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XTRI EXCLUSIVE: Erik Vervloet Talks About the New K-Swiss K-ona Shoe
By Betsy Delcour
10/3/2008 |
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There's been a lot of buzz about these new tri shoes that K-Swiss is debuting in Kona. We got a quick chat in with Erik Vervloet, Sports Marketing Director of K-Swiss (and the driving force behind their huge triathlon campaign) to get the facts on the K-ona Shoe...
1. Tell us about this new K-ona shoe! Who of your athletes have helped in the creation of this shoe?
The K-ona is our new tri race shoe that we will be debuting in Kona this year. This is really the culmination of taking our 42 years of making performance footwear and putting that together with our athletes' feedback on what their needs are on the race course. Literally almost all of our athletes had input on this shoe. We got early samples of the shoe to Chris Lieto, Luke McKenzie, Katya Meyer, Kim Loeffler and James Cotter and they put the shoe through the paces. In fact, all of them raced in that first sample and came back with rave reviews. They also came back with great feedback on what could be made even better and our product guys went to work. So this final edition has our athletes fingerprints all over it.
2. What are the specific features of this shoe that will make it great as a triathlon racer?
The boilerplate answer is that this shoe is very light, extremely well cushioned and supportive, has incredible drainage, and taped seams for sockless wear during shorter races. But that is only half the story. One of the big challenges in tri shoes is not how light it is, but how light it is after you pour water and Gatorade all over it. Therer are lots of shoes out there that start at 9 ozs, but cross the finish line at 10.5. this one will start at less than 9, and you can pour a cup of water on it and it will be less than 9 five steps later. We also introduce Flow Cool which is an airflow system that allows airflow throughout the shoe to keep your feet cool and help evaporate moisture as you run. It has great midfoot support which comes into play late in an Ironman when you start collapsing a bit more during your footstrike. I encourage people to just try the shoe on in Kona.
3. We’ve seen a picture of you holding up the US and Aussie versions of this shoe! Will there be other themes represented, or is this representing some kind of rivalry between Yanks and Aussies?
The whole Aussie and US flag shoe thing started originally as a fun way to get a mock rivalry between Luke and Chris. We wanted to have some fun with it and get US and Aussie athletes to race in the shoes with Chris or Luke as the team captain and sort of create a Davis Cup (tennis reference) type of atmosphere. Plus, both flag editions are very cool looking and give the shoe a very unique and eye catching look. We will have one other theme that is only going to be at Ironman and that is one we are very excited about. We have made an Ironman edition of the K-ona’s that commemorate the Ironman world Championships. The iconic logo, the red and blue colorway, and the M-dot will all be on the shoe. Also we will have custom insoles calling out the 2.4 swim, 112 bike, and the 26.2 run. This shoe will be a home run to anyone who has completed an Ironman. All of our athletes will be wearing the K-ona in one of the three editions that we have available to the public.
4. So…will these be available to the general public? If so, when/where can we buy some?!
The regular K-ona will not be available until 2009, but the US flag, Aussie Flag, and Ironman edition will be available in Kona beginning Monday October 6th at both the expo and King Kam retail locations. We will also be letting people test run the shoes throughout the week so come see us at Lava Java or the expo center to find out how and where you can test them.
5. Are there any other special products you can give us a sneak peak on? Do you have any other special gear being launched in Kona?
The one thing we will sneak preview in Kona is our newest innovation in running called MiSoul, which will be the first shoe to introduce customization at the mass level. It is an extremely exciting innovation and one that we will continue to build on in the coming years. We will also launch our Tri specific apparel this year in Kona and our pros will be wearing our newest kits for release in 09.
I would also like to take this opportunity to wish EVERY athlete competing in Kona good luck! You are all an inspiration to us all. See you in Kona!
Thanks Erik! The real question is, when can I get a pair? :P
Check out www.kswiss.com for more info |
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