Every time I get a new shipment from K-Swiss I get super excited to find out what new products they’ve released. Since I started working with the company at the beginning of 2008, Kalifornia-Swiss has gone from a one-running-shoe brand (the Ultra-Natural Run) to a full line of innovative and performance-geared running shoes. In that same timeline, the athletic clothing has expanded from a few shirts and some tennis socks, to a full line of running apparel, including shorts, running pants, shirts, running jackets, and even right/left specific running socks (which are incredibly comfortable).
Most recently I got a pre-production pair of the new K-Ruuz 6.5oz racing flats. I’ve never run in shoes that lightweight before, and it’s awesome. Dallas was my fastest 10km time, 32:00, and I’m sure part of what let me run so fast were my new kicks. (As an aside, I probably wouldn’t recommend the K-Ruuz to your average triathlete – the risk of injury when racing in such a minimalist shoe is much higher. Make sure you have some miles under your feet and that you have the body type for a true racing flat. The K’Ona is plenty light at 9oz and still offers great support and stability.)
I also got a running top – which according to the tag is called a “half-zip top†– that I can only find on k-swiss.com for women. It’s made of a super-thin fleece, which has proven to wick my sweat away from my body. It beads on the outside of the shirt, so my clothes never get damp and heavy as I run. It also has thumb holes, so my hands stay warmer. This is definitely my new favorite cold-weather running top (my previous favorite was a rowing top I stole from my mom’s closet), and if I could find the men’s version on the website I would link it, then buy a few more before they sell out.
Courtenay also just got a new set of kicks from K-Swiss. She went to My K-Swiss and designed her own custom shoes. You can pick your own colors for the fabric, laces, and sole, then you can put your name on the side – all for just $70. Below are the shoes I made with Columbia University in mind, and I’m assuming you’ll get an error message if you try to make shoes for Dartmouth or U. Penn.