Altra Footwear has signed on as the exclusive footwear sponsor of the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run, the the world’s oldest 100-mile trail run held each June in Squaw Valley, CA. Altra is also the sponsor of the Altra 6K Uphill Challenge, beginning at the Western States start line and ending at High Camp.
The Challenge takes place at 10 a.m. on Friday, June 24 and is free and open to all.
“Over the course of the past several months, we talked to several footwear companies about their vision for a partnership with our Run,” Western States 100 President John Medinger said. “It became increasingly apparent, in our discussions with Altra Footwear Co-Founders Jeremy Howlett and Brian Beckstead, that Altra has a compelling vision for a partnership that we feel will immensely benefit our Run, the runners who come from across the globe to run our race, and the Western States community of friends and volunteers who have an incredible personal investment in what we do.
“Altra is a company that is clearly on a rapid and exciting trajectory. They are a company of high ethical grounding that appeals to all ability levels. And, they have a keen eye for where the sport is headed. They really do ‘get’ what we stand for as an organization, and they’ve made it very clear that our partnership will not only benefit our Run, but the sport in general.
“We are incredibly pleased to announce this partnership.” Altra, which is located in Utah, traces its roots back to the work of founder Golden Harper, Beckstead and Howlett, who began experimenting with a better performing shoe which they named “ZeroDrop” the name refers to the lack of differential between the shoe’s heel and forefoot area. The shoe is also known for its distinctive FootShape toebox instead of the constrictive V-shaped toe box of virtually every other brand of running shoes.
“Altra Running and Western States Endurance Run are a natural combination, because we are both true pioneers in our respective fields,” said Brian Beckstead, Altra co-founder and VP of sales. “Western States invented the ultra-running race with the first ever 100-mile race in 1974. Altra pioneered running shoe design with a roomy foot-shaped toe box and a zero drop platform.”
Altra’s first and only product in their first line of shoes won “Best Debut” by Runner’s World in March 2012 and “Editor’s Pick for Most Innovative” by Competitor magazine in September 2011.
When the line expanded to trail running shoes, the Altra Lone Peak was named “Editor’s Choice” by Runner’s World. Most recently, in Spring 2015, the Altra Superior 2.0 trail shoe won Editor’s Choice from both Runner’s World and Trail Runner. In Fall 2015, Altra Lone Peak Neoshell won “Best Weatherproof” from Competitor magazine, “Best Trail Running Shoes of 2015” from Men’s Journal and was selected for the Summer Gear Guide by Outside magazine. The shoe’s unique foot-shaped toe box was an immediate hit with the ultra-running community, who necessarily spend continuous hours on their feet.
At the 2015 Western States 100, Altra shot to third place in the official shoe count at 16 percent of all finishers and 16 percent of all sub-24 finishers. In just a little more than 4 years, Altra has catapulted to the third largest trail shoe brand in the Run Specialty channel and now has 3 of the top 10 selling shoes in the industry, according to independent point-of-sales data.
“Ultra runners really appreciate Altra’s FootShape Toebox. It allows your toes to spread out which provides a relaxing comfortable place for your feet to be and provides a stable base over rocky terrain. At Mile 87 it’s particularly effective!” said Beckstead, who completed UTMB, Ultra Trail Mount Blanc in August in Chamonix, then two weeks later ran the Wasatch 100 in less than 30 hours.
The Western States 100-Mile Endurance run, first held in 1974, is the world’s oldest 100-mile trail run. Held on the last weekend in June in Squaw Valley, CA, Western States brings together runners from around the globe and from all 50 states for what is considered the world’s most competitive 100-mile race.
