackRabbit owns in their markets. n

© 2017 Formula4media LLC.

Fleet Feet Sports Opens Its Newest Franchise Location in Columbia, MO

Retail News Mike Rouse Opening Specialty Run Shop, Run Texas, in Frisco

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hirty-year industry veteran and 258-time marathon finisher Mike Rouse is opening a specialty run shop, Run Texas, in Frisco, TX. The store will feature 1,200 square feet of retail space and will open with a wide assortment of brands including On Running, Brooks, HOKA and New Balance. Rouse has also broadened his selection to include brands like Chaser and Handful as well as Run Texas branded apparel.

In addition to curating an eclectic mix of run apparel and footwear, Run Texas will be home to weekly run groups, demo

nights with the shop’s top brands, training groups around the Dallas Marathon and other large races, and will offer exclusive, one-on-one coaching programs designed and run by Rouse.

The grand opening event, planned for Saturday, July 15th, includes shoe demos and raffle prizes from over a dozen of the shop’s major brands and food and drinks provided by The Frisco Bar. A highlight of the day will be a special appearance by The Voice of IRONMAN himself, Mike Reilly. Activities and sales will run until 6:00 pm that evening and are open to the public. n

The Runner’s Hub in Clarksville, TN, Now a Fleet Feet Franchise

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he Runner’s Hub in Clarksville, TN, will become a Fleet Feet Sports franchise location effective immediately.

Husband-and-wife co-owners Sara and Travis Esterby will remain co-owners of the store, which they first opened in 2012.

Travis Esterby remains active duty military and logs between 60 and 70 miles a week while training for upcoming ultra marathons. Sara Esterby works as the general manager of the store, overseeing

all day-to-day operations, and enjoys training for and running half-marathons.

The Esterbys have two children— daughter Aubrey, 11, and newborn son Atlas, five months.

With the addition of the Clarksville location, Fleet Feet Sports now has a total of 11 locations in Tennessee: one each in Chattanooga, Hendersonville, Kingsport, Knoxville, Memphis, Collierville, Mount Juliet, Murfreesboro, and two each in the Nashville area. n

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ancy Yaeger, an accomplished running and triathlon coach and previous general manager of the Ultramax Sports location in Columbia, is the owner of Fleet Feet’s new Columbia, MO location, which opened July 13 at 505 East Nifong Blvd.

“Nancy’s passion for running, retail, and community is infectious,” says Robyn Goby, VP of development for Fleet Feet Sports. “She’s a high-caliber, goal-oriented leader who believes in the power of running to change lives, build friendships, and improve entire communities.

That’s exactly what makes a great owner, and that’s exactly why we’re so excited to have her become a part of the Fleet Feet Sports brand.”

A USAT Level 1 certified coach, Yaeger serves as the current cross country coach at Stephens College, and belongs to both the Columbia Track Club and the Columbia Multi-Sport Club. She and her husband Karlin have two children, Sidney and Powell. n

New Balance won the Channel Champion Award at the Fleet Feet Sports Conference in North Carolina last month.

Pictured, left to right, back row: Ben Cooke, FFS, VP, Retail Operations; Kevin Adams, NB Channel Manager – Running Specialty; Kevin McHale, NB Brand Manager, FFS; Peter Breeze, NB Sr. Merchandising Manager, Global Footwear; Sean McKeon, NB Eastern Area Sales Manager – Running Specialty; and left to right, front row: Dave Shelbourne, NB Sr. Channel Manager – Running Specialty; Chris Pallardy, NB Sr. Merchandising Manager, Global Apparel; Joey Pointer, FFS, CEO; Brent Hollowell, FFS, VP, Marketing & Vendor Relations.

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ON AIR PODCASTS

How Podcasts Can Help Running Stores

AMPLIFY THEIR VOICE

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Practical Tips for Entering the Podcast Game

BY DANIEL P. SMITH

ack in April 2015, Chris Farley, owner of the Washington, D.C.based Pacers Running chain, took a chance.

Along with his college teammate William Docs and Pacers D.C. manager Joanna Russo, Farley launched the Pace the Nation podcast.

