The best trail shoes I’ve ever run in? Hands Down.

Introducing the Pearl iZumi EMotion N1 Trail Runners. It’s all about the transition.

The Pearl iZumi N1s dynamic offset is unlike any shoes on the market and is a whole new way of looking at running technology. Smooth from touch down (whether your a heel or fore front striker) to toe off. So Simple, Light (the entire EMotion line is under 10oz), High Responsive, Cushioned, Protective, and Easy on the body. Perfect for any distance from 5ks to Ultras.

Trail Tested? Timothy Olson set the Western States 100 mile Course Record in a pair this past summer (Photo courtesy of I Run Far). Highly recommended.

Stop by any one of our 8 Alabama Outdoors locations for an expert fit today in a pair of new Men’s and Woman’s N1s today or online 24hrs a day.
Run Far, Buy Local.

Xterra Huntsville is in the bag which means the 2012/2013 Dirty Spokes Xterra Alabama Trail Season comes to a close! Thanks to the nearly 2500 runners who ran with us over the last few months and a HUGE shout out to Dirty Spokes Race Director Tim Schroer for putting on such stellar events. We’re thrilled to be presenting the 2013/2014 Alabama Series so get signed up asap as each race will sell out fast!

Bravo to all the runners who came out and braved the rainy and foggy conditions in Huntsville this weekend for what turned out to be a beautiful day on some fun muddy trails at Monte Sano State Park ! It was awesome to see the Huntsville race reach sell out capacity so fast! Our Alabama Outdoors Trail Team racked it up with several age group awards! Thanks to The North Face and Merrell for showing the love on race day once again. Congratulations to our Race Day Entry and Patagonia Gore Jacket give away winners as well! Thanks to Team Member Brett Norager for the great Huntsville race day photo below. Sums the morning up very well I think.

Show us your Xterra Alabama photos!

We’d love to hear your race day stories so post them here on our blog or on our Face Book page. We love the feed back!

What was your favorite of the 5 Xterra Races?

What worked out on the trails and what didn’t and how will you make the change?

Prefer the longer or shorter of the distances? Blisters? Cuts? Bruises? Blood?

What new gear worked best for you out on the trails?

Stop by any 8 of our Alabama Outdoors locations for all your outdoor and trail running gear, styles, and expert advice.

Experience Matters. We are Alabama Outdoors.

The much hyped Salomon Shoes Sense Mantra women’s and men’s trail shoes have arrived at our Homewood location! This is one of 3 shoes coming out this year that I believe will change the way we think about how technology (and the lack there of) will benefit the way we move over ground in our running.

These very light, responsive, well-cushioned kicks are supportive and protective enough for anything from 5k’s to 100milers. Your next shoe is in our store now. Stop by our Homewood AL store today for an expert fit in the new Salomon Sense Mantra. Run Far and Shop Local.

The Dirty Spokes Xterra Alabama Trail Series final is this Saturday up in beautiful Monte Sano State Park in Huntsville AL and race spots are officially filled up! That means SOLD OUT folks. Hopefully you were lucky enough to grab one of the spots as this is going to be a great race! Team Alabama Outdoors is geared up this one! Make sure and tell Race Director Tim thanks for putting together such a great series!

There’s still time to stop by Alabama Outdoors Huntsville today or drop by our tents at the Xterra Monte Sano Race on Saturday to sign up for a chance to win a Patagonia SuperCell Jacket, featuring GORE-TEX Paclite. The name of that winner will be drawn at the race. And if that isn’t enough dirt news, off in the very near distance (February 23 to be exact) is a run we’re super stoked to be presenting for 2013! The 8th Annual Mount Cheaha 50k. A point to point race running along the beautiful Pinhoti Trail all the way to the top of Alabama at the Bald Rock Lodge. This race also SOLD OUT well in advance (really digging the ever growing enthusiasm of the south east trail scene!). RD Todd Henderson sure knows how to put on a good race (we also present the best 100 in the southeast, the Pinhoti 100 with Todd (register now as the 2013 100miler will sell out fast!).

