The Running Event Recap

Disclaimer: I received admission to The Running Event, a travel stipend for my trip and products from Addaday, Altra, Arcanum, Brooks, CEP, Incrediwear, Nuun, Vooray, Vuori and Zwift as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review, find and write race reviews!

Being a Bibrave Pro definitely has it's perks! Usually it's in the form of a free race entry or free products to test. I was one of the lucky Pro's who was chosen to travel to Austin, TX for Influencer Day at The Running Event. The Running Event is a trade show where all brands that make running products get to showcase their latest goods. 

We had three main events throughout the weekend from Thursday to Friday including The Influencer Reception Sponsored by Zwift, a Bibrave group run, and tour of The Running Event (TRE) expo.

Thursday

After arriving in Austin the majority of us all met up for lunch to finally meet each other, some for the first time. It was so awesome to finally meet some of the Pro's that I have been connecting with on social for over two years. We instantly bonded like we were lifelong friends! After some much needed food, sightseeing, and exploring we headed to the Hilton Austin for the Zwift welcome reception. 

The Influencer Reception sponsored by Zwift.

Thursday evening we were welcome to Austin by Zwift. Zwift has been the leading the virtual endurance industry with its virtual cycling app. The app just recently was made for runners on a treadmill, which was released at The Running Event. How it works is you wear a shoe pod which tracks your movement and transmits it to the app which shows your avatar running in the virtual world. 

I along with Vanessa, Brenda, and Lindsey were the "chosen ones" for the Zwift virtual 5K. We were pacers for the race which was available for others to join as well. We had about 20 other Bibrave Pros running it with us. The entire experience was riveting! For years I've been connecting with Pros from all over the country, yet haven't had to opportunity to meet them in person. Zwift made it possible for me to run with them, and made the experience much more rewarding. It was actually motivating to run with pros like Lisa and Alastair during the run because I wanted to make sure I was keeping up with my peers.

After the run I was able to view my Ultimate Swag Bag from TRE. Here is what I received:

• Addaday Massage Roller
• Altra Escalante 1.5 Running Shoes
• Arcanum Edge Quill, Freeze Ointment, and Breeze - Sport Massage Oil
• Vuori Running Shorts
• CEP Compression Socks and Merino Trail Socks
• Incrediwear no-show, ankle, and knee-high recovery socks, and compression pants
• Zwift Running Pod
• Brooks Ghost Running Shoes, Reflective Jacket
• Nuun Electrolyte, Energy, Vitamin, and Immunity Tablets
• Vooray Backpack

It was quite the surprise to be honest! I didn't have much time to look everything over right away because I was participating in the Zwift run. 

Next I went back to my hotel to shower and change, and met the Pros at Iron Works BBQ for some delicious fuel. After dinner we were all invited to an after party sponsored by Brooks. There was a live bad, compimentary beverages and dancing. We even got to meet Boston Marathon Champion Des Linden.

Friday

Today was the big day! We woke up early for a Bibrave group run at 6:30am. Not the most fun time to meet up after being at the Brooks party but the weather was so amazing that it didn't matter. It was low 70's for our run. We started at Hilton Austin and then made our way to the Austin Capitol building. Along the way we had a professional photographer taking pictures of us. 

Since we got carried away taking pictured I decided to duck out with a few other pros and head back to our hotel. We changed, grabbed a quick bite, and then headed to The Running Event!

TRE is a big convention where all brands that make any type of product for running showcase their latest products. The regular expo is designed for suppliers, store owners, and distributors of running gear. For example, if I owned a local running store I would have gone to see what new products I might want to stock in my store. We were there for Influencer Day.    

Influencer Day is the last day of the expo where other social media influencers like ourselves get to walk through the expo and see what everyone has to offer. Our tour group sepcifically stopped at all the booths that we received swag from, to learn more about them, and to thank them.

First stop was Arcanum Edge:

I had never heard of this company so I was very excited to hear about there product, since I had recently tested CBD oil earlier this year and became a huge hemp advocate. What sets them apart is that they use activated hemp rather than CBD. It was explained that CBD is an isolated compound from the hemp plant, where activated hemp is using the whole components (i.e. absorbic acid vitamin c verse eating a fresh orange).

We received The Quill which is a topical cream to be applied to the wrists for maximum absorption of the nutrients, Freeze which is a post-workout recovery cream, and Breeze which is a massage oil that balances skin moisture levels.

For my full review of Arcanum Edge see my blog post.

