Scoping New Gear at the Boston Marathon
By Thomas J. Ryan The Boston Marathon is more than just a race. It’s an annual gathering for the running industry and numerous brands debut new products at the expo. SGB was onsite to check out the new gear around visibility and recovery, as well as optimizing running mechanics and footwear. Here are some highlights. […]
SGB Editor Picks: Kids Outdoor Gear
Help Your Customers Get Their Kids Outdoors Early And Often With Gear Built Just For Them. By Courtney Holden Keen Encanto Rainboot 365 | $60 This lightweight alternative to heavier rubber boots features a flexible outsole to boost comfort and a waterproof membrane for warmth. The boot’s bungee drawstring replaces laces, so kids can remove without […]
Wild Child: Top Trends in Outdoor Gear For Tots
A push to get youth outside spurs investment in higher quality kids gear. By Courtney Holden Talk to nearly anyone who earns their keep in the outdoor industry and they’ll wax nostalgic about trips camping with their family, fishing with their fathers or playing hide-and-seek with their siblings out in the woods. Whether we call […]
Disneyland for the Outdoor Junkie
Trew offers brand experience through lodging. By Jahla Seppanen Splash Mountain is well and fun, but active lifestyle consumers will more often than not chose a hike and microbrew over Disneyland. And as today’s apparel, footwear and gear brands look to infiltrate deeper in to consumers’ lifestyles, we’re seeing creative marketing campaigns that lend experiences […]
Big City Mountaineers Builds Life Skills Through The Outdoors
‘Kids need to have multi-day expeditions to affect change.’ By David Clucas Think back to your earliest memories outdoors — they’re likely the foundation that brought you to the industry, shaped your respect for the environment and delivered a happier, more active lifestyle. Not every child and teenager gets those early outdoor opportunities. It’s especially […]
Going Ultra
Why elite outdoor brands are rushing to sponsor the most intense ultra races in the world, and whether this trend will last. By Jahla Seppanen Running has never been more popular. Marathon participation is growing, according to 2015 statistics from Running USA, along with half-marathons and their cool cousins including zombie, color and mud runs (non-traditional […]
Movers & Shakers, Week of April 22
All3sports, the Atlanta, GA-based triathlon retailer, transferred ownership from former President Morgan Clark Schnur to athlete and entrepreneur Matt Cole. Blink Fitness, a gym franchise in New York and New Jersey, appointed Dos Condon, formerly at Equinox, to the newly created role of VP of Franchise Operations. CycleBar Studios in Bergen County, NJ, tapped celebrated […]
What Ultrarunners Really Eat
By Jahla Seppanen Jen Benna goes for convenience when it comes to fueling. Her go-to lately is two eggs with asparagus and spinach, scrambled in grass-fed butter like Kerrygold or coconut oil and topped with salsa or hot sauce. Add a slice of sprouted grain toast and she’s ready to lace up. Benna told SGB […]
From Lab Coat To Apron
Active, health-conscious consumers demand nutrition with ingredients they can pronounce. By Jahla Seppanen Hitting a PR, summiting peaks, making gains – no matter the athlete’s goal or gear, their nutrition has to stand up to the challenge. But nutrition is a category always rife with obstacles, summersaulting trends and plenty of competition, experts tell SGB. […]
SGB’s Fast FIVE Nutrition
By Jahla Seppanen Photos courtesy David Clucas Skratch Labs Feed Zone Table Cookbook | $25 As consumers put more emphasis on understanding nutrition, more are making their own grab-and-go meals, even as a social event with running, cycling and hiking groups. Our nutrition product pick that keeps on giving is Skratch Labs’ third Cookbook, Feed […]
Amid Bankruptcies, How Healthy is Active Lifestyle?
The following is an excerpt from our executive analysis publications Sports Executive Weekly and The B.O.S.S. Report. Stay in tune with industry’s top business issues every week by subscribing here. By Tom Ryan and David Clucas The active lifestyle trend has never been hotter. Athleisure remains a top style in apparel and sales of […]
Most Americans Fail To Achieve Basic Healthy Lifestyle Habits
By David Clucas As part of the active lifestyle industry, we look around at our friends and co-workers and think: “Hey! We’re a healthy bunch.” We’re constantly reminded that running, fitness and outdoor participation are all up, and in reporting for this week’s SGB nutrition trend coverage, we’re encouraged to hear brands talking less about […]
Ashley Whittemore, Sports Nutritionist
Boulder, CO-based counselor helps elite athletes, and the rest of us, decide what’s best for our bodies. By Courtney Holden Modern athletes have an abundance of options regarding how they fuel their bodies. Do they opt for a banana or a pressed-fruit bar? Gel pack or squeeze pouch? Carbs or no carbs? Sports nutritionist Ashley […]
Movers & Shakers, Week of April 15
Balega International hired Casey Lewis as a Marketing Specialist to oversee promotional programs and support expansion of Balega’s parent company, Implus, and its Implus Run Specialty Group division. McDavid and Shock Doctor, two leading athletic protection providers, signed their first dual-brand athlete ambassador, 2015 NBA Champion Harrison Barnes. Mizuno USA promoted Mark M. O’Brien from […]
What If Sneakers Were Traded Like Stocks?
StockX looks to bring stock market-like visibility to sneaker reselling. By Thomas J. Ryan Start-up StockX is looking to bring the efficiencies of Wall Street trading to the reselling of collectible sneakers and eventually to many other high-end, limited edition items. The Detroit-based company is the brainchild of Josh Luber, the founder of Campless.com, a […]
