Links: Running Gear and Equipment

• adidas - named after Alfred "Adi" Dassler, one of two brothers who started making shoes in 1920 in Herzogenaurach, a small town in Germany. An avid athlete, Adi began making training shoes at age 20. Adi's brother, Rudolph, split from Adi and went on to start the Puma brand.
• Asics Tiger - in 1949, Kihachiro Onitsuka began making shoes in his home in Kobe, Japan, to meet the needs of Japanese basketball players. He created the acronym, Asics, from the Latin phrase "Anima Sana In Corpore Sano" (translated as "a sound mind in a sound body"). Asics became also known as Tigers because of the sleek tiger-stripe design.
• Avia - founded in 1979, company name suggests aviation and derives from the Latin term meaning "to fly", as company founder Jerry Stubblefield coined the name while flying on a jet
• Brooks - The company founder, John Goldenberg, chose his wife's maiden name to represent his company which was formed in 1914 to manufacture ice skates. In 1970, Brooks began making shoes and invented EVA, a material used in midsoles even now. Until recently, Brooks was making shoes for many sports but focuses now only on running footwear and apparel.
• Diadora
• Fila - The Fila brothers of Biella, Italy, founded their company in 1928. It started as an undrwear and knit apparel manufacturer. In the early 1970s Fila moved into tennis apparel, expanding later into climbing and skiing apparel, and eventually, shoes.
• Hi-Tec
• Mizuno - Rihachi Mizuno established his company in 1906, primarily as manufacturer of baseball equipment, sports apparel and custom-nade team uniforms. With time Mizuno expanded to golf, volleyball and running.
• Montrail
• New Balance - William Riley founded the New Balance Arch Company on 1906 after watching chickens. He realized the design of their feet created perfect balance, and incorporated that design into the shoes and arches he was producing providing weareres with a sense of "new balance." Company continued to make such orthopedic shoes for nearly 60 years before its product was mass produced.
• Nike - Phil Knight founded Blue Ribbon Sports (BRS) in the early 1970s. Soon he began producing his own shoes, and changed BRS to Nike, coined after the Greek goddess of victory (with the Nike Swoosh representing one of the goddess's wings). Phil Knight sought the help of his former track coach Bill Bowerman who invented a new way to make running shoes by pouring rubber into a waffle iron to create soles with more traction and cushion.
• Puma - Spanish word for cougar, the large wild cat
• Reebok - In the 1890s, Loseph William Foster, founder of J.W. Foster & Sons in the UK, made the first running shoes with spikes. In 1958, two of his grandsons started a companion company with the name derived from reedbuck, the name of the wild African gazelle.
• Ryka - founded in 1987 by Sheri Poe. Ryka was the last name of her grandmother.
• Salomon
• Saucony - American Indian name of a river near the company's original factory in Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA. Translation of this word, according to legend, means "swiftly flowing water". Abraham Hyde, a Russian immigrant cobbler, opened a shoe store called A.R. Hyde & Sons in Cambridge, Mass. in 1910. His specialty was carpet slippers made from remnants of colorful old rugs. In 1932, Hyde added his first sport-specific footwear, "pleasure skates" for ice-skating. After the purchase of the Illinois Athletic Shoe Company in 1952, company was chosen by NASA to produce footwear for the astronauts. In 1968, Hyde expanded by acquiring the Saucony Shoe Manufacturing Company.

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Running Apparel

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• Adidas
• Champion / Jogbra
• Craft Scandinavia
• DeFeet Socks
• DeSoto Sportwear
• Fila
• Hind
• InSport
• Irongirl
• Jagged Edge Mountain Gear
• MiniGators
• Moonstone
• Moving Comfort
• New Balance
• Nike
• North Face
• Patagonia
• Pearl Izumi
• Rip-n-Hammer Clothing
• RONO Sports
• Sporthill
• Sugoi
• Wickers Performance Underwear
• Wigwam - "Simply the best socks engineered for the Human Machine." High quality socks made from the technical blends (Ultimax, Outlast, CoolMax, Merino Wool, etc.) to improve your comfort and performance. The Official Sock of the Ironman Triathlon.
• - high performance training and racing apparel.

