Patter - 10 - A couple of run related musings
A shoe for the 'everyday' marathon runner and a couple of Strava Trend Report ponderings...
It’s been a minute — I’m back with a couple thoughts on some things I’ve seen in and around running of late.
A super shoe for normal, everyday marathon runners
On have a 'super shoe' for normal runners coming out next summer — it feels like it will be a big hit. Debuted at The Running Event a couple of weeks ago in Austin, the Cloudboom Max is designed for ‘everyday’ runners; those who get through a marathon in 4-to-5 hours and perhaps aren't having the best time in their built-for-elite-runners-only super shoes.
On’s Head of Product Design told Meta Endurance that the initial insight for the Cloudboom Max came from a marathon weekend in Berlin a few years ago; the team noticed that the average runners in the race were in carbon plated super shoes (I mean, who isn’t?) that seemingly weren’t providing the best support and performance on what is a long long 4 - 5 hour run.
Check out the short interview with Meta Endurance, here — it’s filled with little gems and some technicals, which I’ll save you from here on Substack.
Why I love this?
I love this because it highlights a very deliberate attempt to serve the normal runner; the runner who is perhaps on their first marathon or the runner who doesn’t care for getting faster and faster but wants a medal to say they did the thing.
I’ve spoken previously about, and it's been well documented that the longer tail of running participants are A) a big part of the sport’s current moment in the cultural sun and B) a driver in marathon finish times, en masse, increasing.
The middle-to-back of the pack in a marathon is where you’ll learn the most about what an everyday runner is, what they need and what would make them part with their cash. Simply put, designing and positioning products specific to them is key and something I hope we'll be seeing more of.
And…
Thoughts on things from the annual Strava report
Just two things…
This 18% increase in ‘runs in a group of 10+’ got me thinking about new group running formats. It will be fun to see what new group events and races are cooked up over these next couple of years; while running participation is still so buoyant.
A natural progression - both, socially and in a participation context - is for this growing number of group runners to want to take part in new modes of running with one another.
Think: New road relay race setups or track formats that lend themselves to longer distances for the group.
A focus on rest days and in broader terms, recovery: the further integration of recovery practices, rituals and technology has been notable this year: from Normatec boots to proper growth in sauna-ing and bathing.
The rest day insights from Strava users would pair lovely with some Classpass bookings data to nerdily understand where folks are doing their rest and recovery.
A finding from my own research on the theme of recovery for runners is that there’s a whole opportunity to integrate run and recovery messaging in a more cohesive, holistic and even lifestyle-leaning manner. But if you want to hear or see more on that, you’ll have to drop me an email.
Some links:
A neat Danish women’s running brand, Rytme - here
A good Christmas gift for anyone who loves good, instant coffee and the outdoors - here
Saturdays & POTR (Porter) have done it again - here