Team Soft Star Heads to the Hills
Admin note: if you haven’t done so already, be sure to enter the two giveaway contests currently underway, for the New Balance Minimus Zero Trail, and the GU Energy sampler packs. Winners of both contests will be announced Saturday night, but not until late, because …
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It’s race season! Somewhere in the midst of all those training miles, winter turned to spring – and spring brings with it the first major tests of the year. I have two of them coming up in short succession, beginning with a 50-miler on Saturday in the Sierra foothills.
That’s why I was excited to see the following box arrive last week:
Team Soft Star gear! Actually, the brown slippers aren’t part of my sponsorship deal – they’re a replacement pair of insanely comfortable Roo slippers that my wife forced me to buy, because apparently after nearly three years of wearing a pair almost every single day (usually without socks) they start to develop an odor. Or something like that.
As for the swag: the gray piece on the right is the first-of-its kind Team Soft Star jacket! Last year I did two ultras in pouring rain, so I didn’t get to “flash the logo” nearly as often as I wanted to – so the company responded by springing for a jacket I can wear in similar race conditions this year. Predictably, the weather for tomorrow’s race is supposed to be in the 90s, so I suspect the jacket may wait for another day.
The other item, of course, is a race-ready pair of original RunAmoc Lites, which will most likely be my gear of choice for big events throughout the racing season. There’s nothing like the smell of new leather and the feel of a freshly knobbed outsole to get me excited about trail running.
And if you’re wondering about the paper in the background:
Here’s what distinguishes companies like Soft Star and guys like me from the big-name players in ultrarunning. Real athletes are sponsored by companies like Montrail and The North Face, and have shoes named after them or glossy ad campaigns built around them. I get a handwritten good luck card from a workshop of Elves – and honestly, I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Get updates as soon as they're posted! Click here to subscribe to Running and Rambling.
Check out the Running Life book for a collection of our most popular columns.
**
It’s race season! Somewhere in the midst of all those training miles, winter turned to spring – and spring brings with it the first major tests of the year. I have two of them coming up in short succession, beginning with a 50-miler on Saturday in the Sierra foothills.
That’s why I was excited to see the following box arrive last week:
Team Soft Star gear! Actually, the brown slippers aren’t part of my sponsorship deal – they’re a replacement pair of insanely comfortable Roo slippers that my wife forced me to buy, because apparently after nearly three years of wearing a pair almost every single day (usually without socks) they start to develop an odor. Or something like that.
As for the swag: the gray piece on the right is the first-of-its kind Team Soft Star jacket! Last year I did two ultras in pouring rain, so I didn’t get to “flash the logo” nearly as often as I wanted to – so the company responded by springing for a jacket I can wear in similar race conditions this year. Predictably, the weather for tomorrow’s race is supposed to be in the 90s, so I suspect the jacket may wait for another day.
The other item, of course, is a race-ready pair of original RunAmoc Lites, which will most likely be my gear of choice for big events throughout the racing season. There’s nothing like the smell of new leather and the feel of a freshly knobbed outsole to get me excited about trail running.
And if you’re wondering about the paper in the background:
Here’s what distinguishes companies like Soft Star and guys like me from the big-name players in ultrarunning. Real athletes are sponsored by companies like Montrail and The North Face, and have shoes named after them or glossy ad campaigns built around them. I get a handwritten good luck card from a workshop of Elves – and honestly, I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Get updates as soon as they're posted! Click here to subscribe to Running and Rambling.
Check out the Running Life book for a collection of our most popular columns.
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