“There’s so much noise out there and we wanted to cut through that and offer a unique voice, something local and authentic,” Farley says.

In the nearly two years since Pace the Nation’s debut, the Pacers trio has published nearly 100 podcasts, corralling about 1,000 listeners each week. The effort has given Pacers another avenue to form relationships and build community while heightening brand awareness, particularly important accomplishments as the company has grown to five stores in the D.C. area with an additional unit in Princeton, NJ. Though podcasts are certainly rare among running stores, Pacers isn’t alone.

Craig Segal, co-owner of Runner’s High in Freehold, NJ, partnered with his college teammate, online

running coach Marc Pelerin, last summer to launch Out and Back with Marc and Craig.

“This is a way to provide added value and something the running geek or fitness enthusiast can relate to,” Segal says of his two-man podcast.

While neither Farley nor Segal say their podcasts have pushed a slew of new customers through their respective doors, both owners view the audio effort as an important part of their marketing mix and another vehicle to engage current as well as prospective customers.

“You can’t just open up a store on Main Street and expect people to shop,” says Farley, who recently constructed a podcast studio at Pacers’ Clarendon location. “You need next-level differentiation. You have to be where they are and talk to people the way they want to be talked to in today’s on-demand economy.”

Segal, meanwhile, calls his podcast a “branding initiative” for Runner’s High.

“It’s all about being out there and being vocal,” he says. “This is another way to promote the store and get in front of customers.”

For those running stores interested in entering the

At left: The podcast team of Joanna Russo and Chris Farley. At right: William Docs, Joanna Russo, Matt Centrowitz Sr, Matthew Centrowitz Jr and Chris Farley.

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ON AIR PODCASTS

Podcasts (continued) podcast game, the Pace the Nation crew and Segal offer these practical tips:

PODCASTS FOR THE RUNNING RETAILER Sports Insight Extra hats with movers and shakers in the running and fitness industries sportsinsightextra.com CLICK TO LISTEN

RunnersConnect tips and tricks from leading racers, researchers and coaches runnersconnect.net CLICK TO LISTEN

The Gait Guys two experienced clinicians sharing noteworthy developments in biomechanics and related fields thegaitguys.com CLICK TO LISTEN

The Running Lifestyle Show a mix of inspiration and expert advice to fuel healthy living therunninglifestyle.com CLICK TO LISTEN

Another Mother Runner a female-centric podcast for women who run anothermotherrunner.com CLICK TO LISTEN

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Consistency is key Much like other digital marketing efforts, Segal calls consistency paramount to podcasting success.

The more often you’re out there, the more people expect it to be there,” says Segal, who aims to release a new podcast each week.

Similarly, the Pace the Nation team has a self-imposed deadline to publish a professional product every Monday morning.

“It’s important to have a rhythm and routine,” Farley says.

Create structure Each Pace the Nation show largely follows the same format: intro, a guest interview and conclusion. Farley fills the role as host, setting each show’s agenda and keeping things on point, while Russo provides “the voice of reason” and Docs, who produces and edits the show, fires off one-liners and “plays dumb” so Farley and Russo can share necessary information.

“It took a while to find ourselves,” Docs admits, “but we’re in a groove now and have a cohesive show.”

Honor thy audience’s time Having structure to the show, which Segal accomplishes by creating show topics ahead of time, helps he and Pelerin stay on point and provide value to listeners. Their shows often run 30 minutes, which Segal calls the “sweet spot” given most commute times.

Farley, too, champions a succinct and welledited show.

“Sometimes,” he says, “less is more.”

Listen to the listeners The Pace the Nation crew monitors listener feedback on social media, which Russo considers central to building an audience.

“After all, you’re not making the show for you, but rather for your listeners,” she says.

To wit: Farley, Russo and Docs initially envisioned Pace the Nation as a behind-thescenes look into the running store featuring discussions about shoes, products and training.

While running discussion certainly blankets the show, the trio embraces a broader slice-of-life

approach with topics ranging from the trials and tribulations of dog ownership to parenting struggles and Uber rides.“And it’s these personal behind-the-scenes stories that people latch onto,” Farley says.

