Veja introduced the Harpie in 2026 as its first true trail running shoe, marking the brand's entry into dedicated off-road footwear.

I first noticed Veja around 2008, when sneakers felt like the centre of everything. My friends had them. I kept seeing that V everywhere. Veja looked good, but it also had a different story to tell about how shoes were made.

I understood the appeal. I was young, though, and they cost more than I could spend on a pair of sneakers. So I liked them from a distance.

That distance stuck. Even when I worked in fashion and had plenty of sneakers myself, I never owned a pair of Veja. Almost everyone around me had at some point. I hadn’t even tried one on.

In 2015, I came back to running seriously. Soon after, trail running. I wanted forests, mountains and long days outside. My shoes changed with me. From sneakers to running shoes, then trail running shoes ( I’m basically wearing trail running shoes all the time now)

Veja took a similar route, but a few steps behind. The Condor brought the brand into running in 2019. The Condor 3 Off Road took it onto mixed terrain in 2025. Then, in 2026, came the Harpie: a true trail running shoe.

Veja had to make its way through the entire section of the sports to get into me. 

For nearly two decades, I’d watched the brand from distance. Even working in fashion, I never felt the need to put it on mine. We finally met when the path Veja was following crossed the one I’d been running for years.

I’m 36, I own my very first pair of Veja, it feels that it’s the right time.  And yeah, they’re already covered in mud.

Ultrarunning offers nonelite runners a setting to test physical and mental limits, where finishing rather than speed often defines personal achievement and dignity.

Ultrarunning gives ordinary people a rare place to feel strong, capable and tested. You don’t have to be elite, or even particularly good at it, to experience that.

I’ve DNF’d a lot of 100 milers. When I finally finished Zion 100, I was the last guy across the line, and I felt like a prize fighter walking around the ring with the belt over his head. Watching The Rookie with my son made me wonder why. Maybe as adults we lose the arenas where we get to find out what we’re made of. And maybe ultrarunning is one of the last ones we have left.

00:00 You Don’t Have to Be Good at Ultrarunning

01:03 What The Rookie Made Me Realize

03:46 Adults Lose the Arena

06:16 Stepping Back Into the Arena

12:26 Finishing the Zion 100

16:31 The Dignity of Ultrarunning

20:17 Long Live the Local Ultra

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September 24, 2026

10:06am Mountain Time

Ciele has launched the 2026 NiteRite capsule, a collection of technical running apparel and headwear designed for low-light conditions and building on the brand's fall 2025 NiteRite debut. The range includes GOCap MRPH and TRLCap SC headwear with highly reflective panels (select styles use CORbrite canvas with embedded reflective yarns), DLYTShirt and DLYLongsleeve lightweight four-way stretch layers, the VLVInsulator jacket, DLYShort running short, and the new FSTTight running tight.

The VLVInsulator uses a recycled C0 DWR outer shell with wool and silk insulation and integrated ventilation; the DLYShort is made from partially recycled ripstop with PFC-free DWR and a COOLmatic | PLUS VITALmesh liner for cooling, wicking and odor control. Ciele says its COOLmatic fabrics manage moisture and regulate temperature; the FSTTight has a trimmable compressive design with multiple fuel pockets and anti-chafe construction using COOLmatic | PLUS KLOSfit, and the company notes the collection incorporates recycled fabrics and is machine washable.

Anton Krupicka discusses two decades of mountain life, a broken leg that redirected him, exploration of scrambling and climbing, affiliation with La Sportiva, and a Leadville 100 comeback.

Anton Krupicka has spent two decades becoming something harder to define than a trail runner. This conversation is about identity, resisting trends, and what happens when running becomes just one way of moving through the mountains.

Anton talks about the broken leg that changed his trajectory, discovering scrambling and climbing, his influence on trail running culture, his relationship with La Sportiva, the unexpected Leadville 100 comeback, and what it means to keep pursuing the peak version of yourself as you get older.

• 00:00 Trends don’t matter
• 01:30 From trail runner to mountain man
• 03:52 When the whole landscape opened up
• 08:24 Identity, trends, and trail running culture
• 16:45 The Leadville 100 comeback
• 21:12 The peak version of yourself

Presented by Kiprun https://bit.ly/kiprun_yt

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September 21, 2026

4:55am Mountain Time

NNormal unveils its FW26 collection led by the Cadí GORE-TEX shoe. The Cadí GORE-TEX is a waterproof variant of the Cadí featuring GORE-TEX Invisible Fit ePE, a midsole with a 29/35 mm profile and 6 mm drop, Sincetech upper fabric, and a Vibram Megagrip outsole with 4 mm lugs; it is offered in men’s (blue/black, brown) and women’s (brown) versions, priced at €170 and available now at nnormal.com and selected retailers.

