I received an e-mail yesterday informing me that my application to become a member of the Brooks I.D. program for 2010 has been accepted! I’m really excited about this for a number of reasons, which I’ll get to in a bit, but I thought I’d first let you in on what this program is all about. Here’s the description of the Brooks I.D. program from the Brooks Running website:
“Brooks I.D. stands for Inspire Daily. These two simple words guide the principles of the program. Brooks I.D. is made up of over 2,000 members who are active in their running communities and share a passion for the Brooks brand. They are runners who are winners in their own right: Winning their age divisions, accomplishing their personal goals, pushing their own limits, and, by extension, encouraging others to do the same. They are coaches, mentors, and leaders.”
“Brooks I.D. members use their athletic talent to help carry out the Brooks mission: To inspire people to run and be active.“
You can also watch a video about the Brooks I.D. program here.
You can find the Brooks I.D. program application here.
If you’ve followed this blog at all, you might scratch your head about my fitting in with the “passion for the Brooks brand” line in the first paragraph of the program description above. This would be due to the fact that I’ve done most of my running of late in shoes made by other manufacturers (mainly Nike and Saucony), and have written very little about Brooks. This is more due to my habit of trying out different things, and my penchant for bargain hunting, than any particular allegiance to Nike or Saucony, and if I had written this blog last year you would have found me running mostly in Brooks and Asics shoes (my second true pair of running shoes were Brooks Adrenaline GTS 8’s, and I ran my first marathon, Vermont City, in them). I also have quite a bit of Brooks apparel, and use it frequently. I now tend to run in lightweight shoes, and am looking forward to running in the Brooks Launch, T6 Racers, and maybe even the Mach 11 XC flats.
My decision to apply for the Brooks I.D. program, however, was not driven so much by the gear as it was by its mission – to “Inspire Daily,” and to “inspire people to run and be active.” Since I started this blog back in January of this year, I have met a huge number of wonderful people in the on-line, Run-Net community. From sites like Dailymile to Twitter, there are people doing amazing and inspiring things through running. Whether it be through marathon fundraising and charity events, or through reaching personal fitness goals, I have seen people whose lives have been transformed by taking up this hobby that is such an important part of my life. This is where Brooks really stands apart from other brands for me – they are the one running gear company that has in my mind truly embraced this wonderful community, and their direct involvement with everyday runners like myself on sites like Twitter is both impressive and inspiring. Brooks lives up to the mission of the I.D. program through its actions, and for that reason I wanted to become a part of their team. If I can inspire just one person to get active through my own journeys on the road, through teaching in the classroom about the value of exercise, and through telling my story on this blog and my Run-NH website, then these efforts will have been well worth it.
I have gone through a lot of internal debate about whether joining this program would be the right thing for me to do. I like experimenting with gear and reviewing various product, and committing to using one brands’s shoes and apparel is a big step for me, but ultimately the Brooks I.D. mission won me over. I don’t run for the gear so much as I do for the love of the simple act of being out on the road, and for the enjoyment I get out of sharing my passion for running with others. Perks like gear discounts and community membership will surely be nice, but my goal is to promote the mission. I have some ideas of how to proceed with this, and am toying with a few big things, but those will come out in due time. For now, I’m looking forward to being sponsored for 2010, and am excited to be a part of the Brooks I.D. team!
About Peter Larson
“To inspire people to run and be active.” That is an awesome mission statement. One of the main goals for my blog is to do that exact same thing. I also applied for the ID program, but have not heard word yet. How long did it take for you to hear back from them? Congrats on your sponsorship!
Phong,
It took me about a month to hear back – apparently they review apps on a
rolling, monthly basis. -Pete
Welcome to the Team from a Fellow IDer!
Pete… take a minute to investigate your status. Currently, folks who have been accepted recently (for 2009) need to re-apply for 2010 sponsorship. No one had been accepted for 2010 yet..
Sherpa John
John,
I got an e-mail from them saying I will not have to re-apply, but will just
have to verbally commit for 2010 when the time comes. Thanks for the heads
up. Maybe we can plan something ID related for 2010 at some point. Look
forward to joining the group!
Pete
Glad to meet you here and on twitter! You seem like the perfect Brooks I.D. participant.
I’m a mama to 1 with 1 on the way (due in 13 weeks!). I run competitively for the Atlanta Track Club and am still racing. My husband is from NE and we moved to Atlanta after living in Boston for many years (we miss it!).
I don’t blog or tweet about my running as much as I’d like because most of my readers are moms who DON’T run (especially while pregnant!) so they wouldn’t relate as much to that as they do to my “mommy-posts”.
I’m so glad to have your tweets, blog and other running blogs as outlets to my running obsession! Good luck to you in your training this winter!
Nice to meet you as well! I’m excited to be part of the Brooks ID program,
and look forward to staying in touch!
