Pearl Izumi

It's no secret: I've really enjoyed the Pearl Izumi Trail N2 since I got my first pair in April, 2013. I've purchased at least six pairs since then as well as a good selection of their Ultra clothing line which I wear regularly.  

So, back in October, I mailed in an old-school paper application to be a brand ambassador. I emailed some of their (now former) elites and also the individual who was in charge of the team/ambassadors. Dylan Bowman was very kind in his encouraging response, but alas, I never heard anything back and then was quite surprised when they announced their "ChamPIon" program in November while disbanding their Ultra Team. Without any concrete information as to why they made that decision, and since I really like their products, I took my letter and cut it down to fit the new online application and hit submit.

I have no illusions about becoming "fast" or trying to beat people and win a race. Those are not the reasons why I got into mountain-ultra-trail running.

A majority of the runs I am most proud to have completed were not races. Champion, even spelled with a "PI," is not a word I feel is very applicable to me. That is one of the things I love about the ultra community: a true sense of kinship.

While personally the terminology may not describe me very well, I am very happy to be part of the Pearl Izumi program for 2015. A quick Twitter search showed that many, many others also were selected and I hope Pearl Izumi will support us each contributing what we can to this broadly-defined sport.

For me, that means hopefully experiencing a lot of fun, scenic and challenging mountain outings and sharing them on this blog. It's been almost two years since I started writing this little site, before I'd even run my first ultra. I hope at least a few of you are enjoying reading it and that my trip reports are useful in planning and, most importantly, getting out there yourself.

Happy New Year and thanks for reading.

-Luke

On Devil's Dome, North Cascades; Dave's photo