Michael Krajicek would be the first to let you know he likes to maintain issues easy. He grew up in Lake Charles, Louisiana, a blue-collar metropolis identified for blues music, petrochemical refineries and the waterways that ribbon by means of its downtown. It’s right here that Krajicek adopted a philosophy that’s guided him all through his profession: Discover the suitable instruments for the suitable job.
This pondering is now the muse of Atreyu, the working model of stripped-down, no-frills kicks that Krajicek based in 2020—initially as a working shoe subscription (the primary of its variety) and now as a model out there at retailers like REI.
Atreyu’s mission has at all times been to create trainers that get the job accomplished—no want for flashy options or myriad colorways that might come at a value to the client. As an alternative, the designs are clear; the sizes are unisex; and every shoe incorporates a 6 mm drop, which Krajicek considers a middle-ground geometry that may work for runners of many ranges. As a result of that’s one other a part of his mission: Make footwear that each beginner runners and elite athletes can prepare in.
“We [are] about instruments, blue collar-town instruments.” Krajicek says throughout a video interview. He’s sitting in his Austin, Texas, loft, which doubles as his workplace. A highway bike hangs from the ceiling. His fiancé, Lena Reese, reclines on a sofa behind him, a pc open on her lap. She helps handle Atreyu’s social media. “No one was displaying up with flashy stuff [in Louisiana]. … Instruments had been simply one thing to get the factor accomplished, so I hope that I’ve taken that form of concept, that mentality into [Atreyu].”
The Atreyu Line Up
One in every of Atreyu’s first footwear, The Base Mannequin, is described on the model’s web site because the embodiment of their guideline: Honor simplicity. There are three different core trainers: the Day by day Coach, The Artist and The Base Path. They’re all designed for use in a rotation: The Day by day Coach for shorter runs, intervals in addition to for restoration miles and lengthy runs; The Artist for race day; The Base Path for miles on combined terrain. At $85 to $115 every, the costs are extra approachable than many different footwear available on the market. Prioritizing the necessities is a approach to simplify a sport that, in recent times, has centered on maximal trainers—assume thick cushioning, broad bases, fortified construction.
“The thought was to strip it down and let folks really feel the bottom once more, let folks really feel their our bodies and let the load of their our bodies hit the bottom how they’re alleged to naturally,” says Jake Martin, athlete expertise supervisor for Atreyu (pronounced uh-tray-you). “That’s why [a beginner runner and an expert runner] can each put on these footwear.”
However there’s nonetheless work to be accomplished to draw new folks to the exercise. In 2022, Krajicek polled clients who had bought three or extra occasions from Atreyu, and most recognized as intermediate or superior runners.
“Very, only a few runners designated themselves as newbie, and I wasn’t very proud of that,” Krajicek says. “The factor that I feel we can provide again essentially the most … is inviting folks into working tradition and making that accessible and utilizing working as a life-change software.”
Discovering Group in Operating
Krajicek himself leaned on working whereas nonetheless dwelling in Louisiana. It was a approach to dedicate himself to private wellness after turning into sober in 2013. In his hometown, Krajicek says runners didn’t appear to care about what everyone else was doing or what working developments had been fashionable. They simply ran. That kind of working group is one thing he desires to recreate inside Atreyu. He desires others to have that outlet and to really feel that sense of belonging. “The entire sport was the group,” he says. “One thing about it was simply enhanced in that small-town atmosphere.”
At Atreyu, group reveals up as weekly run teams in Austin, the place the model —and its 3-person workforce—relies. Fostering a way of group additionally performs a serious function in how Krajicek and Martin do enterprise. The model has by no means had a devoted advertising and marketing finances, Martin says. As an alternative, they depend on forming lasting relationships with their clients. The aim is that folks will be taught concerning the model by means of phrase of mouth—pleased clients beget pleased clients.
“We wish each single individual that comes by means of the funnel to essentially really feel the expertise and actually take pleasure in it and get behind it,” Martin says. “If everyone seems to be coming by means of in that manner, it’s going to develop itself and it’s going to be a very tight group.”
The place Individuality Meets Simplicity
This group facet can be about discovering methods to have fun runners’ particular person qualities, all whereas designing for a lot of kinds of runners. Once more, Krajicek credit the footwear’ uncomplicated design in serving to them obtain this. It’s a standard shoe with out quite a lot of further cushioning. This permits runners to really feel their toes hitting pavement, which Krajicek says can allow them to extra simply detect when one thing is off with their stride. Runners can then enhance their particular person weaknesses. “My need was to construct a product that might work for everyone, figuring out that everyone’s completely different,” says Krajicek.
Nonetheless, Krajicek says that not each runner will desire a pair of his model’s footwear. And that’s OK. He considers the footwear to be one in every of many instruments folks can select from. A pair of Atreyu runners could be the good match for somebody, or they could be one in every of a number of footwear in an individual’s rotation. “We’re an choice. We’re not right here to unravel each single drawback,” Krajicek says. “That’s what REI is for—to have a market to purchase the suitable software for the suitable job.”
So, what’s subsequent for Atreyu?
Possibly an app or a weblog to supply academic instruments, like coaching plans and working suggestions in an app or on a weblog. Possibly further colorways. Possibly, in time, one other shoe.
“I like the thought of constructing off the subsequent one. I name it a software program replace. We’re on 1.1,” he says. “To get to a 2 can be a significant change.”