Running Supply #66
Nike ACG is off to a sprint, why it matters that a Chinese bike company is sponsoring a pro cycling team, and new shoes from Nnormal, Brooks, Saucony and Nike.
Quick Hits
I interviewed Simeon Birnbaum about his new Diadora NIL deal and why he wears sunglasses for every race (even indoors?!)
Supply Run with Alex Zono coming Friday
Raide has a “Firsts” research grant to aid you in achieving whatever your first is. Apply for their sick gear and some grant $$$.
Nikki Hiltz (lululemon) is on an absolute tear and won the Wanamaker Mile, while 19 year old Cameron Myers won the men’s side. Meanwhile a 16 year old boy just ran a 3:48 at BU. He’s now #11 all time indoors.
ICMYI, I wrote up a long Paris Fashion Week Running Report highlighting what’s to come for Fall/Winter 2026
Looking for Work
Christian Brecheis not only is the founder of Near Earth, the popular sock brand, but also a very talented photographer and creative director with 10+ years of experience. He’s looking for opportunities for brand storytelling, documentaries, content strategy, and dee-dive productions.
Justin Sorensen, a New York City based photographer, just put out his photobook Traces. He wants to more of this long form narrative work, ideally for a brand! He also just did some sick work for ESPN about the “most dangerous gym in America”
C-Suite Shuffles
Tracksmith’s CEO Steps Down, Converse CEO Steps In
Big industry moves. Tracksmith CEO Matt Taylor steps into a new role…or rather one closer to his former role. He will be the new Chief Creative at Tracksmith, getting back to what he loves doing most. Former Converse CEO Jared Carver will be taking over.
I didn’t start Tracksmith to be a CEO; I started it to change the way running is presented and perceived, through great product, great storytelling and a sense of camaraderie. I’m excited to get back to that.
Matt Taylor
I’m excited for him and the brand. I expect to see more of his vision now that he doesn’t have to worry about the business side as much.
The brand also hired Bandit’s old VP of Marketing, Joe Andrews, to steer the ship. He takes over from Slate Olson, whose tenure lasted just 9 months.
Bandit’s New CMO
Catherine Wolpe takes over Bandit’s CMO role. She was a GM at Billie, but before that worked at Wieden+Kennedy a creative consulting firm that did a lot of work with Nike.
Nike ACG Relaunches
Nike ACG just relaunched their Instagram account Feb 1 as well as a fully revamped website. I’m loving the lo-fi and fun creative stuff they’re putting out. The photography style is high clarity and pretty balanced, while the videos are green, grainy, and lo-fi with a consistently campy element (note the stuffed mountain goat chasing a runner). Peep this cheeky tilt-shift model train video below.
Ultrafly 2 is Out Now
Soon after they dropped the updated Nike ACG Ultrafly Trail in the sub-brands iconic Hyper Crimson orange colorway. The racer has a full length carbon plate, so not particularly suited to super steep, hilly races where plates have been proven to be worse. Caleb Olsen helped test these and told me they’re much improved from the previous iteration.
First US Activation
ACG did their first event in the US in years partnering with USAL, a hip outdoor collective(?) based in LA. This past weekend they partnered up to give a limited preview and test drive the new Ultrafly Trail.
Looking East
Their first ever store, ACG Base Camp, will launch in Beijing at the Taikoo Li Sanlitun shopping center. The brand is looking especially to expand in China where it has already bought out the Chongli 168 Ultra Trail.
In June, Hill said its biggest opportunity in China is "from a brand perspective, to inspire and invite the 1.3 billion consumers into the world of sport, lifestyle sport and to fitness.” - Reuters
Unclear what the new Base Camp will look like, but here’s one from 2020 in NYC.
A Chinese Bike Brand Just Sponsored a Pro Cycling Team
Speaking of the Chinese market, Chinese bike brand QuickPro Bikes just sponsored a UCI ProTeam. Chinese carbon frame manufacturers have been popular in the amateur enthusiast scene for well over a decade, but recently have become mainstream, garnering reviews from cycling influencers and online media alike. They’ve gone from unbranded OEM suppliers to legitimate branded competitors with wind tunnel data proving performance parity.
This works well for cycling since it’s a relatively tiny market, purchasing is performance driven, and bikes are incredibly expensive. People are always looking for a value option. I think performance running is poised for a similar disruption by Chinese brands like Anta, 361, and Li-Ning over the next 5-10 years.
While their markets are huge in China, the performance running market in Europe and America is still untapped. So far they’ve left the US market alone, but if the brands wanted to, they could quickly make a dent by offering high performance at a cost few competitors could match. Anta offers a $130 racer and $80 trainer!
Their current moat is the same as any challenger brand:
Pro credibility: They need top road runners that get media exposure for global credibility. Anta has Kenenisa Bekela, who is legendary but all but retired. Skechers tried this with Meb and I’m not sure how effective it was.
Tech equivalence: The performance gap is harder to prove in running than cycling because there’s no wind tunnel equivalent
They still need:
Independent testing showing their foams and plates match or exceed competitors, similar to what Puma did
Popular and top performing sponsored athletes: not just fast runners, but runners with a bit of clout.
Podium finishes at major races: Jimmy Gressier medaling at Tokyo World Champs was huge for Decathlon
Some models to keep an eye on: ANTA C202 6 Pro, the $130 carbon plated C202 7, the $80 PG7 daily trainer, the 110g 361 Miro Nude carbon plater racer at $219.