Hey Huntsville Xterra Monte Sano Runners! An in store giveaway just for you!

Try on any GORE-TEX item at Alabama Outdoors Huntsville and be entered to win one of four free entries to the Dirty Spokes Xterra Huntsville Trail Race January 12^th at Monte Sano State Park. You’ll also be registered to win a free Patagonia SuperCell Jacket, featuring GORE-TEX Paclite. The name of that winner will be drawn at the race.

All contest entries need to be registered in person only at our Huntsville store. Xterra Race winners will be contact by email Wednesday January 9th if they have won. Patagonia / Gore-Tex winners do not have to be present to win but the mens or womens jacket will need to be picked up at our Huntsville store only.

Stop by any 8 of our Alabama Outdoors locations for all your outdoor and trail running gear, styles, and expert advice. Experience Matters. We are Alabama Outdoors.

Happy 2013 Outdoor Friends!

We’ve got the 2013 Dirty Spokes Xterra Trail Run at Monte Sano State Park in Huntsville Alabama in just two weeks on January 12th! We’ve been talking this race up a ton and for good reason: This is the final event in the Xterra Alabama Trail Series, it’s at beautiful Monte Sano Park, and race slots are selling fast! Last month’s Xterra sold out  and this race is filling up even faster so grab your spot in advance! Two Distances: 5k and 15k. We’ve got awesome race and raffle prizes from our friends at Inov8, Features, Saucony, The North Face, Merrell, Thorlo, Injinji, plus Alabama Outdoors tees and cozies!

Want a win a free race entry?!! Keep an eye on our FaceBook page and Blog over the next 2 weeks for a chance to win free entrant slots in this year’s 2013 race!!

Thanks to Alabama Outdoors Trail Team Runner Lisa Booher for her always great race recaps including this one from the recent Xterra Coldwater Mountain Trail Run. The last race in this series in next month in Huntsville out at beautiful Monte Santo State Park! Space is filling fast so sign up now as this race will sell out for sure!

Here’s Lisa’s Race Recap from her great Blog Yo Momma Runs! Including her fine endorsement of the New Balance 1010 Trail Shoe (stop by the Huntsville and Homewood Alabama Outdoors stores to day to check out a pair today!)

The Patagonia Houdini is my go to piece for an all weather running jacket. DWR Water resistant, a bomb proof wind breaker, highly breathable, extremely light, a built in clip loop for attaching to your hydration pack, this synch down hooded jacket has proven it’s self over and over again for my high mileage days outdoors when the weather turns to the fowl side. Oh, and did I mention it’s light? The jacket weighs in at only 4oz. The Houdini also packs into it’s own pocket for portability on the go. Everything you need and nothing more.

Stop by Alabama Outdoors today for the gear you need tomorrow.

Experience Matters. We are Alabama Outdoors.

Alabama Outdoors presented the Dirty Spokes Xterra Coldwater Mountain Trail Race this weekend in Anniston AL, and saw yet another sell out crowd with top results from the Alabama Outdoors Trail Team runners! On the ladies side we had team members Kristina Vaughn (1st Female Overall 9.6 mile), Alison Hulsey (2nd Female Overall 9.6 mile), Lisa Booher (2nd Age Group 9.6 mile), and Mary Campbell (4th Age Group 9.6 mile). The Men’s Race also saw strong results from team members Michael Campbell (2nd Age Group) and Brett Noerager (2nd Age Group).

(Below Photos by Michael Campbell from the Xterra Coldwater Mnt.)

Up in Chattanooga this weekend Alabama Outdoors Team Member Ali Edwards simply dominated the women’s race at the Rock Creek Lookout Mountain 50 miler, finishing 1st overall in her first 50 with a time of 8:22:19, crushing the course record by nearly half an hour and finishing 6th overall in a field of 300+! On the other side of awesome, I had just about the opposite day, feeling beat down from step one and dropping at mile 24 or so (doh! a big ole DNF! next race please). Congrats to Alabama locals David Tosch, John Gregg, Kyle Stichtenoth, Greg Wingo, Keith Rutherford, among others, on a strong 50 as well!

