Glasses on the run Newsletter #41

Hi,

I hope you are all well. In a somewhat slow start of the year and expecting the annual reports of some of the major players in the running and sports industry, like Adidas, Asics, and Brooks, here are a few stories from the last couple of weeks that I hope you enjoy.

What was interesting in the business of running

Another step in the Google - Fitbit integration process. A big part of the Fitbit leadership, including co-founders James Park and Eric Friedman, are leaving Google. In addition Google has laid off around one thousand employees, including a few hundred roles in its augmented reality hardware team. The Verge.

Saucony has launched a marathumb challenge, challenging consumers to run a longer distance that the distance they scroll on their phones. A survey among 1,000 Americans showed that they scroll 78 miles per year on average. The Saucony challenge starts on 22nd January and will continue for six weeks. Marketing Dive.

Garmin apparently did very well at the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas earlier this month. It won six innovation awards and launched a couple of new products alongside a redesign of Garmin Connect - its free application for tracking and analysing workouts. ZDNet.

An interesting Mashable story on how logging your runs (or any other activities) on Strava can turn into "performative acts for public validation" and the stress and anxiety that generates as a result. I can definitely relate to some of that. Mashable.

Thank you for reading,

Momchil