RunnerCon 2025 Wrapped
Booths are too boring, On's secret project, surprise brands with low energy, Chinese brands coming hard and someone really got kicked out?!?
Naturally I woke up sick on Sunday. If you aren’t sick after TRE, did you really go? I think each registration should come with a bottle of NyQuil.
I had a director’s treatment due Monday (today, as I write this) so I got home from San Antonio Friday evening, rested with the fam Saturday and then spent all day Sunday and into Monday on a deck.
Now the dust from TRE has settled, here are my notes and musings. Buckle up, it’s a longer one but I’ve broken it up into manageable bits. You may need to click “view entire message” in the email to get the full article on the web.
I self-funded this trip to TRE so please become a paying subscriber to make this content sustainable. I’m trying to avoid a paywall and you can expense it!
Overall the energy was similar to last year (very high) but spread out across more brands, people and square footage on the expo floor. Being a different city/venue is a bit apples-to-oranges but, for me, it did not seem like as big of an energy jump as we saw the last couple years - possibly because the floor just felt less crowded with that new venue. Overall it was still fantastic.
The San Antonio the sites were cool (Alamo) and the Riverwalk made for a centralized running spot but I found my self taking an Uber more often to get around. I definitely prefer Town Lake in Austin for running and less Uber rides would be friendlier on my self-funded budget. I hadn’t been to SA before and it’s a really cool and historic city that played a great host. I’m happy to go back.Every single booth in that room leads with “innovation” and “tech”. It’s the same story everywhere making it a non-story. You are NOT differentiating yourself on tech in that room, sorry but it’s table stakes at this point. Unless you actually have something truly disruptive that is 10x better please refrain and tell me a different story that I’ll actually remember. Exhale.
There are so many perspectives and new lanes being carved out in running. The ven diagram keeps growing. This sport/industry/culture is very healthy and trail seems to be growing at an outsized rate. I heard a stat from my friend and market research guru Steve Holmberg that trail is growing 8-10x faster. Sheesh.
I did not catch wind of any tariff or pricing concerns. It may be there but it was not a major topic like last year. Are we largely past it?
The show felt more international than ever with a lot of big retailers and brands all making the trip to Texas. The official stats said 33 countries and 124 first-time exhibitors compared to 357 TOTAL exhibitors (It didn’t feel that dramatic). The presence of Chinese brands was particularly noticeable - Anta in particular who owns their own Anta brand, Arc-teryx, Salomon and others.. They are a $10B brand, the biggest sportswear brand in China and rank just below Adidas globally. Also Kiprun had a big presence. Owned by Decathlon out France and the largest global sporting good retailer. Overall they are bigger than Anta and Adidas at $17B. These are big brands coming into the space and showing off legit product at affordable price points. The incumbents in the room need to be vigilant. Raz and I discussed this at the show and he wrote about it as well.
Related: the hive mind on the floor was pretty certain that Puma would be bought by Anta making them even bigger.
Mount to Coast Also related: the Mount to Coast booth (out of China) was very busy with a prime location. I loved the H1 and am excited to try their new M1 that combines everything great about the T1 and H1 to create a long-trail shoe - I’m still a trail shoe nerd after all. The product is great but the secret sauce is combining that with cultural storytelling in the US that is better than other Chinese brands. Their booth was creatively setup as an aid station. I love this so much. It tells a story about the brand and provides a POV that a generic booth does not. This trend got me excited . . .
Tantrums founder Adam Copeland and I on the security cam in their Bodega-themed booth. Booths are so lame and boring. The booths at the biotech tradeshows in my early career were the same as TRE. Why so serious? We are more creative than that. Tantrums was back this year to follow up last year’s teenage bedroom concept with a take on a traditional NYC style bodega. They want their packs to be “a bodega on your back”. They when ALL-IN creatively here and it told a story, had a POV and stood out. I went back 3 times because the details were so fun. I felt like the only one writing about their booth last year but I know a lot took notice this year.
Hyperlyte also deserves a nod for 1) beginning to build a solid nutrition business with a level of creativity perhaps lacking across nutrition brands and 2) going conceptual on their booth concept. They found a hospital gurney, skeleton and IV setup to really represent how we feel when we don’t fuel properly, plus it’s a bit metal like the brand. Founder, Emory Atterberry is a great storyteller himself and I listened for a while as he gave me the BTS thought process on their product, business and partnerships. Good stuff. Did you know their scrappy film on Hans Troyer now has 1.7 million views since June? Some much bigger running brand films are getting (checks notes) around 5k views in the same timeframe. Wild.