Invited guests Guests add rich perspective to a podcast and help ensure each show stands on its own.

Pace the Nation’s guests have included local folks and national stars such as Olympic 1500-meter champion Matthew Centrowitz and Suzy Favor Hamilton, who openly discussed her struggles with mental illness. One of the most downloaded podcasts, meanwhile, was CNN reporter Tom Foreman discussing his running, but also his reporting from war zones.

About two-thirds of Segal and Pelerin’s podcasts include guests, too, ranging from local health and wellness practitioners to authors and elite runners. One of the show’s most popular programs featured the coach of a prominent New Jersey high school program.

“When you get people from the community on the show, they definitely help spread the word,” Segal says.

Invest in audio equipment Farley calls sound quality “huge.”

“You might only have one shot to earn a listener and poor sound quality can push them elsewhere,” he says.

To that point, Pacers has invested in some higher-quality microphones, a soundboard to adjust levels and software to record and edit audio.

Segal, too, invested in some “better microphones” for his podcast, which he and Pelerin actually record through Skype.

The equipment, however, is a relatively modest expense, Farley says.

“The real investment is time and showing up every week,” he says.

Interested? Then, get going.

For months, Segal admits he hesitated to launch his podcast with Pelerin, concerned he would be investing precious time and energy into a potentially fruitless effort.

“But if I never did it, then I would never know the results,” he says. “You can’t let the potential of failure stop you.” n © 2017 Formula4media LLC.

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he Polar Booth was a hub of activity at The AJC Peachtree Road Race expo earlier this month. Polar hosted a number of world class runners and was part of a 48 hour treadmill run from July 1 to 3, along with Athlios, Woodway Treadmills and Atlanta Track Club to raise money to resurface the 1996 Olympic warm up track for the Atlanta running community.

Dan O’Brien, the 1996 Olympic Decathlete, started the event by giving the runners the command and the starter’s horn was sounded. The event was streamed live over the internet with the local NBC network utilizing the feed for their own broadcast.

Polar supplied its H7 Bluetooth heart rate transmitters; Athlios provided technical data from the treadmills to a large screen and Woodway provided treadmills The Treadmill run featured two teams: Stars versus Stripes. More than 100 runners participated and 300 miles were covered by each team.

Among the elite runners that participated were: Bernard Lagat, Neely Spence Gracey, Shalane Flanagan, Jordan Hasay and Gail Devers.

Polar partnered with Big Peach Running Company. Polar highlighted its M430, which provides GPS and optical heart rate off the wrist. Polar provided the M430 to its elite runners and triathletes. Camille Herron won Comrades with the M430 and Tim Don also wore the M430 as he set an Ironman record. n

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© 2017 Formula4media LLC.

Introducing

ALBERT The Revolutionary 3D Foot Scanner

Aetrex is bringing consumers back into stores with the launch of Albert, the revolutionary 3D foot scanner that creates a memorable in-store experience that no e-commerce site can match. Featuring over 5,000 sensors, 960 infrared LED’s and 18 digital cameras, Albert captures unparalleled data about your customers’ feet, enabling smarter footwear and orthotic buying decisions.

Working in tandem with Aetrex’s Lynco orthotic line, Albert is tied to a unique business model that offers tremendous impact to your bottom line and proven consumer benefits.

Visit the Aetrex Technology booth this summer to demo Albert Summer Outdoor Retailer, Booth# 32179, July 26-29, 2017 FN Platform, Booth# 82424, August 14-16, 2017

HydraPak’s Water World

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ixteen years after its founding as Bell Sports’ first pack line under the Blackburn brand name and later pioneering the soft flask, HydraPak finds itself in an enviable position. Hydration awareness is trending the world over as consumers look for both clean, safe drinking water and ways to avoid disposable bottles to drink it from.

Also, consumers today are willing to pay more for their hydration vessels.

