Westin made the journey to join us on the University of South Florida's campus for this interview, to discuss his insights and reflections from working in the running shoe industry over the last 15 years, and growing up in this culture as well (Westin's father Jeff Galloway started the first specialty running shoe dedicated store in the US in the early 1970s).
Westin also started out his career at Phidippides in Atlanta (featured in Episode 34: America's Marathon Weekend episode), after successful collegiate track and cross country varsity running at Wake Forest University. Westin then went on to work for both Mizuno and ASICS until just before this interview, and has traveled the globe to explore and develop new shoe technology; most of all figure out what we as runners want and need in a shoe. In particular, Westin shares how he has been impressed by the R&D (Research and Development) process he has seen within running-dedicated companies. He explains how a shoe goes from concept to consumer in less than a year, and all that goes into this process on the back end- and the challenges of moving to sustainable practices in the industry. He also comments on how new technologies are evolving to allow us to run farther and put less stress on the body, from stride to energy efficiency.
Westin also touches on a few stories from running culture that demonstrate what he has seen and believes represent the diversity of runners, including his frequent trips to Japan and recent trip to Kenya with ASICS. Last but not least, we reflect on his own goals and where he sees unique corners of the running world as opportunities that haven't yet been explored, that he would like to be a part of in the near future!
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