Mud. Rocks. Scree. Talus. Snow. Creek crossings. And even lightning. The Boa Closure System saw it all as Boa Marketing Director Garett Graubins tackled the fabled Hardrock 100 Endurance Run last weekend. Running in prototyped Hoka Bondi B’s, Graubins successfully completed the course, which climbs a total of 33,000 feet and crosses 13 high-altitude mountain passes, in 37 hours. “This was the ultimate field testing ground for Boa on trail running shoes,” says Graubins. “It was sort of like when Samsonite tested their suitcases by throwing them into the gorilla cage at the zoo. The Hardrock course is relentless and it beats you up like nothing else. If you have one weak chink in your armor, Hardrock will expose it.” Graubins also points out that the Boa Closure System let him “Set it and Forget It” for virtually the entire race — he didn’t need to adjust the system once — and the system was lighter weight than traditional shoelaces, since the Boa lace does not absorb water and sheds mud.

The Boa Closure System currently is available at retail on trail running shoes from The North Face (Sentinel Boa), Scarpa (Blitz & Corsa) and TrekSta (Kobra). It also appears on several light hikers.

Graubins enjoyed the company of a pacer over the race’s final 26+ miles: prolific running blogger Sarah Lavender Smith. You can read her account of the final quarter of the race here: http://www.therunnerstrip.com

Photo courtesy of Bryon Powell, iRunFar.com

Ultramarathon Man Dean Karnazes and family took a little timeout from their busy schedule a few weeks ago (running across the United States) to drop in on First Lady Michelle Obama. We need to get her in North Face Sentinel Boa Reel PInk running shoes just like Dean!

Catch him if you can! Ultramarathon Man Dean Karnazes is running coast to coast across the United States in Boa starting February 26th in Riverside, California. He’s planning to run up to 50 miles per day for 75 days wearing the The North Face Sentinel Boa running shoe.

Words By Frazier Moore AP Television Writer

“This is without a doubt the most intense endeavor I’ve ever undertaken,” said the 48-year-old Karnazes, whose list of endurance derring-do includes this breathtaking achievement: 50 marathons in 50 days in all 50 states. (Whereupon, after completing the last one, the New York City Marathon, he headed back toward his San Francisco home, running 1,300 miles until, feeling homesick for his wife and two children, he hopped a flight from Missouri.)

Karnazes will leave Disneyland during Friday’s “Live!” telecast (check local listings for this syndicated show), with Ripa and some 200 other well-wishers seeing him off from the Magic Kingdom.

On Saturday, January 8, Boa Marketing Director Graubins headed to Colorado’s Indian Peaks to tackle what has quickly become known as one of the toughest snowshoe races around: the Hardwater 30K. The 18.6-mile snowshoe romp takes place at altitudes entirely above 10,000 feet. In all, it climbs a total of 2,500 feet and provides the ultimate proving grounds for the features and benefits of the Boa Closure System.

“We’re always looking for new ways to apply and test the Boa Closure System in grueling conditions,” says Graubins. “This snowshoe race seemed like a good opportunity. It’s gnarly out there, and we know from our experience in snowboarding and skiing that Boa can handle the worst winter weather that Mother Nature dishes out.”

Graubins Looking Strong at Mile 13

Graubins ran the race in a pair of Pearl Izumi running shoes prototyped with the Boa Closure System (the shoes were bolted to a pair of Atlas snowshoes). “I dialed into the exact fit at the start and never had to readjust or re-tie,” says Graubins. “Further, the system locked in my foot the entire time and didn’t collect snow, slush, and ice like standard lace-up shoes are prone to doing during these events. This kept them more lightweight, too.”

Against a field of roughly 35 hearty racers, Graubins won in a time of four hours and five minutes.

Dear Mr. Jobs:

Recently, we here at Boa Technology watched in horror as you stopped during a press conference to tie your shoes (photo below). It struck us as downright appalling that the CEO of a company leading the charge toward the 22nd century would resort to First Century technology to close his shoes.

Hold on a sec..while I tie my shoe...

Put more bluntly, we have to ask: What’s with the shoelaces?

So, we set to work on creating a pair of shoes more befitting of Steve Jobs, a pair of shoes that is true to Apple’s forward-looking culture. Here they are, featuring the Boa Lacing System — a closure system which now appears on six million pairs of shoes worldwide, worn by elite athletes and visionaries alike.

With the Boa Lacing System on your feet, you’ll send a strong message to the world (which, last time we checked, includes stock holders) that you’re not glued to the old ways of doing things. You are also guaranteed to never have your shoes come untied — and you can rest assured that you will never again need to stop mid-presentation to recite the bunny-ear rhyme as you re-tie your shoes.

Yours truly,

The Team at Boa Technology

“You can really dial in the exact tightness you want at the start of the run, ” said one tester, “and make micro-adjustments easily midrun.” Outside Magazine’s August Issue

Boa Inventory Coordinator Jason Deugan doesn’t leave any work undone, at the office or on the trails. So, after dropping from the 2009 San Juan Summer Solstice 50-Mile Run due to snowstorms, it seemed a foregone conclusion that he would return in 2010 to exact some semblance of revenge. “It sort of weighed on me mentally,” he said of the previous year’s drop.

Deugan kicks it to the finish line, chasing away demons from 2009

The San Juan Summer Solstice is known as one of the nation’s most difficult 50-mile foot races. It climbs a total of 13,000 feet, up and down the very rugged and remote San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado. More than one half the race takes place at altitudes over 11,000 feet.

Deugan turned the dials to tighten his Boa prototype shoes well before 5 AM on the chilly morning of June 19. Would 2010 bring a better result than 2009?

It would appear so. This year’s San Juan Summer Solstice conditions were more conducive to Jimmy Buffet than Santa Claus, as sunny skies chased away any hint of snow (the race takes place at altitudes well over 11,000 feet, where it can snow any month of the year). And Deugan cruised through the course, power stroking through the race’s two main monstrous climbs, both topping out on the Continental Divide. Still, 50 miles is a long way for a footrace and, as happens to every runner, he began to fade around Mile 38. “I never really thought I couldn’t finish,” he said, “but around Mile 38 I really wanted to quit. Everything was hurting and I knew I was 2 miles away from seeing my wife and the ability to drop. Once I got there though, I knew I wanted to keep going.”

With a renewed sense of energy, Deugan endured the race’s final brutal climb before savoring the last long, torturous descent into the town of Lake City, CO. He wore a grand smile as he crossed the town’s main park to reach the finish line.

OhioOutside’s Mark Gorman gave The North Face Sentinel Boa a tough review and test through his personal gauntlet of roads and trails. The outcome?  Well, we think this quote pretty much sums up his thoughts on running shoes and the Boa Lacing System: “I would suggest all running shoe manufacturers look into this technology.” That’s what we like to hear! Read the entire review here at OhioOutside.com.

Mud on the shoes but not on the Boa laces! The Boa Lacing System sheds mud, water and ice, shaving precious weight!