THE BROOKS BLOG

Congratulations to Brooks I.D. athlete Diane Groff, who won two divisions at the competitive 3K Snowshoe race at the Romp to Stomp Breast Cancer event on March 7th in Frisco, Colorado! Diane won both the survivor division, (by several minutes) and the 50+ age division (by three seconds).

Among other accomplishments, Diane is a two-time cancer survivor and a 46 minute 10K runner. She was named “Most Inspirational Colorado Female Athlete” of 2007 by the Sportswomen of Colorado… and overall kicks some major booty.

While on her latest adventure Diane wore the new Brooks Cascadia 4 trail shoes and the Brooks for Her Hat. (A portion of sales from the Brooks for Her Hat goes to support breast-cancer related causes, see www.brooksrunning.com/bfh for more information.)

Great work Diane!

Diane Groff

Brooks is excited to announce the Brooks For Her apparel collection!

Containing seven snazzy pieces of cause-conscious running gear, Brooks For Her was created to help support the fight against breast cancer. For each BFH piece purchased from March through December 2009, Brooks will donate 6.25% of the suggested retail price to three organizations that research and support those affected by breast cancer: The Young Survival Coalition, Making Memories Breast Cancer Foundation, and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, earmarked for breast cancer research.

Even cooler? Your vote at www.brooksrunning.com/bfh between March 1, and December 31, 2009, determines how much of the total donation each group gets. No purchase necessary to vote.

It was a great weekend in Landover, MD for high school running! Brooks is the official footwear and apparel sponsor of the Maryland Indoor Track & Field Championships and we are always looking for fun and exciting ways to reward these outstanding individuals.

This year www.flotrack.org came to town to cover the meet and also launched our new “mugshot’ contest. Check out http://www.flotrack.org/brooks/mug_shot_view_photo/258861

We also had a graphic artist at the event to “tag” Brooks Podium shirts for a few lucky athletes!  See you at in Baltimore for the Outdoor Championships!  Check out all meet footage-  http://www.flotrack.org/videos/coverage/view/234514-maryland-state-indoor-champs

Seattle is finally recovering from a bout of winter weather, the likes we haven’t seen in years. Snow and ice wreaked havoc all last week — closing roads, schools, and offices (including ours!). With just 27 snow plows and a no-salt policy, the city pretty much grinds to a halt when the snow hits.

The upside of all this? Plenty of time to lounge around the house (and slip-slide around the neighborhood!) in my comfiest Brooks cold-weather gear. My staples over the last week have been my HVAC Seamless Longsleeve Shirts, my Energy Flare Pants, and my brand-new Equilibrium Longsleeve Top. All three are soft, stretchy, and easily accommodate my rather large and growing belly. (Holiday eating + newborn incubation = big belly!)

Now that the snow is almost gone, I guess it’s time to change my clothes…

Brooks HVAC technical cold-weather top

Brooks Energy Flare Pants

Brooks Equilibrium Technical Top

Congratulations to Canada’s Newmarket Huskies, the age 15 and under Ontario Cross-Country Champions! The team also went on to come in second at the Canadian Junior Cross-Country Championshiops last weekend. Way to go!

One of the team parents sent us the photo, and reported that “It made it real easy for parents to pick them out with the NightLife shirts and we got a lot of positive feedback from other clubs…Seven of the eight girls are also wearing Mach 9 or 10 spikes. ”

For information on ordering Brooks gear for your team, check out our Team Sales page.

Who doesn’t need at least one of those? And what’s it called?

The Brooks EZ T!

Don’t just take my word for it (though I do own four of them). The Brooks EZ-T was featured in the latest Women’s Adventure Newsletter, and the reviewer raved,

“I think I’ve found the most comfortable t-shirt on the planet. The photos don’t do the fit justice either….using a stretchy soft fabric that has the sheen and soft hand of cotton without sacrificing a form-flattering fit….It dries fast and it’s light, so it’s technical enough to run in or to wear out for a post-cycling margarita…”

The EZ T is available in several styles and colors, for men and women. A sampling is shown below…now go check out this shirt!

Brooks EZ Fun T

Brooks Iffley Road SS

Brooks EZ T

Next week marks the start of fall - and with it, more runs in the dark…and cold…and rain.

Living in the Seattle, I’ve logged more than my share of miles in the dark. Luckily I live near a well-lit portion of the Burke-Gilman Trail, which keeps me mostly off the roads and away from nighttime traffic.

Last night marked my first “dark run” of the season – a short post-dinner trot with my sister. While I was out there, I noticed the nocturnal cyclists were doing a pretty good job of staying visible with bright clothes and lights…but the runners weren’t always so easy to see. A big part of staying safe is staying visible – and that starts with wearing bright clothes.

Have you seen yourself in the dark lately?

Brooks puts out a line of running clothes made specifically to enhance nighttime visibility called the NightLife Collection. The collection includes weather-resistant, breathable, retro-reflective jackets; comfortable, lightweight baselayers; and accessories like hats and socks. My personal favorite: the NightLife L.S.D. Jacket.

To see it in action, check out this short video we shot of my friend Andrew showing off the gear. (Hey, Seattleites: can you spot the location?) You can also hear Brooks I.D. Athlete Mark Buciak talk about why it’s his favorite thing from Brooks.

Run happy…and stay safe!

Holidays in August? Last I checked, it was almost 90 degrees outside.

But if you’re a running shoe company trying to grab the attention of journalists writing Holiday Gift Guides, you’ve got to start thinking about these things now. (Or more accurately… before now!)

This year we decided to mix things up a bit and create a mini-website to show off our upcoming winter product: RunHappyHolidays.com. We also planted a few funny bones in there, just for kicks.

Check it out if you want a preview of our cold weather running gear for 2008!