Pete
Well, as a runner who loves SWAG I understand where you’re coming from but it ruins your “journalistic integrity” if you had any.
I’m reading your blog for the first time so forgive me but I’m going to have trouble believing what you say now that I know your basically a mouthpiece for Brooks. I know, I’ve been there. You will be affected by the Brooks sponsorship.
Not that I didn’t think about it for a second. But I read the “contract” with Brooks. Right now, I’m training in whatever running shoes I have left over from previous years, barefoot hauraches, and racing in my Newtons. The Newtons are ridiculously expensive so I am “saving” them for races because they make you fast.
So I don’t know if I want to be tied down to racing in Brooks shoes and clothes (altho I like brooks clothes and shoes). All for a 40 % discount? Thanks but no thanks. If it were FREE, I would probably do it in a second. So I guess we’re all ho’s — like Churchill said, we’re just haggling over the price.
Maybe you should read this review before you criticize my ability to be
unbiased when it comes to commenting on Brooks gear:
link to runblogger.com….
In it I openly state that one of the Brooks shoes that I’ve tried ruined my
heels (the T6 racer), and this was written well after I became a Brooks ID
member. I actually returned those shoes and would not buy them again – and
I’m publishing this statement again right now in this comment.
This is a personal blog, I like Brooks products, and I’m open about that. I
don’t hide the fact that I’m a Brooks ID member, in fact there’s a huge
banner on my sidebar that proclaims that I’m sponsored by them, and I’ve
written plenty of very positive reviews for non-Brooks products, including
shoes (Vibram Fivefingers, La Sportiva Wildcat GTX, Nike Free 3.0, etc.).
How many of the major running magazines do you see out there trashing shoes
in their reviews??? At least I’m open about my relationship with Brooks. I’d
suggest you spend a little more time reading through my posts before you
openly attack my “journalistic integrity.” If I’m a mouthpiece for Brooks,
it’s only because I respect what they do and feel that they make quality
shoes and gear.
Pete
Same guy: fool on hill here. You make a good point. You have integrity if you attack their shoes. True.
And you’re right — I haven’t read all your posts. I said up front I’m new to your blog. But question: You will wear Brooks in EVERY race you run now. Even if you think the shoe sucks. How is that gonna work?
A question: I’ve found I’m a lot faster in Newtons. So is a buddy of mine in my marathon training group. Shouldn’t you race in Newtons and see if that’s true? You can’t.
Your point about the running mags is a good one: nobody criticizes anything anymore.
What I’ve read of your blog is excellent, BTW.
No worries, I appreciate the response – sorry if my previous reply was strongly worded, but I try to be as honest as a can on here, and I’ll admit that it can at times be a challenge.
With regard to racing in Brooks, they have several shoes that I like a lot (Launch and Green Silence), so I’m pretty content with the selection I have to choose from. My commitment is for the year 2010, and I’ll re-evaluate in the Fall if I want to continue next year. Since I review a lot of non-Brooks products on the blog, I cleared it with them before I joined, so I still run in other stuff when I’m alone to test it out.
I have a pair of Newton Sir Isaac’s, and to be honest, they don’t feel right for my stride (I’m a mild heel striker in most shoes, midfoot in Vibrams). I’ve tried modifying my stride, but it just hasn’t worked well. If you like Newton’s, you might be interested in this interview I posted with Ian Adamson, director of product development and education at Newton Running Company: link to runblogger.com….
Pete
hey Pete how ironic my name is also Peter, hey how long did it take brooks to accept your application because i’m still waiting on them and its taking for ever >_< i applyed the first week of may so i wondering if you knew how long the process takes..
Took a few weeks early last winter, but that was when they were doing annual
renewals so there may have been more urgency at that point.
Pete
Also wondering how long the process took, how many apps really get turned down, etc? Turned in my app and had required email (actually 2) sent a couple of weeks ago. Weeks, months??? Thanks for all the info you have given.
No idea how many get turned down or how ling apps take – I’m
unfortunately not privy to that type of info. Good luck!
Pete
Sent from my iPod
pretty disappointing that my application was rejected because I did not have a referral with it. As I read more, I found that the only way to get into this program is to be referred by an owner of a running shoe store and they have to certify that you are “important” enough to refer (ie. elite athlete, doctor, etc.). Kind of defeats the purpose of the progam IMO since the people who usually inspire most are the regular Joes like me who are not elite, but still find joy in pounding the pavement 50-70 miles per week. It is a shame..
The referral thing must be new – wasn’t there when I applied last
Fall. If that’s now the case, you’re right, it’s very disappointing.
Pete
I couldn’t get your link above to work for the Brooks ID program application. I coach an elementary program which has grown to about 100 runners. I haven’t had luck finding the Brooks program on their site. Any direction you could provide me would be appreciated! Thanks!
Here’s an article about our program:
link to thenewstribune.com.
The ID program no longer exists – it’s something else now, and I am no
longer involved.