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Running Accessories

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Heart Rate Monitors and Watches

• Polar - heart rate monitors
• Acumen - heart rate monitors
• CardioSport - heart rate monitors
• Timex
• Freestyle - heart rate monitors and watches.
• Suunto - wrist computers with heart-rate monitoring, compass, altimeter and barometer features

  Lights and Assorted Electronics

• Niterider - lights
• Princeton Tec Lights
• Petzl - headlamps
• Garmin - GPS gear
• Stevens Creek Software - assorted logs and calculators, including PalmPilot version

  Eyewear and Optics

• Rudy Project Italy
• Rudy Project USA - maker of the "Technically Cool Eyewear" and is a leading European sports sunglass and goggle manufacturer. Telephone 1-888-860-7597 or buy online at www.e-rudy.com, www.coloradocyclist.com, www.in-spex.com, www.eyetechoptical.com.
• Smith Sport Optics
• Oakley
• Bolle
• Spy Optics
• Zeal Optics
• Cebe Eyewear

  Hydration and Nutrition Load Systems

• Ultimate Direction - hydration and load carrying systems for runners, adventure racers, and fastpackers. Led by ultra-athlete and inventor of fastpacking, Bryce Thatcher, UD was acquired in 1999 by Sierra Designs (a division of American Recreation Products). Headquartered in Rexburg, Idaho, UD maintains its own brand identity, while Bryce Thatcher consults on the technical development of Sierra Designs products.
• Camelbak - hydration backpacks
• Blackhawk Industries - Hydrastorm hydration backpacks (durable milspec models)
• Lightfoot - Hydrapack holds 1 liter in a neoprene backpack, without any webbing or buckles, on the top of your back
• Fuel Belt - hydration waistbelt system
• K2 Bike - hydration backpacks
• Squeezy - Leppin brand gels, Perfekta fluid belts
• TNI USA - fuel belts

  Load Carrying Systems

• GoLite - extralite camping gear designed by Ray Jardine, a proponent of extreme lightweight backpacking. His book "Beyond Backpacking" is a required reading. You can make you own gear from his designs in his book and web site.
• Karrimor
• Lafuma
• Salomon Sports
• SealLine Dry Bags
• Vaude

  Shoe traction devices

• Kahtoola KTS - designed for extreme ice and snow conditions, the Kahtoola's $129 model 10 has aluminum spikes that provide traction similar to crampons but with the lighter weight and greater flexibility needed for running.
• STABILicers - stretch over your running shoes like a pair of slippers, providing rubber outsole with an nine small steel cleats. Very light, $39.
• Yaktrax - made of rubber tubing covered with stainless steel coils. Light and small. $28.

  Assorted Gear and Services

• Adventure Medical Kits
• Canyon Belts - race number belts
• RaceNet Communications and Event Services - rental of communication, power generation, and lighting equipment
• Sports Graffiti - custom decals and lettering

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Retailers and Purchasing Advice

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Running Shoes

• Road Runner Sports
• Tel-A-Runner
• Running Shoes.com
• Kelly's Running Warehouse

  General Sports and Fitness Gear Retailers

• - high performance training and racing apparel
• Altrec
• Campmor - great family-owned institution in New Jersey
• dsports
• FogDog Sports - shopping by sport, brand name, or by category
• gear.com - discount shopping by sport, brand name, and price range
• Gear2go - online division of Sierra Surplus
• Live to Play - interactive 24-hour auction and discounted gear
• Planet Outdoors - shopping by category or brand name
• REI-Outlet
• Sierra Trading Post

  Sunglasses and Eyewear Retailers

• Peeper's Sunglasses
• In-Spex
• Eye Tech Sports Optical

  Shopping Help: Online Discount Coupons and Comparison Bots

• DealItUp.com
• DealOfDay.com
• a2z Deals
• DailyEdeals.com
• aHugeDeal.com
• SlickDeals.com

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Assorted Resources and Advice

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• eNutrition - sport nutrition, weight management, vitamins and supplements, health-related news and facts
• EndurePlus.com - sport nutrition, training and health for the endurance athlete
• Netrition - sport and fitness products, descriptions and news