Other FW26 items include the Trail Wind Jacket (123 grams, 100% recycled material, 360° reflective logo, two-way zipper, RRP €140), the Modular Trail Vest (expandable from 8 to 12 litres via a removable waterproof compartment), the Trail Run Belt, the Merino Long Sleeve 02 (merino wool, RRP €90), and expanded Tomir 02 colourways: Tomir 02 Blue/Black €170, Tomir 02 Brown €170, Tomir 02 GORE-TEX Brown/Black €190. NNormal, founded by Camper and Kilian Jornet in 2022, says its products are designed in Mallorca and tested in Norway.

September 17, 2026

6:14am Mountain Time

Nike launched the Alphafly 4 in a limited release on September 17, 2026; broader availability is scheduled for October 29, 2026 at nike.com and select retail locations. Nike describes the Alphafly 4 as a rebuilt marathon racing system and links it to a lineage that includes Eliud Kipchoge’s sub-2-hour marathon.

The Alphafly 4 uses an Atomknit upper, ZoomX LT foam, updated Air Zoom units, a carbon-fiber Flyplate and a Fast Shot outsole. Nike says the shoe is 5% lighter and provides 10% more energy return than its predecessor and that refinements address propulsion, cushioning, comfort and stability.

September 16, 2026

12:51pm Mountain Time

Skratch Labs launches limited-edition Blood Orange and Apple Cider Hydration Sport Drink Mixes, each sold in a resealable bag containing 20 servings and carrying an MSRP of $23.95.

The Blood Orange flavor is new; Skratch Labs says it is made with real blood oranges. The Apple Cider flavor is a returning seasonal offering; Skratch Labs describes it as made with apples and a hint of cinnamon and says it can be served hot or cold. Skratch Labs says both mixes are formulated to replace electrolytes lost in sweat and use whole-food ingredients.

The podcast examines Wasatch 100 and the challenges facing grassroots trail races, including pacers, volunteers, heritage, and what is lost as events professionalize.

Trail running is growing fast, but what happens to the races that don’t scale cleanly? After volunteering overnight at the Wasatch 100 and visiting the brand-new Snowbasin by UTMB race the next day, I came away asking whether the messy, human parts of ultra running are exactly the parts we can’t afford to lose.

This is a conversation about Wasatch 100, UTMB, grassroots trail races, race culture, pacers, volunteers, heritage, and what gets lost when every event starts getting smoother, bigger, and more professional. Not grassroots good, corporate bad. The harder question is what makes a race irreplaceable.

Presented by Kiprun https://bit.ly/kiprun_yt

2:22 Races like Wasatch fill the human spirit.

6:09 I love ultrarunning pacer culture.

10:29 Someone else’s problem becomes mine.

14:55 The back of the pack is where I come alive.

16:52 Wasatch rewards staying.

22:04 You can’t manufacture heritage.

26:21 The fragile one is not the one I thought.

______________

Borderlands explores trail running through culture, media, and the forces shaping it.

If you’re new here, start here: https://www.borderlands.cc/start-here/

Read on Substack (https://borderlandstrailrunning.subst…)

Listen on any podcast platform (https://pod.link/1725734721)

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September 10, 2026

10:16am Mountain Time

Nike ACG (All Conditions Gear) and Run Flagstaff opened Cinderline in Flagstaff, Arizona, on Sept. 10, 2026. The hub will offer weekly runs and hikes, athlete storytelling and community programming for runners in Northern Arizona.

Launch weekend programming includes "Capture the Flag," a discovery-driven community trail-running event, and a Trail Talks conversation with Nat White, the figure behind the Flagstaff Urban Trails System.

September 9, 2026

8:06pm Mountain Time

Nike will launch NikeLab Running, a new apparel collection, globally on October 1, 2026, on Nike.com and at select retailers. The debut includes tops, bottoms and outerwear for women and men.

Nike says the collection was developed from athlete insights and designed for changing conditions, according to Sarah Gardner, Director of Global Women’s Running Apparel. Nike Sport Research Lab data informed material placement to target ventilation and heat retention.