Golden Harper (All-American runner & running store manager), Jeremy Howlett (runner, businessperson), and Brian Beckstead (Ultramarathoner & running store manager) started Altra Running in 2009. Golden had been lobbying the big shoe companies for years to make more natural footwear that didn’t cause people to heel strike and yet nothing changed.
After cutting down the heels and testing zero drop shoes for quite some time, they had watched it eliminate injuries & change many lives for the good—even bringing running back into the lives of those who thought it was impossible, including Jeremy. Soon they were designing prototypes. Little did they know, “Born to Run” would soon be unleashed on the world…changing the face of running forever.
I first met Golden, Jeremy, and Brian at The Running Event in Austin, TX, 2010. It was the first time I’ve heard the term ‘Zero Drop’ that Brian coined in 2009. Zero Drop takes the concept of a natural approach to running and eliminates the heel elevation in footwear. And I got first access to the first minimalist running shoe models from Altra, Adam and Eve. We published our first review of the Altra Running Adam barefoot shoe in Dec 2010.
