How LEKI made poles a must-have for trail running

Up with four-wheel drive

 

“I wasn’t even at the first UTMB in Chamonix in 2003. I was in Chile at the time,” laughs Laurent Ardito, long-time coach of trail runner Xavier Thevenard. But there is no better expert to tell the story of poles in trail running. “At the end of the 1980s, three disciplines merged to form something new. Mountain running from southern Europe, adventure races like the Marathon de Sables and the ultra running culture from the USA merged into a new sport. Trail running was born,” recalls Ardito.

 

Poles have always been a rare commodity in adventure races. In addition, many of the major ultra races in the USA are characterised by moderate gradients and well-maintained trails. “On the other hand, poles have always had their place in mountain races in France, Italy and Spain,” explains Ardito. In the 1980s and 1990s, cross-country poles were mainly made of aluminium. Chunky and heavy compared to today’s products. Technical development was still in its infancy. At the end of the 1990s, the triumph of carbon began, replacing the heavy aluminium poles.

 

In the early 2000s, more and more runners started using adjustable trekking or Nordic walking poles. Even telescopic trekking poles had a pack size of 70 cm and more and stuck out of the athlete’s rucksack like antennae. At that time, the adjustable LEKI Traveler Carbon was used in competitions by runners such as the Frenchman Sebastien Chaignaux, although it was actually a Nordic walking pole. The big breakthrough came in the early 2010s with the folding pole technology. This almost halved the pack size to 37 cm and the poles could fit into any rucksack overnight. “We sat down together and decided that for the first time we wanted to develop a pole that was 100% tailored to the needs of trail runners,” summarises Olivier Dufour, Country Manager of LEKI France.

 

Development of LEKI trailrunning poles from 2005 to 2022

The development of the LEKI trail running poles © LEKI

 

For the first time, LEKI has combined folding pole technology with Shark technology – a strap with a click system developed together with cross-country skiing World Cup athletes. “In the Nordic finish sprint, athletes need maximum power transmission and propulsion. Just like in trail running,” explains LEKI Product Manager Christian Nordhaus. “The ability to quickly engage and disengage the strap is exactly what trail runners need when changing up and down. It has to be 100% reliable – in the dark, in the rain, when tired and under stress. Runners need to get in and out of the grip system again and again. It’s all about the perfect combination of power transmission and speed of use. This is exactly what our Shark system does,” explains Christian Nordhaus. The first Micro Trail Pro was born and in 2015 Xavier Thévenard won his second UTMB with the legendary red pole.

 

In the same year, LEKI was the first brand to develop a complete collection that covers all the disciplines of trail running, from ultra distance to vertical K. And not without reason: Athletes with a cross-country background, such as Xavier Thévenard and Luis Alberto, appreciated the advantages of the poles right from the start and also knew how to use them technically,” says Michael Brechtelsbauer, responsible for international sales and marketing at LEKI. Thévenard’s victory is still very important for the company: Xavier helped us a lot in the early days of trail running. He was LEKI’s first great champion,” says Brechtelsbauer.

 

And the success story continued. In 2022, LEKI developed the Trail Shark, the first grip strap system designed 100% for trail running. The Ultratrail FX.One Superlite is now an international bestseller and is used by athletes all over the world to reach the podium. In the beginning, trail running was mainly a matter for the sales organisation in France. “Today, trail running is more than a niche segment for us and sales are at a remarkable level. It is important for us to be able to live the LEKI Racing DNA both in winter and in summer,” explains Brechtelsbauer.

 

Hannes Namberger on the trail with the Ultratrail FX.One Superlite © LEKI

 

 

Working with top athletes


“Being close to the top athletes is a prerequisite for us to achieve top performance in development. We currently have prototypes tested outdoors by the best of the best. We also test the performance of our products and technologies across a wide range of disciplines. 34 top international runners took part in the last survey alone,” says Product Manager Nordhaus.

 

For LEKI, athletes have always been at the centre of innovation. Every detail is optimised thanks to feedback from top athletes. When it comes to LEKI poles, most athletes praise the Shark system in particular. Hannes Namberger: “I actually use the poles whenever I need the “all-wheel drive”. For me it starts at 30 kilometres with more than 1,000 metres of altitude difference. Since I mostly ride ultra races with several climbs, I always start with sticks. If the climbs are very steep and the terrain isn’t suitable for running, I don’t want to give up the advantage of the sticks. Thanks to their light weight and small pack size, they are also easy to unfold and ready to use. Two-time UTMB winner Courtney Dauwalter agrees: “At some point, the poles start to feel like they are part of your body.

 

 

Courtney Dauwalter in the Hard Rock 100 © Howie Stern

Courtney Dauwalter in the Hard Rock 100 © Howie Stern

 

For Laurent Ardito, weight plays an important role in trail running: “When you’re on the road for 24 hours, 20 grams make a huge difference”. LEKI has a lot more to do in terms of weight and innovation. “We are essentially a technology company and in the next few years we will be presenting innovations that are specifically tailored to the needs of trail runners,” reveals Brechtelsbauer.

 

Developments for the future are clearly focused on weight reduction without compromising performance. LEKI is also aiming for even more intuitive usability. “Although our prototypes are out there, our customers still have to be patient. At LEKI, we plan comparatively long test phases because we want to be 100% sure that our products are perfect down to the last detail. We are as thorough in development as we are on the mountain,” explains Christian Nordhaus with a twinkle in his eye.

 

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