Teva Trail Challenge: My first trail run with obstacles and muddy hills

On July 28, 2013, Teva had launched its new line of trail shoes by organizing a trail run, Teva Trail Challenge, at the Earthhaven, San Mateo Rizal. This happens to be my first trail run with obstacles. It was also my first opportunity to use Teva Sphere Speed, the new trail shoes from Teva (more on this at another blog post).

Pre-Race

I am not a big fan of trail running, especially those with obstacles and mud. But I do appreciate the beauty of such experiences including bonding with friends, experiencing nature's beauty and seeing great sights. But I have previously shunned the idea of trail running with mud and obstacles. I don't like mud on my running apparel, especially my shoes, but having acquired Teva Sphere shoes had changed my mind.

Actual Race

This post has been months overdue so I'll just tell you what happened with the help of photos I took around the race route.

 Bloggers a few minutes before the race

 Tevasphere Unite!

Posing at the starting line a few seconds before the gunstart

 Uphill agad sa natatanging road sa race

 Then, we enter the trails. Looks manageable, not!

Ayan na, buwis buhay trails!

The first obstacle has us climbing up a net.

CJ, Cheryl and I are stratch free but muddy

In some parts of the trail, the only way down is to slide down.

Teva Sphere Review and Specifications

Infographics

Specifications

Tevasphere Video

Review

The Teva Team sent me a Tevasphere Speed for test running. At first, I found the shoe weird looking because of the spherical shape and the big round thing in the sole of the shoe. I tried it out for casual wear in the office but that big round thing makes it look weird for a casual outfit.

 Tevasphere Unite!

The next thing I did was take it out for a road run. My run was extra noisy because of that big round thing in the sole. It felt uncomfortable to run in those shoes. I was thinking it was because the shoe is new that's why it was tough to run in them so I took it out for another run. But it still felt weird to run in them. Then, I realized that this shoe is for trail running so I went to Ayala Triangle and I run in the grassy and muddy part of the park. The big round thing in the sole of the shoe finally made sense. Trails are not even and the elements of the shoe made running in that surface seem like running on a flat ground.

Tevasphere after the mud walk

The Teva Trail Challenge was the perfect to see how it would fare to a real trail. And the shoe had enough grip to help me survive the trail challenge. It even survived walking in a river and walking through mud. A great thing with the shoe is that it was easy to clean up and dries faster that I expected. Overall, I would be confident to join trail running events because of this shoe, Tevasphere Speed. Check this shoe out in outdoor shops like ROX.

The Ultimate TEVA Trail Challenge

Press Release

The vast outdoor bore witness once again as the metro’s most avid active sport athletes and race warriors went head to head and pushed their physical capabilities in the recently concluded TEVA Trail Challenge held last July 28.

Strategically organized to gather individuals with a passion for adrenaline-pumping adventures, the TEVA Trail Challenge also signified the re-launch of TEVA as the ultimate outdoor footwear brand of choice by athletic greats with its uniquely tasteful designs and use of a distinctively innovative technology called the Tevasphere.

To further elaborate Teva’s footwear technology, the race took place within the lush eco-community of Earthheaven in San Mateo Rizal, a 20-hectare oasis where runners communed with nature as they race across majestic sceneries and breath-taking mountain landscapes – emphasizing what TEVA is truly all about.

Divided into two categories, around 300 runners battled it as soon as the gun fired in the 5k Warrior and 10k Elite race. Challenging obstacles awaited them in each turn of the muddy man-made road and proved to be a grueling test that exhausted their rigors.

In the end, all finishers took home TEVA loot bags on top of the honor of completing the first-ever TEVA trail challenge in the country. Raffle prizes were also given away. Meanwhile, the top three male and female race winners in each category were hailed as the ultimate trail champions by TEVA along with a slew of memorable prizes.

All the fun and excitement certainly did not end along with the race as interactive product booths were set up by TEVA to demonstrate its newest technology. In addition, mini-challenges and random raffle prizes were given away to participants care of the event sponsors. Indeed, the TEVA Trail Challenge proved to be a one-of-a-kind trail running event as it also served as a day that celebrated active fitness.

After all, that is what TEVA is all about as it aims to boost the abilities of its wearer with its innovative technologies that will complement all kinds of outdoor activities.

All over the world, TEVA attracts passionate adventurers with a love for active sports and a penchant for exploring the great unknown. From its beginnings as a sports sandal brand, it has now evolved into a highly-competitive outdoor footwear brand.

The event was sponsored by The Legend Villas, Timbuk2, R.O.X., Res Toe Run, Crystal Clear, Choco Boom, Magic Flakes, Gatorade, Sony, Walkman and Eartheaven. Media Partners: The Philippine Star, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Manila Bulletin, Sports Digest Magazine, Dispatch Magazine, Gala Magazine, and WhenInManila.com