From Brooks to HOKA to Saucony, Day 1 of TRE 2025 revealed an industry waking up to what runners actually want—real stories, real community, and less jargon.

Call us suckers for getting together with a bunch of run nerds and brands, but that’s exactly what we’re doing this week. The Running Event (TRE) rolled ran into San Antonio and we made the hour trip south to soak it all in.

Heading into this show, one theme has already defined 2025: Running brands are more intentional than ever about meeting local communities where they are.

From the Cool Kids Run Club to the 300 sq. ft. boutique shop, everyone — On, HOKA, ASICS, Brooks — has been hyper-focused on not being “big brands,” but instead authentic collaborators.

And in a world where tech and AI is eroding authenticity in every way, running brands are sprinting to make real connection.

So when we sunk into our seat and heard the moderator of the day’s biggest keynote ask, “Who here loves a good story?” … I knew the theme of the year would be a big one at TRE too.

Here are my Day 1 insights:

It All Starts With Authenticity

“Product needs to be grounded in something authentic. It’s aspirational, and whether you’re running a mile or 100 miles, runners know they’re getting the thing that helps them do what they need to do.” — Angela Medlin, HOKA

Across a packed panel featuring leaders from Brooks, HOKA, Saucony, and Altra, one message was clear: Authenticity through storytelling has never mattered more.

Runners don’t just buy shoes, they buy the story about the shoe: the Altra trainer that helped a friend shave minutes off a PR or the Brooks shoe that helped someone start running again.

Stories create identity and identity creates belonging and belonging creates loyalty. And loyalty makes you a hell of a lot of $$$.

Never Forget the Customer

“A great product should speak to the runner from ten feet away.” — Carson Caprara, Brooks

Every panelist agreed: the best product stories start with people, not products. Not design or branding and certainly not cushioning.

Good products start with understanding the friction points runners live with, the moments that define them, and the culture they’re navigating.

Angela Medlin of HOKA took it further, saying she won’t even let her team sketch until they’ve had real conversations with real athletes.

Her example was with the great, Jim Walmsley, who doesn’t just give feedback—he dissects ideas, tears them apart, rebuilds them, and demands honesty from both the product and the people behind it. He makes bad ideas good, and good ideas better.

Community Starts with Your Local Shop

“The best thing I ever did was own a shop with my desk right in the middle of the store. It forced me to connect with the local community more than ever.” — Jason Faustino, Saucony

It’s no coincidence that every local shop now has its own run club and its own vibe. They’re the purveyors of community—interpreters, cultural guides, translators of what brands hope to say into something runners can actually feel.

It was refreshing to hear big brands openly acknowledge how much they rely on these shops to be their eyes and ears. And brands like Brooks and HOKA admitted they’re working to get better because jargon doesn’t work on the sales floor and no one is asking for “moisture-wicking” or antimicrobial fabric; they’re asking, “Will this keep me dry?” and “Is this going to stink?”

Heads still butt and from the sound of it there’s still too many layers between corporate and retail—but local shops are the ones adjusting to their customers and keeping community alive and well.

Lifestyle and Street Culture Is Making a Huge Impact

“Inclusion of lifestyle and streetwear is helping break down some of those barriers that used to make running feel gate-kept. People don’t have to understand every tech term to feel connected to the product.” — Jason Faustino, Saucony

A few years ago, running and lifestyle lived on opposite ends of the spectrum. That’s not the case anymore. Lifestyle and street culture are shaping running in ways that would’ve been unthinkable even five years ago. The pretentious behavior and hyper-seriousness has softened.

Much like dads wearing Jordan’s, people aren’t just wearing shoes for performance—they’re wearing them as part of their identity, long before they toe a starting line. Running and its culture feels more accessible today and less intimidating. And it’s bringing in people who never felt like they belonged, making “runner” a broader, more interesting definition.

More diverse participants = more interesting products.

Emotion Is the New Purchase Power

Angela Medlin of HOKA told a story from UTMB this year that perfectly captured where product storytelling is going. Last year, relatively unknown athlete Vincent Bouillard showed up, shocked the entire field, and won—wearing a pair of HOKAs he helped engineer the foam for. Not even HOKA knew he was racing.

It wasn’t just any victory, it was an emotional buzz that had everyone taking — one of those rare moments where the feeling behind a product mattered more than the specs of what he wore. In a sport where most stories have been told a dozen times, this was something fresh, raw, and real. And everyone felt it and talked about it, and it was huge for the brand.