“The five-dollar bicycle water bottle has been replaced by a $12 insulated bottle. And the $10 plastic outdoor bottle has been replaced by a $20-30 stainless steel, insulated one,” says Matthew Lyon,

To learn more about HydraPak and the hydration market, listen to a Sports Insight Extra podcast with Matthew Lyon here: sportsinsightextra.com/podcast.html

president and CEO of the Oakland company, which is an OEM supplier to a multitude of brands, including The North Face, Quiksilver, Nathan, Scott, and marketer of its own brand.

“The challenge for us,” says Lyon, a Stanford MBA and former investment banker, “is to come with unique products that compete with our OE customers.”

For the last two years, HydraPak has been working with specialty retailers in the biking, running and outdoor segments on flexible bottles and water storage devices, and online via its own website and Amazon. – Bob McGee Click the podacst link above for an extended interview with HydraPak’s Matthew Lyon.

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© 2017 Formula4media LLC.

Running Shorts Salomon S/Lab Sense Ultra 2

Hitting the Trail for Salomon in Spring 2018

Salomon is refining its popular trail running shoes for Spring 2018.

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The new XA Elevate ($130) is the next generation of the brand’s popular XA franchise.

The Spring ’18 style (pictured on the cover of this issue)

offers forefoot flex to go with Salomon’s Advanced Chassis, which has a supportive heel for control on technical terrain. The dual-density EVA and Energycell+ midsole is lightweight, durable and energy-returning. The shoe has an 8mm midsole drop and a decoupled Profeel Film rock plate that protects the forefoot. Premium Wet Traction Contragrip adorns the XA Elevate’s outsole with Salomon’s grippiest rubber compound.

Also coming in Spring ’18 is the S/Lab Sense Ultra 2

($180). Built for ultrarunners, it is designed in collaboration with Salomon athlete and two-time UTMB winner Françoise D’haene. S/Lab Sense Ultra 2 is the next iteration of the 2017 Sense Ultra, the brand’s top-selling S/Lab product of all time.

Sense Ultra 2 has a dualdensity EVA midsole with an EnergySave (PU) insert in the forefoot for cushioning and durability. External Sensifit wings offer fit customization to accommodate feet that swell over the course of an ultra endurance run.

© 2017 Formula4media LLC.

Running Shorts (continued) IRONMAN and COMPRESSPORT Announce Partnership

361 and Roots Running

2XU Opens New NA HQ

Performance sports apparel company 2XU has opened a North American headquarters in Santa Monica. In recent months, 2XU has expanded its U.S. team by hiring 12 new

361 Degrees USA has signed a multi-year partnership agreement with Roots Running Project. 361 Degrees will be the club’s supplier of performance footwear and apparel. The elite running team will be rebranded as Roots Running Project Powered by 361 Degrees.

“361 Degrees is very excited to be partnering with Roots Running Project. Dr. Hansen has built and is developing an impressive young team of runners.” said Jim Monahan,

President of 361 Degrees USA. Roots Running Project Powered by 361 Degrees is based in Boulder, Colorado and coached by Dr. Richard Hansen, DC. The squad is led by 2016 Olympic Trials qualifier Alia Gray, who recently finished tenth in the 10,000 meters final at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Joining Gray are Molly Grabill (5time NCAA Division I AllAmerican), Katie McMenamin (2016 NCAA Division III 1500m National Champion), Willie Milam (18th place, USATF Club Cross Country Championships), Andy Phillips (3:43, 1500m), Margaret Connelly (16:08, 5,000m), and Brian Llamas (3:48, 1500m). n

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COMPRESSPORT has been announced as the Official Compression Partner of the IRONMAN North American Series for the 2017 and 2018 seasons. The North America partnership is an expansion on the current partnership between IRONMAN and COMPRESSPORT for the IRONMAN European Series.

As part of the partnership, co-branded IRONMAN by COMPRESSPORT licensed products have been created.

These products feature the latest compression technology innovations and exclusive designs.

employees based in its new Santa Monica office and has 11 more positions to fill. To apply for a position, email careers. usa@2xu.com.

2XU opens North American Headquarters in Santa Monica

THE RUNNING EVENT 2017

THE CONFERENCE & TRADE SHOW FOR RUNNING RETAILERS

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