When I heard Wise Trail Running was coming to the Bay, I was ecstatic! I knew I wanted to show the Wise Team the spirit of trail running in Oakland.
I love how all the trail runners in the community come from different backgrounds. There are mothers, teachers, nurses, rock stars, barbers, and much more. However, we all have one thing in common, the love of trail. So I decided to invite everyone all out for a day of trail running and burgers. We gathered up at the store and fitted everyone with Wise vests. Then we packed into a van and made our way to the redwoods. Being a french brand, I obviously took everyone to the French Trail (pun intended). In Oakland, we do not have big mountains like you see in UTMB, but it's no walk in the park. Running in the redwoods consists of steep rolling terrain, technical root exposed descents, and tricky navigation. No problem for the Wise vest. Sitting at 139 grams for a size 4, it is the lightest vest I have tried (for a 12l). The extra large pockets in the front make it accessible and the best part is that it does not jiggle.
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After our run, a hefty 9 miler with 2000ft of vertical gain, we made our way back to town. With the crew now hungry, we walked over to the best burgers in Oakland, Lovelys. Nothing beats a smashburger and fries after a day of running, especially with those you share a passion with.
This whole experience made me realize how far trail running has come. Growing up watching my dad run ultras, I would see him running 100 miles with nothing at all. The last time we raced a 100k together, he wore a regular backpack and a flashlight. Now fast forward several years, we are running with the newest and best tech in the market for trail running.