The female conversation was bigger. A powerful panel of women talked about it while directly facing the BPN booth (who may embody the masculine “bro” vibe more than anyone). Meanwhile I stood there with Cole Townsend and Raziq Rauf and the irony made us giggle. From free tampons in the expo bathrooms to a group run that started from THE 7eleven that sells the morning-after-pill - the female brands made their presence known - in Texas no less. This is Lee Glandorf’s world so I will let her speak to it because nobody does it better. Give her piece a read because while other justified topics in the sport have fallen off (disappointingly) the female conversation appears to be building.
Speaking of justified topics, the minimal diversity and immigration talk was concerning. The energy here has waned from a few years ago no doubt due to the current administration’s threats and corporate fear of their crosshairs. We can collectively do much better and I’d be part of the problem not to point that out.
At On I was able to meet with co-founder Caspar Coppetti and newish Chief Innovation Officer Scott Maguire who joined this past year from Specialized and previously Dyson. In fact, On brought 5-6 people to our meeting where they introduced me to Lightspray CloudMonster 3 Hyper, Cloudsoma and Cloudsurfer 3 - which actually felt very different under my foot and made me excited to try it. A shout to their apparel line as well as these guys were excited to show it off and you don’t see that enthusiasm often at a footwear brand (it’s nice!). Anyway, while most brands gave me the full product spec rundown, my interests don’t lie in gear reviews. Instead I’d love to talk to the brand about how they integrate innovation into a cultural brand narrative. On’s approach is so interesting in that they exude labs, robots, design and everything Swiss but also incorporate Zendaya in hyper creative world-building. Does anyone else combine these seemingly opposing capabilities so well? It’s the secret sauce.
Related to On, I learned from a contact that they are working with a load of high profile run specialty retailers on a XC spike/trainer as part of a special project called Lane One. I’m super intrigued here so rather than calling it a day with a surface overview I’m going to look into this for its own future newsletter piece. The wheels are in motion. Stay tuned, more to come.
One brand that jumped right into the storytelling conversation with me was Satisfy. I talked with founder Brice Partouche for a bit and, unlike many brands, he didn’t jump to tech me out on the product. He knew I’d want to talk about story and brand because, like them or not, they do it so well. I asked Brice about being the most memed brand and he said he loves it. In fact, he thinks ahead about laying bait for meme accounts when creating campaigns. Pretty brilliant tbh.
Satisfy turned away anyone at the booth without an appointment and this, understandably, caused a lot of scowling around the expo. Talking to Chief Brand Officer, Daniel Groh, they want to control traffic and the experience but are aware of the negative impression and are looking at a more hospitable approach for the future. We’ll see.
There was a wall of the new Torin at the Altra booth. I couldn’t wrap my head around the wording on the shoe. It’s entirely too on the nose if Altra is trying to be “unique”. If you are self-proclaimed “cool” then it is clear that you are not. I don’t know, but this had me scratching my head. I did SO MUCH work for Altra for years and I nodded along at the addition of the 4mm drop shoes. Now, however, I’ve totally lost the plot. I don’t get it but something is apparently working, possibly despite things like this.
Salomon invited me to dinner with sommelier and restauranteur Bobby Stuckey along with a dozen or so of the top journalists in the sport. It was a brilliant time with great company and I am immensely grateful to be included. Gravel is a mindset that fits the brand’s “back to nature” ethos and, despite new road shoes to discuss, the gravel conversation was Salomon’s focus. Much like a good wine that is shaped by the attributes of its environment, they feel gravel running allows the more creative-leaning runner to absorb an environment with the freedom to hit pavement or dirt. Field Mag wrote a piece that goes deep. Salomon have picked this lane and I love it.
Fabrice Perrin is the UTMB Chief of Sports, Communities and Sustainability. We had a coffee together and talked for an hour. UTMB has made missteps and catch heat (I’ve thrown some shade for sure) but this guy works hard and cares. He also juggles two other jobs on top of being a major face for UTMB. His heart is in the right place and he wants to listen and learn. As someone who is in proverbial “rooms” like this and has these conversations I just want the wider trail running community to know that. Cheers Fabrice.
Speaking of throwing shade, I heard one brand that did not exhibit, decided to set a rack up on the floor and got kicked out. That would be wild. Not cool nor respectful. This one is in rumor mill territory so if you can confirm please hit me up.
