Outdoor Reads: NYT shout-out to outdoor footwear brands, and messages of compassion for runners

What did the SNEWS team read this week that other industry insiders might find interesting? Read on to find out.

• Many of us in the outdoor industry are runners, and have experienced the joy that comes with crossing the finish line of a marathon. On Marathon Monday in Boston, instead of joy, terror filled the hearts of spectators and runners as bombs tore through the crowds near the finish line. This CNN article link is constantly updated with information. We’ll leave you with one last thought, something we read in a Tweet: “If you want to defeat the human spirit, marathon runners are the wrong group to target.”

• For Competitor Magazine Editor in Chief Brian Metzler, the sport and recreational activity of running didn’t matter on Monday. Everything else ceased to matter except one thing: that people were OK. But now, days later, the running community owes it to itself to get out there and run in order to began the healing process. Read Metzler’s moving piece on ESPN.

• Boston is still fresh in everybody’s minds. Especially those who were there when it happened. This first-person account by Women’s Running’s Kara Deschenes chronicles her experience, from being stopped a few miles from the finish because of the bombs to worrying about her husband, who was a mile ahead of her. She gives us a glimpse into the horror runners felt, worrying about their loved ones who were waiting for them at the finish line.

• Let’s move on to happier news. It wasn’t all that long ago (1967) that Katherine Switzer ran the Boston Marathon and was pursued by a race organizer because she was a woman trying to run without a race number. He didn’t catch her. Now, according to this Runner’s World story, women constitute about 42 percent of marathon finishers, versus only 11 percent in 1980. How is all that women’s running apparel, shoes and gear selling at your store?

• Few things make you feel less like a badass like reading about a 13-year-old badass. This Climbing Magazine piece by Amanda Fox features Drew Ruana, a 13-year-old climber who’s already climbed five 5.14a. Check out the story and the corresponding video of Drew.

• If you’re an Outdoor Industry Association Member and you haven’t yet registered for booth space at the 2013 Outdoor Retailer Summer Market, you should do so soon. OIA members, and nonmembers who become members by May 2 are eligible to save 10 percent on booth space. Check out this OIA story for more information.

• In even happier news, it was a good media week for some footwear companies in the industry. This New York Times travel piece detailing what professional travel guides wear gave shout-outs to Salomon, Rockport, Vasque, Scarpa and Chaco, among others. Check it out and find your brand!

• They’re calling it the “biggest mountaineering fundraiser ever staged in the U.S.” Big City Mountaineers is a vital nonprofit in this industry, teaching the value of loving the outdoors to young people. This Men’s Health piece by Active Interest Media’s Jon Dorn talks about BCM, its programs and the fundraiser that is being forged by him and other editors in the Outdoor Group including Climbing’s Shannon Davis. Dorn himself has the goal to raise $50,000 for the organization.

• Expedition Denali is set to make its attempt at summiting Denali. Summiting Denali isn’t new, but the idea that an all-black team of climbers is doing it for a worthy cause is. This piece by Yoon Kim explains the project nicely.

• Uphill skiing is getting more attention these days. Earlier this year Crested Butte, Colo., began to allow uphill skiing. This Denver Post article talks about some “skimos” — or ski mountaineering racers — and “upillers” who want to get uphill skiing approved at Eldora. The article goes into detail about the issue and why resorts generally dislike uphill skiers.

Did you read anything interesting? Email us because we want to read it too!