Ultrarunners ask a lot of their shoes. They demand comfort, support, and freedom for their feet to engage and expand as distance increases. They demand consistent and efficient performance whatever the weather. Above all, they demand a shoe that can keep going, mile after mile, day after day, as far as their imagination will carry them.
Extensive conversations with ultrarunners led us to understand that this community was being poorly served by the running industry at large. And we discovered a common problem in the long-distance road sector: runners had to prepare multiple pairs of shoes for replacement during events due to midsole degradation. Additionally, because of foot swelling over the course of an event, they had to sacrifice fit by opting for larger sizes or even cutting the shoe upper, increasing the risk of injury.
Where were the shoes that specifically addressed these issues? Over the course of 20 months, we began to take action.
From the start, our ambition was to create a shoe that would exceed the expectations of even the most ambitious ultra athletes, supporting them on journeys of hundreds of miles. We pulled together a team of footwear innovation experts, materials specialists and craftspeople and set to work. With an average of over 26 years of experience in the footwear industry, working with major brands such as Nike, Brooks Running, and New Balance, we were confident that we had the right team to make things happen.
We worked closely with ultrarunners to customize those first prototypes as we introduced ZeroSag, an anti-degradation cushioning material originally used in the suspension systems of race cars. This material ensures consistent cushioning and support over hundreds of miles of running. We also incorporated our TUNEDFIT Dual Lacing System, allowing runners to adjust the fit of the shoe around the forefoot and midfoot separately, making it particularly suitable for endurance running.
In November 2023, this prototype was recognized as the winner of the ISPO Award, but it did not stop us from perfecting our craft. Over the past 20 months, we kept enlisting over 300 dedicated runners to traverse a total of more than 90,000 miles (140,000 km) for rigorous testing. It culminated in the refinement and evolution of our product, shaping it into the R1 and S1 models that stand before us today.
In March 2024, during the 17-day MTC JOGLE, ultrarunner Justin Montague completed the entire 854-mile course in one pair of Mount to Coast R1s, breaking every single day record along the route, and breaking the record for the whole distance by almost 40 hours.
In the same race, legendary Asian ultrarunner Lucong Geng wore one pair of Mount to Coast S1s to complete more than 600 miles. He eventually achieved the third-best result in the URL JOGLE history.
