Born Primitive Releases “Diverse and Versatile” Running Shoe
As HYROX has exploded in the last couple of years, so has the shoe market, which has seen a surge in both new running shoes and hybrid shoes designed specifically for HYROX.
Born Primitive is the latest shoe and apparel company to enter the space; they released their first running shoe, the Pursuit 1, in May.
Remind Me
Founded by Bear and Mallory Handlon in 2014, Born Primitive had its roots in CrossFit, but today it’s also prominent in the hiking, hunting, and fishing worlds.
- Their first product was a pair of compression shorts, followed by T-shirts and tank tops, and eventually full training and lifestyle apparel lines.
In 2023, Born Primitive released their first shoe, the Savage 1 training shoe. Then came the Savage 1 classic shoe, and more recently, a high-top version of the Savage 1.
The Pursuit 1 Details
Born Primitive’s shoe designer Marc Loverin described the new Pursuit 1 as a “diverse and versatile running shoe.”
- “There are a lot of new running shoes in the market that have max cushioning and are built for race day. That’s not what we built this shoe for. This shoe is built to go from the gym to the road seamlessly,” he said.
With that in mind, the Pursuit 1 is a medium-cushioned shoe with a 35 mm heel stack and a 10 mm heel-to-toe drop.
- It’s a flexible shoe built for neutral pronation and features a dual-density insole to provide heel stability for functional fitness movements.
- The midsole is made from nitrogen-infused supercritical foam to provide a responsive, lightweight cushion, and the outsole is designed for multi-surface traction.
- The shoe weighs between 8.5 and 10.2 ounces, depending on the size.
Finally, unlike many HYROX shoes, the Pursuit 1 does not feature a carbon plate.
- “There’s some debate in the HYROX world over carbon-plated versus non-carbon-plated. I think there’s a trade-off. When you have a carbon plate, you sacrifice a lot of station functionality in favor of running. Our shoe is really built to be a hybrid. You still have the running technology, but it doesn’t sacrifice the functional stations,” Loverin added.
The Big Picture
Unlike many other shoe companies that constantly churn out new shoes, Born Primitive has not taken this approach. Their Savage 1 line — which includes the training shoe, the classic shoe, and the high-top shoe — has been their sole focus for three years.
But as its market has diversified, the company has sought to ensure it continues to meet the needs of those who love its brand, according to Claire Strohl, Born Primitive’s Senior Vice President.
- “We were an endemic brand in the CrossFit space, and we have been serving that community for a really long time, and the Savage 1 was really designed for that community. But as functional fitness has continued to broaden to include more of this hybrid training, to include longer running…we wanted to make sure we had a footwear option to serve that need,” Strohl said, adding that they’re not stopping with just a running shoe.
This is why Born Primitive brought Loverin on a year and a half ago: “To prioritize building a more robust footwear assortment,” said Loverin, who has been in the footwear design business for 30 years.
Loverin and his team are currently finalizing a new barefoot shoe that will launch in the fall, a casual lifestyle shoe likely to drop in the fourth quarter of 2026, and a trail-running shoe in 2027.
As for exact release dates, Loverin said it will depend on the Born Primitive approach, which has always been to ensure their products are perfect before going to market.
- “We’re going to build them one at a time and build them right. We constantly refine, retest, and make adjustments. The quality is never compromised. We have launch calendars, but we’re not beholden to them,” Loverin said.
He added: “Nothing launches until it’s ready, and we’re all 100 percent confident in it.”
