New sponsor - Brooks Running!

I'd like to give a big shout-out to my new apparel sponsor for 2009 - Brooks Running! On a whim I recently applied to the Brooks Inspire Daily (ID) Team since I know a few friends who are on it. I wasn't expecting to hear back since I'm still new to this whole "running thing", but lo-and-behold I was wrong and I am now a proud ID Team member!

Now this is no "Scott Jurek level" sponsorship... I'm definitely not that good! But I still get a pretty sweet discount on gear while representing a brand whose running shoes and apparel I have been wearing my entire (albeit short) ultrarunning career.

I have been wearing the Brooks Cascadia 3 trail running shoes (and the 2's before the 3's came out) since my very first trail run. I shopped around at different running stores trying on everything I could find. Having a wider foot that gets cramped easily, I found that Brooks' roomy Cascadias were a perfect match for my specific needs. The 3's were a significant improvement to the 2's, offering much better water drainage, lighter weight and enhanced breathability. Being the gear junkie that I am, I continue to try on new shoes at every chance I get, but still nothing compares to my trusty Cascadias and I don't see myself switching anytime soon, even for the brutal terrain of MMT. I haven't gotten my hands on the new Cascadia 4's yet, but don't you worry I'll have my hands (err... feet) on them soon.

Cascadia 4's. Don't they just look fast?

Aside from the shoes, two of my other apparel staples are the Infiniti shorts and the Vapor Dry 3D 1/2 Zip Jacket (which has unfortunately been discontinued).

Thanks again to Brooks for having faith in an up-and-coming newbie like myself and for making simple yet amazing trail running shoes!