Interview with Altra Founder GOLDEN HARPER + A GIVEAWAY
It is NO secret that I love my Altra One Squared’s! Ever since I got them back in September they’ve been my go-to shoe. [You can read my review of them HERE.]
When I heard that Altra was one of the sponsors of the Runner’s World Half & Festival I was excited to meet the people behind the shoes and pick their brains. Over the weekend we got the chance to meet with lots of the Altra staff and also the two sponsors and I learned a LOT about their company, their shoes, and the science behind Foot-shaped Zero Drop shoes.
Last week I was lucky enough to chat with Altra founder Golden Harper one-on-one and ask him all sorts of questions about himself, his running, and Altra. Which I get to share with you! 🙂
How did you get your start in running?
He was told that he started running before he walked. His parents had read that the longer children crawled the smarter they would be so when he was young they made him crawl for as long as possible. One day they were in the parking lot and Golden saw one of those little rides that you put a quarter in and just took off running towards it!
So you’ve been running almost your whole life, can you talk a little about your running experience?
His parents discovered running right around the time he was born and were really enthusiastic about the sport so that rubbed off on him. When he was younger he always did the kids runs at local races. At the age of 8 he won the World Youth Championships (2000m) and from there went on to run a ton of impressive times from a 2:45 marathon at the age of 12 (World BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) to being a successful high school and collegiate runner. From his bio on the Altra website his PR’s and notable wins are as follows…
How did you get the idea for zero drop running shoes?
When Golden was managing his parents’ running store they had a lot of success fixing bunions, neuromas, and other foot pain by expanding the toe box and making people buy a bigger size so their feet could spread out and relax. A few years later they started video taping customers for gait analysis. They noticed that nearly everyone went from having pretty good form when they ran in flats/spikes or barefoot to having AWFUL, high impact form when they were wearing conventional running shoes. Because of this they set out to make a running shoe that simulated running barefoot without sacrificing cushioning and support so that they and their customers could run with the best form possible.
They started by modifying existing shoes (the first zero drop shoes were created in Golden’s toaster oven) and using them on themselves and their customers that had been struggling with injuries. The shoes were so popular with those customers that they went out and started telling their friends all about these zero drop shoes that they had to try!! The store sold around 1,000 pairs of shoes with an expanded toe box and zero drop modification in the first year!
From there Altra has continued to grow and help runners run with better form and avoid injuries!
What are the benefits of Altra shoes?
Improved form, fewer injuries and the benefits of barefoot running without the foot injuries that come with barefoot running or ultra minimal shoes. Because of the range of stability and support that Altra offers they are very practical for everyday runners.
The foot-shaped toe box allows your forefoot to relax and respond naturally when it is pushing off from the ground. This means less foot pain and fewer black toenails/blisters.
At Altra their passion is to help people to run better (with improved biomechanics) to reduce their risk of injury and be the best runners they can be!
Which Altra shoes are your go-to?
He runs in all of Altra’s shoes, but the three that he puts the most mileage on are…
- Lone Peaks (high mileage because these are trail shoes and he love running on trails)
- One2 (for speed training)
- Paradigm
Besides your Altras what are 3 running related items that you NEED?
- VFuel Energy Gel
- Balega PWT Merino Wool socks
- Garmin 620 (me too!!!) – but also enjoys running without a GPS watch and not worrying about pace, distance or speed,
At the very end of the interview I asked Golden what he thought of BYU (his alma mater) joining the WCC (the same conference that Pepperdine, my alma mater, is in).
BYU joining the WCC is awesome! The Mountain West Conference was probably more competitive in terms of running but its great to compete against schools and athletes that share your same values.
I couldn’t have said it better myself – and I’m sure he’s psyched that BYU brought home the 2nd (men) and 1st (women) place trophies at the WCC Championships this past weekend! 😉
A BIG thanks to Golden for his time and to Altra for their desire to help everyone run better. And guess what!
That everyone includes YOU – Golden was nice enough to extend a giveaway of ANY Altra shoe of their choice to one lucky reader. To enter do one or more of the following (if you do more than one leave a comment for each)…
- Visit Altra’s website and leave a comment letting me know which pair you’d pick!
- Follow Altra on Twitter/Instagram
- Follow The Foodie Runner on Twitter/Instagram
Enter today through Thursday at midnight (EST). The winner will be announced on Friday! 😀
GOOD LUCK!