It’s early race morning here in Hawaii and I have to lace my shoes for the Lavaman race in a couple of hours.
This will be the first time I have ever raced in Under Armour shoes and I a pretty stoked about it. This has been a 3 year process and I have worked closely with the UA team to develop a high performance racing flat for myself. This is the last prototype and I am about to give it its biggest test. This is a hit out in hot humid conditions in Hawaii. It doesn’t get much tougher on a shoe than this, and it is also the exact conditions I will be racing in Kona in October, so the feedback will be imperative from that stand point. I have done some solid run training sessions in these shoes, but nothing tests a product like racing and that is the purpose of today’s event.
Under Armour has a focus and a drive like no other company I have ever been associated with, and their commitment to developing the best products for athletes is real. They have taken 2 years to develop their shoe range and their attention to me and the feedback I have given them has all been taken on board and they are pushing forward with shoes that are performance-driven. It is an exciting time to be associated with such a cutting edge company. I have loved the process and thank the entire development team for their attention to detail and the drive they have committed to in getting these shoes perfect.
Anyway I have to get down to the race and prepare for the event but thought I would upload a little video again to give people a look at the final prototype of the shoe I hope to wear to victory in Ironman Hawaii in 2009. It is really a nice feeling, very responsive, light racing flat. I like it. I have some tough guys to beat, but am after the course record held by Olympic Champion Simon Whitfield. It will be tough as it is super windy today and extremely hot, but Simon has held this record for 6 years. It is time for a change. Fingers crossed we will see how it goes.
