Relentless Forward Progress: The North Face and Smith Optics Contest

A contest with The North Face and Smith Optics to celebrate the launch of Relentless Forward Progress: A Guide to Running Ultramarathons.

By on April 29, 2011 | Comments

Few outdoor brands are as ubiquitous as The North Face. In fact, living in a mountain town, a TNF puffy is as close as it comes to a town uniform 6 months out of the year. (Score one for #EndlessWinter.) These days, TNF is becoming nearly as frequent a sight out on the trails. With their top notch running team, premier events (Endurance Challenge, UTMB & others), running-specific clothing, and lineup of trail shoes, The North Face is one of the leaders in the trail running space. We’re matching up TNF with Smith Optics, another staple up here in Park City, Utah for our fifth in a week’s long series of giveaways to celebrate the launch of Relentless Forward Progress: A Guide to Running Ultramarathons. Be sure to check them all out. (Feel free to spread the word about the book.)

The North Face logoThe past two years have been banner years for TNF trail shoes. Last year, the Single-Track, a hybrid road-trail shoe, received a wealth of accolades, including a solid review here on iRunFar. They’ve followed that performance up with the release of the Double-Track, which just won Gear of the Year from Outside Magazine… a feat the Single-Track accomplished last year. The Double-Track is a more stable, cushier version of the Single-Track. The winner will get his or her choice of The North Face trail shoes.

Here’s a sweet video with 2010 TNF Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc champion Jez Bragg talking about the Single-Track.

While running around naked can be fun, it remains prudent (for many reasons) to do one’s trail running clothed and The North Face’s Better Than Naked clothing line is just the ticket. For instance, the Better Than Naked Crew shirts (men’s & women’s) are made with super-lightweight fabric and gender-specific venting. They’re perfect for all your spring, summer, and autumn trail runs. The North Face also makes a Better Than Naked Short (men’s & women’s) that features a zippered rear pocket and inseam-less design to reduce chafing.

Smith Optics logoSmith Optics is hooking the winner up with a pair of shades to make him or her look as cool as they’ll feel in Better Than Naked clothing. Check out the Pivlock V90. These frameless shades will turn heads without weighing yours down. Each Pivlock V90 comes with three interchangeable lenses. A 90-degree turn of each temple arm and a pull on the nose bridge quickly gives you all the pieces you need to swap lenses and be a whole new, ultra cool you.

Finally, the winner will receive an iRunFar Headsweats hat to keep him or her comfortable and stylish year-round.

How To Enter
CONTEST CLOSED 6 a.m. MDT Friday, May 6. Mark Schleicher of Madison, WI, you’ve won the great prize pack from The North Face and Smith Optics.

[Note: Styles and sizes are subject to availability. Fear not, the winner will be well taken care of!]

Bryon Powell

Bryon Powell is the Founding Editor of iRunFar. He’s been writing about trail running, ultrarunning, and running gear for more than 15 years. Aside from iRunFar, he’s authored the books Relentless Forward Progress: A Guide to Running Ultramarathons and Where the Road Ends: A Guide to Trail Running, been a contributing editor at Trail Runner magazine, written for publications including Outside, Sierra, and Running Times, and coached ultrarunners of all abilities. Based in Silverton, Colorado, Bryon is an avid trail runner and ultrarunner who competes in events from the Hardrock 100 Mile just out his front door to races long and short around the world, that is, when he’s not fly fishing or tending to his garden.