When former champion duathlete George Pierce decided to create a high-performance shoe that would allow him to shave precious minutes off his race time, he had no idea that its special innovations would one day make it the perfect footwear for a much different type of athlete: Special Olympians.
“As a competitive triathlete and duathlete, it occurred to me that I could get a substantial edge over other racers if I didn’t have to fumble around with laces and tongues on my running shoes in the transition areas,” said Pierce, “especially when my feet were wet and my fingers half frozen. After creating several prototypes, I discovered that a lace-less, tongue-less shoe was also extremely beneficial to athletes and individuals with disabilities.”
Fast-forward about three years and Pierce’s fledgling shoe company has reached an agreement with Special Olympics to outfit all of its athletes with his flagship “T1” training shoes at the World Winter Games in Graz, Austria in March 2017.
“To be asked to provide the shoes for 3,000 international athletes for the opening ceremonies and all of their indoor training is obviously quite an honor,” said Pierce. “Special Olympics has a tremendous presence and reputation in 170 countries around the world. So it means a lot to have them select the T1’s unique design and superior fit for their athletes.”
Pierce’s relationship with Special Olympics goes back to 2014 when athletes from the NorCal Track and Field team tested 20 pairs of the first T1 shoe at the National Games in New Jersey. The T1 delivered impressive results with three NorCal athletes reaching the medal stand at the closing awards ceremony.
After two more years of research and experimentation, Pierce landed on a simple latchet system that uses a small, rubberized tab shaped like a ladder, attached to a flap that extends over the top of the foot. By hooking one of the “rungs” of the tiny ladder onto the lower portion of the shoe, the wearer can create a uniquely customized fit.
“Regular lace-up shoes require your feet to adjust to various pressure points,” says Pierce. “The T1, however, responds to the natural dynamics of your foot and actually wraps around it like a sock. It provides exceptional three-dimensional fit for length, width and height. What’s more, the patented latchet system allows quick entry and exit, as well as easy on-the-fly adjustments when you want a more secure or relaxed fit.”
Not only has the T1 received rave reviews from competitive athletes with and without disabilities, it has proven extremely helpful for people with:
-Serious hand/eye coordination difficulties.
-Arthritic, dexterity and maneuverability issues.
-Strokes, trauma, back problems and stooping challenges.
The shoe is even gaining traction with kids and teens that simply can’t be bothered with tying laces.
While the T1’s lightweight design and cushioned sole has proven to be a winner with elite athletes, Pierce hopes that its success is the just the first step of the journey. He plans to extend the lace-less, tongue-less technology to:
-Hiking and trail running shoes.
-Football, baseball and soccer cleats.
-Basketball, cross-training and racket sport shoes.
-Rock-climbing, bouldering and water shoes.
-Bicycle, motorcycle and skateboard shoes.
-Professional work shoes for nurses, doctors, teachers and others who are on their feet all day.
For now, however, Pierce is focused on the daunting challenge of producing 3,000 pairs of shoes in the appropriate sizes for the upcoming World Winter Games in Austria. The effort will require a capital infusion of $250,000, which Pierce hopes to raise through corporate and private donations in a very short window of time.
“When we receive the funding,” said Pierce, “we plan to customize the shoes by adding the Special Olympics logo and a flag decal for each individual country represented.”
Just one more way that a special shoe can fulfill a very special purpose.
Pierce Footwear is THE new technology standard of performance footwear. The company was founded in 2012 by world-champion duathlete George Pierce in Palo Alto, California and moved to Bend in 2016. With a management team that includes competitive multi-sport athletes , cyclists, trail runners and former executives with New Balance and Dexter Shoes, Pierce is driven to create footwear that helps people change their lives.
Tax-deductible contributions can be made at http://piercefootwear.com/special-olympics/.
