Ultra-marathon runner Arlen Glick has joined Swedish sportswear brand Craft as the latest member of its ultra-powerful Elite Run Team.
“We have followed Arlen during the last couple of years and are really excited that we finally managed to sign him onto our Elite Run Team,” said Stefan Persson, CEO at Craft Sportswear. “Arlen’s strong stance against social media makes him a unique individual in the world of elite sports. For us it’s a no-brainer that an athlete’s worth should not be based on his or her social media following, but rather on the performance and heart of the game. And this is where Arlen truly shines. His willpower, dedication and unique approach to ultra-running harmonize perfectly with the Craft brand.”
Arlen has just celebrated his 30th birthday and has already toed the line at 15 100 milers – while this may seem impossible, ten of those were wins and the rest podium finishes.
The American rising star won the Javelina Jundred in 2021, finished third at the 2022 Western States 100 and has set course records at several 100-mile events, including the Burning River and the Mohican. He is also the 2022 USATF Road 100-mile champion. Known to “eat 100milers for breakfast”, Arlen plans to do the “unthinkable” Western States/Hardrock double in the near future.
Despite all his success, however, Arlen has not been signed by a major sports apparel brand until now. The reason? Most likely his ardent stance against social media combined with the established view that a signable athlete must cultivate a huge-as-possible following online.
“I am very happy to have finally met a brand that sees through all this and will work with me based on how I run and who I am, rather than what I do or, in my case, not do on social media. Collaborating with Craft and joining Craft’s Elite Run Team presents a new step in my career and will undoubtedly help me focus on my running in a way I’ve never been able to do before. I’m really excited to get this partnership going,” Arlen said.
As member of the Craft Elite Run Team, Arlen will play a major role in Craft’s development of innovative running apparel and running shoes.