(Below – Ali getting it done and taking the top spot! Photo by Rock Creek)

Here’s to all the Xterra Coldwater Mountain & Lookout Mountain finishers on getting out there and getting it done. It’s great to see trail running growing so popular in the south east with several new races being formed for 2013. Now it time to turn our attention to the next upcoming Alabama Outdoors sponsored trail events. The Dirty Spokes Xterra Trail Race at Monte Santo State Park in Huntsville next month and the mighty Mount Cheaha 50k in the Talladega National Forest in late February. Both will sell out and are already over half full so get your registration in now!

(Below photo of me not feeling so hot (ugh) but still moving forward… Photo by Rock Creek)

Stop by any of our 8 Alabama Outdoors Locations for all the newest trail running gear and wears including hydration race vests, handheld bottles, lumbar packs, and night time safety lights from Nathan, GU nutrition, Trail Shoes from Inov-8, Saucony, Salomon, New Balance, and the latest in wears from Patagonia, The North Face, and Lole. Come by for an expert shoe fit and gear advice.

We are Alabama Outdoors. Experience Matters.

Alabama Outdoors Trail Team Updates!

Big shout outs to Ali Edwards for besting her closest competitor by 30 mins to take the top spot in the Louisiana’s Big Dog Ultra 50k, and Lisa Booher for her solid PR at the Rocket City Marathon. November 10th saw Me and Brett Noerager head up to the Cumberland Trail just north of Chattanooga for the infamous Upchuck 50k and I believe we both can say that not only is this one of the most beautiful, most challenging trail races in the southeast, it also lives up to it’s name’s sake. Technical, Steep, Remote, and a blast to run (even if you add 7 miles to the course due to your lack of navigational skills, oops).

November 11th at Oak Mountain State Park was the largest attended Dirty Spokes Xterra Alabama Trail Run trail run to date! Thanks to the over 500 folks who came out to run, ride, and support this great series! Congratulations to all the finishers and a big shout out to Team Alabama Outdoors for taking several top over all spots and age group awards. We’re looking forward to next weekend’s Dirty Spokes Xterra Alabama Trail Run at the new Coldwater Mountain Trail System in Anniston, Alabama. This race is now sold out! The last race of the series will be the Dirty Spokes Xterra Alabama Monte Santo State Park on January 12th. Be sure and get registered now as this will also sell out in advance.

A couple of us are also headed up this next weekend to the Chattanooga Lookout Mountain 50 miler along with several other local Alabama runners. Looks like the weather could make this year’s run as interesting as I hear last year’s was. Cold, wet, slippery, muddy, and high creek crossings (brrrrr). Love it. Keeps it interesting and fun. The Mount Cheaha 50k is filling up fast and we’d highly suggest you get your spot now as this race has become very popular and will no doubt sell out in advance. Alabama Outdoors is the title sponsor this year and we’ve brought our good friends from Patagonia along as a partner so be assured the race prizes and swag give away’s will be awesome! We’re all working to make this race the premier Alabama 50k in one of the most beautiful settings our state has to offer (seriously, get your spot now, the race is already over half full and it’s still over 3 months out)…. Some of us also registered for a certain 100 miler in N.Georgia in early March…Just sayin….

Last but not least, we want to welcome out newest team member, Casey Woodring. Casey is a busy being a dad to 3 little ones but still finds time to get out and race it on the trails! Stayed tuned as we’ll be announcing our next Alabama Outdoors Trail Day with our Trail Team soon. We’ll be doing some group trail runs of different distances and hopefully some post or pre run trail work as well at one of the local area parks.

Stop by one of our 8  Alabama Outdoors Locations for the most complete line up of trail running shoes, trail hydration needs, outdoor gear, clothing, and expert advice.

Experience matters. We are Alabama Outdoors.