Recent and Upcoming News
SAYSKY Winter Capsules
The BLAZE, MOTION, and PACE collection are out. Similar cuts but muted tones there for the most part and then some signature patterns. For what it’s worth, I think these illustrations and quips are cute. When overdone its cheugy. Not a lot of net new stuff, mostly just new prints. My favorite piece is this floral digital camo jacket and houndstooth singlet. Nice colors, unique pattern. SAYKSY really has an enormous product line with 150+ skus on the site at the moment.
NNormal Cadi Is Extra Normal
Most of Killian Jornet’s brand Nnormal is focused on racing. The new Cadi is coming out March 15th, for $175. It’s geared towards comfort and performance over long distance, and decidedly less technical. 4mm lugs Vibram MegaGrip, a fatter 35/29 stack rockered midsole using their softest foam. This seems geared towards less technical trail ultras and daily training, likely a bit more approachable for the average person.
Brooks Glycerin Flex: Shadows of Minimalism
Brooks Glycerin Flex is out now. Thick stack shoe, but Nike Free type grooves. I got a demo pair at TRE and they are quite squishy, and are indeed very flexible across the arch area. I do wish there were some different colors, the regular Glycerin ones are better IMO. I’d like to see some of the trail/lifestyle color blocking come over to the road running lines.
This is an interesting inflection point because every brand has been all in on high stack, high cushion trainers. I’ve been waiting to see if we’d ever get back to pure minimalis, but I don’t think I’d ever run in a pair of Vibram FiveFingers again. I’m too old for that.
This is also very much an experimental shoe: if it’s popular we might see some other companies copying it. The last time they did something like this, they had the Brooks Pure line which came out during the minimalism era.
Saucony Azura + Endorphin Pro 5
My $150 super trainer manifested in the new Saucony Azura. High stack, bouncy foam, unplated. While it may not have the minimal looks to dethrone the EVO SL, they do have some sharp colorways: 90s bold, celestial gray-blue, sea foam green, and a white + gum sole. I loved the Speed and honestly these feel just as good despite lacking a plate: higher stack, same weight, and $25 less.
Initial Thoughts
I got to test drive a pair at the Saucony Maze event in NYC this weekend, which was a team based relay race inside a warehouse area. Super tight turns, almost like cyclocross and lap based over the course of an hour. Luckily the format was short enough that I could pause when my knee started bothering me. Overall super fun event to meet local club runners. At $150, these could easily be my daily road trainer when I want something poppy.
Endorphin Pro 5
Quietly released Feb 1, right around the Azura. Based on reviews from Believe in The Run, it seems like an underwhelming update and an incremental upgrade to the upper. It’s a bummer this model has fallen so far behind because I felt like the first couple versions were better than the Vaporfly, my gold standard!
SATISFY Foundations
As SATISFY aims to 10X, expect more of their stuff to be in stock. Foundations is their “permanent collection” of all their core apparel: AuraLite tees, Space-O mesh, TechSilk shorts, CloudMerino tees, MothTech shirts, and TheRocker in 2 colors. I’m just glad they have the River Shirt back in stock in my size and favorite color—that was always sold out! TheRocker seems to be still in stock and pretty steeply marked down at boutiques though: Sevenstore for $175, Premier Store for $203, Bows and Arrows for $203, Field Theory for $232, the Exchange for $240.
Katherine Douglas also noted from her Paris trip that they finally hired a woman for their design team which bodes well. The brand just released their first women’s collection this past year.
Kilometer Studios Trail Pack
Kilometer Studios focuses on run commute bags, but just released their first ever trail pack! The company used to be IAMRUNBOX and I bought their Kickstarter bag like 9 years ago, which was the first semi-hard shell backpack that didn’t bounce around but protected my laptop. The trail pack seems pretty popular and on the larger side, suitable for fast packing or ultra marathons, but still fits a 15” laptop. Glad to see more brands getting into the pack game and coming in with an opinion.
Tracksmith 2026 Marathon Collection
Was quietly released. Surprised to see nothing in any of their marketing emails nor is it marked in the “New Arrivals” section. The new capsule is fully reversible and in a mature, subtle color palette. The reversible singlet concept was inspired by old XC singlets and gym pinnies that could be flipped for home/away teams. I’m truly a big fan of each palette, especially the brown and mint London colorway. The script with tiny hare jumping over the last letter is a fun detail too, as normally that space would be reserved for the embroidered hare. Overall well executed; Tracksmith fans will like this.
Nike RealTree Capsule
The Nike Realtree Camo pack comes out Feburary 5th. RealTree is a branded camo that licenses out their patterns, and Nike takes full advantage. Would have loved to see these for Fall instead, but I suppose there’s always some upcoming hunting season. The Vomero Premium features an all black upper and RealTree midsole, while the Pegasus, Vomero and Vomero Plus both have printed uppers.
I honestly think these look pretty sharp. The all black with RealTree might have a slimming effect on the almost comically tall Vomero Premium.
For Later
Check out my bit on 3rd and 4th wave running stores, which features a list of the best running stores in the world. Indie Running Stores
If you’re looking to shop for any of this cool gear, check out my running store finder which let’s you filter by brand to see the nearest store.
Supply Run is a series of casual interviews with industry professionals. Anyone from runners to store owners to founders.
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Cole,
Just writing to give a shoutout and say I love the work you do and keep up the great job. Your newsletter is legitimately one of my favorite messages to pop up in my inbox each week. Keep crushing it and your efforts are hella appreciated!
Rob Prosser
Love the (?) after USAL. It's such a unique and odd proposition. I would best describe it as an experiential agency that uses itself and event schedule as the 'influencer' to create premium content for brands.