If there is a group of athletes that know the meaning of 'mountain running', it's the LaSportiva Mountain Running Team. Mountain running events are, of course, grueling by nature. The name of the sport is descriptive enough. The races are entertaining from a 'shock & awe' perspective. Mountain runners sometimes look like they are flying over terrain that many would prefer to walk over with trekking poles.


Galen Burrell, left, en route to victory in the Pikes Peak Marathon

DeFeet has sponsored the LaSportiva Mountain Running Team for the last two seasons, and again in 2007. Some preferred products of the team have been the SpeeDe™, Levitator™ Lite, and for cold and damp races, the Wooleator™ reighns supreme. When mountain running, it's imperative to keep weight to a minimum. The LaSportiva team often goes with the very light, thin socks from the DeFeet lineup.


Anna Pichrtova, left, winning the USATF Trail Championships, Vail, CO

In 2007, you may want to watch the team in action at an event near you. Events are not always in the easiest to reach spots, but you can see from the calendar that quite a few are very close to some major metro areas. DeFeet is a big supporter of not only the LaSportiva team, but of the sport itself. We encourage you to get out there and enter one of these events yourself. It's a long season, April - October, affording most runners a good chance to find the form required to not only finish, but perhaps even find a gear they didn't know they had. While a 50 mile event in Moab, UT might not be for everyone, there are some events under 5 miles.

Mountain running is a very pure sport. It's you, your socks and shoes (and shorts and top), and the mountain. Throw in the other brave souls around you, and you've got the makings of a day you will never forget.


Lisa Goldsmith, below, helping set Women's Team Course Record at Mount Washington