NIKE & UNDER ARMOUR INDUSTRY VETERANS LAUNCH NEW BRAND SPEEDLAND

News ⋅ June 17, 2021

Speedland Trail Runners

WHEN NIKE MET UNDER ARMOUR IT WAS LOVE, AND A NEW BRAND, SPEEDLAND, WAS BORN!

Dave Dombrow and Kevin Fallon are running shoe industry veterans. We have never been certain if this term is complementary or an insult!

What we do know is that Dombrow and Fallon have enormous experience under their belts, and both have worked with Nike, Puma and most recently, Under Armour.

Whilst working at UA in Portland, Oregon, the home of running footwear, they had the ‘ol corridor conversation.. “hey.. what if…”

And from that conversation, the latest running shoe company was born, Speedland, currently specialising in trail running product.

Speedland launches its first product for pre-order June 15 and delivery Aug. 15, highlighting the equipment moniker because everything about the SL:PDX signifies high-end trail running, culminating with a $375 price point. But it was that “no compromise” approach that meant Speedland placed a focus on ultra-premium materials at every step, not worried about fitting into a mold.

 

Now that is a luxury very few companies can afford, but Dumbrow and Fallon apparently have the confidence to take the SL:PDX to market with this price tag, and succeed.

And why not? This is NOT your average trail running shoe and these guys are not your average “industry veterans”!

This is a product that swaggers under the quality of design, innovation, materials and sheer chutzpah.

Take a look at the specs…

A Michelin outsole, a special Pebax midsole, a Dyneema upper, BOA Fit for a lacing system and Carbitex for the carbon plate.. all amongst the most expensive components one can put into a shoe.

Dombrow comments that these are an

“aggregation of all the best of the best things put together. Nobody would ever do it because it creates a very high retail price.” 

Amen to that, but Bravo to the creators, this being just the attitude the industry needs.

Take a look at the Speedland story and that of the SL:PDX here.. it is a very interesting short video!

 

 

Dave Dombrow and Kevin Fallon “in the engine room” hatching ideas. Photo credit

Fallon then chimes in with

“We are not doing trail as a side business to the road or balancing metric,” he says. “This is our product. We believe this is a totally different level of equipment.” 

You may have noticed over the past few years, that some of the running shoe companies that are absolutely on fire, are really quite small. This is because small companies are nimble and can adapt and pivot fast, something the giants of the industry simply cannot do.

This is a significant advantage, and will allow companies like Speedland to excel in innovation and disruption in what might otherwise be an overcrowded market.

The Speedland SL:PDX is a great example of this with some truly innovative ideas. We love that the lugs can easily be adjusted and that the carbon fibre plate can be individually tuned or completely removed with ease.

As a car nut, I personally love the analogy to F1, and tuning the shoe for different tracks, something I have been preaching for years!

It is not easy to achieve what Dombrow and Fallon have here with the new Speedcross SL:PDX, it takes some real passion, experience, foresight and well.. kohones!

 

 

And sometimes at the end of it all, the product may be technical and innovative, but just not look right.

Nothing could be further from the truth with the SL:PDX, it looks great.

Speedland, watch this space.

 

Written by

Simon Bartold

Bartold Clinical