Friend and pro trail runner Jason Schlarb asked me if I want to see something really different and unique (yes please!) so he took me across the floor to a small booth by Nedao out of Shanghai. They’re an apparel brand doing large volume (10k units) that has been very successful in Asia. The materials and details in their jackets and tights were impressive. The blue jacket integrated a running belt and was designed with features to fit over a running vest both in the front and back of the jacket. The white jacket below was the lightest, thinnest waterproof layer I’ve ever seen and had Jason really excited. He’s worn about everything so that says a lot. This was my under-the-radar apparel brand with potential. Now if they can just nail some branding/storytelling (ahem). This lines up with my earlier point that the brands from China are comin’ up.
Nedao waterproof outer layers
I ran with the Saysky team and it was not a “conversational” pace, especially for a guy who’s been off for the past month with an injury, but I had a great time learning about how patiently they are building their business. They also had some really nice apparel at the booth that I’d wear both running and casually.
Saysky jacket that is part of a full collection in this style.
The top product designers at the top brands are booked solid with appointments every 30 (or 15) minutes, all day, for two straight days. They get very little, if any, time to cruise the show and take in other ideas and inspiration. IMO using these product designers exclusively in a sales role doesn’t seem to be the best use of the company’s time at the show. That being said, on several occasions an external PR person I talked to didn’t know a price or spec, and I was NOT asking difficult questions. If I’m a brand I want to improve this whole situation. See more in the next bullet.
Brands are outsourcing to product design or marketing agencies more than ever. I chatted with a friend at one design agency who felt this was due to bandwidth issues and a fear of accountability within brands. If something goes wrong then you can blame and fire the agency - not your fault! It was their fault! My friend also felt people jump too often between brands while taking credit on their CV for the ideas and work that the agencies have created during their tenure. We talked also about how the overworked internal brand designers are given zero breathing space for creativity so they rely on the external agencies for ideas. This may relate to the previous point about the TRE appointment scheduling.
Other brands with noticable energy: Nike (ACG especially), Norda (055 looks great), Hylo, Diadora, Arc’teryx and as always, Brooks. As you’d expect Nike’s big money sponsorship of Broken Arrow Skyrace was a major topic of convo on the trial side as it’s a big step for the professionalization of trail.
Some that surprised me with lower energy: Bandit and Hoka. Bandit was not taking on retailers yet had a great spot in the middle of the room. Hoka were on the back wall and bit more hidden. Location, location, location people. I did hear that the 361 booth was supposed to be where Bandit was but unbeknownst to them they were moved. Hmmmmm.
KAIRONIC was very popular and I had people stopping me to get one which was very validating for Issue 001. I sold/seeded about 50 issues and like a bozo I didn’t take a single photo of them (fail). One person bought 5 of them to pass out to people himself. I also think we may have our first wholesale account! The Auteur Sportif presence was one of my reasons for being there but not my main reason, yet. There’s a new product on its way from the factory right now and I’m deep in designing a new website as we speak. Jump on the email to be in the loop.
Please also read what Raz, Cole, Lee, and Allison each wrote from their various perspectives on the firehose of activity at TRE. There is a camaraderie among the substackers and really most entrepreneurial people in that room that I cherish greatly. It makes me feel so seen and understood. Thank you to everyone that supports each other in that ambiguous group.
Here’s the bigger picture: This event is moving beyond a retailer show. Is it a bad thing? I don’t think so. The brands ultimately fund the show but the reason they come is for the retailers attention. If the retailers are too distracted with other things does that lose value? I asked some top retailers and brands but both said they are coming for a whole host of reasons that have value beyond actually buying/selling. The atmosphere at this show is starting to give off ComplexCon festival-style energy and I’m here for it. What if attendance were opened to the public for a day? What effect would that have? Would it risk flying too close to the sun? Or does not evolving the show also risk it fizzling out? I’m sure they are but it’s important for the organizers to be thinking years ahead here to keep the excitement going. I’m so happy to have been here for this glow up.
Well, if all of that was exhausting enough, it’s only a fraction of the conversation and interaction at the actual show. I’m exhausted yet energized because I love all of this stuff. Take a deep breath and I hope to see you next year at RunnerCon 2026.
As always hit me with your take aways and comments. Let’s keep the conversation going.
I self-funded this trip to TRE so please become a paying subscriber to make this work sustainable. I’m trying to avoid a paywall and you can expense it!
Thank you!
laughing because i am definitely sick right now too. hope you feel better soon!
What’s up fam! Thanks for the love. The origin of the booth’s concept comes from streetwear and walking out of TRE this year I told myself to go to Complexcon to be inspired for 2026. So our thinking is aligned.
Great to see you and can’t wait to see you out and about in ‘26!!