Pikes Peak Ultra in Earth Runners Sandals
The Pikes Peak 50k Ultra held in Colorado Springs, CO felt like the best place to put our new mountain running sandal prototype, called Cadence, to the test. This high elevation ultramarathon started and ended at 6,200ft, peaking at 11,500ft. With a 9,000ft elevation gain and a variety of forest and rocky terrain, the Pikes Peak 50k Ultra was the perfect testing ground for our new barefoot running sandals, Cadence.
The Cadence barefoot running sandals feature our eco cotton Earth Grip footbed which has great sweat-wicking and traction abilities. In extreme endurance events like this, your sandals are sure to get drenched in sweat and likely to become submerged underwater. As the footbed gets wet, its composition pulls the moisture away from the foot and into the cotton canvas membrane, helping to preserve traction. Given the lack of moisture accumulating and pooling under the foot, traction to the mild textured cotton canvas is maintained in both wet and dry conditions. Two thumbs up for the sweat-wicking and amphibious traction of these mountain running sandals!
Our new Cadence sandals will be the first of the Earth Runners barefoot running sandals lineup to have a midsole, which offers high shock-absorption and resiliency at a low weight. The Cadence sandals also feature a new high performance Vibram outsole with Megagrip designed to grip to slick and wet surfaces. You'll have to stay tuned for the launch of these new minimalist adventure sandals to learn more– prepare yourself for a minimalist and responsive sole that offers all the traction and protection you need for your bigger adventures.
The Pikes Peak Ultra was created to showcase some of the very best trails in Colorado Springs. The course started at Bear Creek Regional Park, and traveled up into Cheyenne Canon. Sights from the trail including Seven Bridges, St. Mary's Falls, Helen Hunt Falls, Mt. Rosa, can be viewed in our video of the race above! The Cadence mountain running sandals made it up and over these steep grades while maintaining foot security, comfort, and barefoot running sandal foot freedom.
The race was a nice taste of Colorado and the Cadence mountain running sandals responded well to everything the trail called for. As for any ultra race, these long miles push the body to the limits, which helps to amplify any shortcomings in preparation and gear. We find first-hand testing in these mountain running sandal extremes to be pertinent for due diligence. It is experiences like this that help further our development in designing the best possible barefoot running sandals– sandals that we are stoked to share with the world!
Per usual, people were dumbfounded to see a contestant running in sandals: one fellow runner shared his astonishment at my ability to run well in sandals on such rugged terrain. Other gear included the Ultimate Direction Hydration vest and a GoPro7.
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