Second stop was Handful Bra:

Handful is a company that is striving to make make women feel empowered and confident while running and in every day life. Their products had no wiring, room for padding, and no bounce. They work a lot with women who are diagnosed or have beaten breast cancer to help them find a bra that gives them back their confidence. Their clothes have a balance of function and style.

Next was Vuori:

Vuori makes some of the most comfortable clothing I have ever felt. From silky soft sweatpants to lined running shorts, I fell in love with everything. Their clothing is very versatile made to look great at work but still functional and flexible enough for hiking, running, and yoga. I'm pretty sure we all said "oh sh*t" when we touched their clothing. 

For my full review of my Vuori shorts see my blog post.

Vooray was next:

Talk about a dangerous booth! Vooray makes bags in all shapes and sizes, from backpacks to duffels and all in between. Their designs are very floral and simple which makes it ideal for men and women. What sets them apart from other companies is that they keep business cost super low which allows them to focus more on quality, and gives you a more affordable higher quality bag than competitors. 

Before I even left Austin I had bought one of their duffel bags online because I fell for it so hard. 

For my full review of my Vooray Backback see my blog post.

We went to Addaday next:

We all know Addaday from their amazing rollers, hand rollers and foam rollers. I was so stoked to get the hand roller because I have been eyeing it for some time. At their booth they wanted to talk to us about their latest product which is an Oolong Tea designed for runners. The tea leaves are hand picked in Taiwan and not cut or crushed. This means all the nutrients and antioxidants are still naturally whole and ready for absorption. What's also amazing is that since the leaves are whole, you can rebrew the tea up to 6 times and still receive the benefits from it.

For my full review of the Addaday hand roller see my blog post.

Next we were off to Nuun:

Nuun will always have a place in my heart! I love nuun, hence my I am a Nuun Ambassador too. Here at their booth that talked about the different types of nuun they offer: Electrolytes, Vitamin, Energy, and Immunity.

They even had sample for us to try too. That was the best part because some of the flavors I wasn't sure I would like, and hadn't bought them before. Being able to taste them made all the difference, and I ended up liking the flavors I didn't think I would. 

For my full Nuun review see my blog post.

Incrediwear was our next stop:

We all know the benefits of compression, right? I learned so much more at from Incrediwear than I ever knew. They make preventative compression and recovery compression. Their speaker was Olymypic Runner Manteo Mitchell who ran his race on a broke limb. Using the recovery compression from Incrediwear he was able to make a full recovery and run again in less than a year. Their products range from ankle compression for pregnant women, socks, knee braces, and more to help specific parts of the body recover.

For my full review of Incrediwear see my blog post.

We kept the compression going and went to CEP next:

CEP needed no introduction since they are one of the leading compression sock companies, and making compression for over 65 years. What sets them apart from other companies is that they started with medical application for patients before making products for runners. So they know what they are doing. They talked about the correct amount of compression in specific locations like more in the feet and less in the ankle which helps prevent water retention to increase blood flow.

Check out this blog for my full review:

Altra Running was our second to last stop:

Altra makes a very unique style of running shoes that I have had my eye on since I ran Runner's World Grand Slam, which was sponsored by Altra. Their shoes are know for a zero drop from the heel to toe, meaning that your whole foot is on the same plane which is more natural. They also designed their shoes in the shape of feet which contour the foot better. They showed us several different shoe styles and what each is good for. They even let us check out their latest trail running shoe which has been rated the #1 trail running shoe.

Run to this blog for my full Altra review:

Our last stop was at Brooks:

Brooks again needed no introductions. We are all familiar with their shoes and brand. they were primarily there promoting their shoes since that is their bread and butter. I was a bit more interested in their gear because I love the feel of it all but I learned a lot about what makes their shoes different. They have a special plate in the sole of the shoes that directs the impact energy upward back into your stride, rather than out to the side. So there is a bit more spring in each step because you're using your own momentum to push off with each step.

Check out this blog for my full review.

After our guided tour was over we had until the expo closed to view all the other booths. There were lots of new brands with unique products and some of our favorites like Orange Mud. We got so many samples and free swag from everyone that I needed an extra bag just to carry the stuff I got that day, let alone the swag from the TRE sponsors. 

Final Reflections

I'm humbled that I was chosen to be a part of this amazing weekend! To meet so many Pros would have been enough but to get all the swag and explore Austin too made it the trip of a lifetime. Huge thank you goes out to Team Bibrave for all their hard work arranging this for us and to all the companies that sponsored our Ultimate Swag Bags.