THE BROOKS BLOG

You’re all going out with friends for a run to celebrate tonight, right?  Here are some pics from our Seattle St. Paddy’s Day Dash and Leprechaun Lap last Sunday. We were all feeling lucky because it wasn’t snowing like it did last year.

If you didn’t get to a race last weekend, get in touch with your local running store to see what’s coming up near you.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Rock ‘n’ Roll comes to Dallas this weekend—March 14th race day!—with the Rock ‘n’ Roll 1/2 Marathon™ Dallas. Come over and say hi before the race and check out our VIP Porta Potties (click here to see how you can get your potty pass).

Monday recovery day is also party day at Run On! and Luke’s Locker.  Be one of the first 150 to stop by on March 15 between 3 and 7pm with your race bib and get a free goody bag. We’ll also have specialty tech tees free with $50 Brooks purchase and free food and beverage for everyone.

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Run On!

5400 E Mockingbird Ln #114

Dallas, TX 75206

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Luke’s Locker

3607 Oak Lawn

Dallas, TX 75219

Thanks so much for everyone who donated shoes last weekend during our shoe drive for Molly’s Miles and Friends of the Orphans. Together with our partners we were able to collect over 1,000 pair of shoes for Molly’s Miles in just a few days. In total, they’ve collected over 75,000 pair of shoes that will be delivered to Haiti. We were also able to raise $6,000 for Friends of the Orphans.

Special thanks also to our retail partners Super Jock n’ Jill, Portland Running Company, and South Sound Running for their participation. Also thanks to When the Shoe Fits for joining in the effort!

Kevin Hanson, long time runner, coach of the Hansons-Brooks Original Distance Project (ODP), and owner of Hansons Running Shops, Michigan, talks about evolving shoe technolgies, barefoot running as a training tool, and how he decides which shoes to put on his wall.

>>Read Kevin’s full statement on minimalistic running here.

KEVIN HANSON THE RUNNER

I began running in 1975 as a high school cross-country runner. [...] I am certain that 90% of our team had stress fractures, or at the very minimum, a stress reaction. [...] As the shoe technology changed, so did the frequency of our aches and pains. Lower leg issues became less and less. Shoes became softer and provided much needed relief. This, however, led to more and more knee problems. These cleared up once dual density technology became part of the running shoe industry. Fast forward to today: The better understanding of the foot has allowed the shoe companies to both control foot fall and allow the foot to respond in a natural state.

KEVIN HANSON THE COACH

I work with athletes of all levels, from high school kids who are new to the sport to Olympic level runners. I believe that there are some definite advantages to both running and walking barefoot. However, I would not recommend doing more than six to eight 100-meter strides, twice a week. This will enable the athlete to strengthen the plantar fascia and all of the soft connective tissues.

KEVIN HANSON THE RETAILER

I would be happy to bring in a training device that would protect the foot while doing strides a couple days a week. The problem is that the misinformation that is being generated by the minimalists makes it nearly impossible to protect our customers. I feel that this type of product being on our wall adds legitimacy to using it on a daily basis. This would not be in the best interest of our customers’ health.

Molly Hightower was a volunteer at Friends of the Orphans , an orphanage in Haiti, when she was tragically killed in the recent earthquake. While back home in the Northwest for Christmas she started a shoe drive to bring shoes to the kids in the orphanage and those touched by its many outreach programs.

Her family is continuing her shoe drive and will bring the shoes to Haiti later this month. In support, we’re hosting a company shoe drive and also teaming up with three Northwest retailers to collect shoes and raise funds for Friends of the Orphans.

If you’re in the area, please stop by South Sound Running (Tacoma and Olympia), Portland Running Company (three Portland area locations) or Super Jock and Jill (Seattle) between Friday, February 12 and Sunday, February 14.  For every person who brings in a pair of new or gently worn shoes—boots, sandals, casual shoes, or athletic shoes—we’ll donate $5 to Friends of the Orphans. For every purchase of a Brooks shoe or $75 in apparel we’ll donate $10.

>>Click here to get details on the shoe drive and donation guidelines.

>>Click here to learn more about Friends of the Orphans or to make a direct donation.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

Twitter was all, well, atwitter today with first photos of our awesome M*A*S*H-style expo booth at the Chicago Marathon expo. Brooks is offering free podiatrist consultations and gait analyses to runners and expo attendees who sign up at the booth (#733).

But that’s not all. Everyone who participates receives dog tags worth a chance to win prizes. Simply walk your dog tags over to the retail area of the booth to see if you’ve won! Prizes include 10 head-to-toe Brooks outfits, 50 pairs of shoes, 250+ cotton T-shirts, and 150 water bottles. The odds of winning something? Pretty, pretty good.

The B*R*A*S*H (Brooks Running Athlete Support Hospitality) is open till 8 p.m. tonight, and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. tomorrow. Get there early to snag an appointment!

Check out these awesome Twitpics posted by our pals at Fleet Feet Chicago (@FleetFeetChgo). Click on any image to see the full photo post at Twitpic. Nice shots, guys and gals!

Brian White from Fleet Feet Sports Carrboro (NC) writes:

This is Katy and Will’s creation getting ready for a big debut in the Fleet Feet Sports Carrboro window display. Made of Brooks shoe boxes, it’s named “BROBOT.”

If it could talk, we think it would say: “People of earth, I come here in the spirit of Run Happy®. Run Happy®, humans, Run Happy®.”

Running shops and other U.S. specialty retailers who sell Brooks shoes and apparel were eligible to enter our Run Happy® Display Contest in March.

The Columbus Running Company of Columbus, OH, was named Grand Prize Winner for its video and song. Their prize? A brand-new treadmill for the store. Congratulations!

The Display Contest had two First Place Winners: Luke’s Locker of Plano, TX, pictured above; and Fleet Feet Nashville in Nashville, TN, pictured below. Each store won Tienkin II Jackets for everyone on its staff.

Finally, The Running Center of Tampa, FL, was the winner of the Bonus Code Retail Store Contest. A grand total of 66,656 store bonus codes were redeemed online. The Running Center led the way with 1,743 online bonus codes redemptions.

Congratulations to all for helping to spread the Run Happy® in March.

Running stores all  over the country got into the competitive spirit this summer for the launch of Brooks’ new Ghost running shoe. We asked them to create a haunting store window or in-store display to announce the shoe’s arrival–and they did!

Here are the winning entries. Congratulations to all!

Grand Prize Winner: Luke's Locker, Dallas, TX

First Prize: 9th St. Active Footwear, Durham, NC

First Prize: Spike’s Athletic Footwear, Holly Hill, FL