kidRunner Based in Bend, Oregon Launches Kickstarter Campaign

Company looks to crowdfunding to build world’s first, high performance, multi-terrain, hands and arms-free, kid jogger for Ambassador Team and beyond.

kidRunner, the world’s first high performance, multi-terrain, hands and arms-free, kid jogger has announced the launch of a Kickstarter campaign. The 30-day campaign, aimed at generating funds to build the first 15 kidRunners for the 2015 Ambassador Team, has a funding goal of $50,000.

Today’s kid joggers are heavy, awkward, cause injury and are limited to where you can go. Enter kidRunner. After five years of R&D, several prototypes, three patents, hundreds of test miles, and an incredible 10K win by World Champion and Lead Ambassador Max King and his daughter, kidRunner is ready to turn the $1 billion USD annual jogging stroller market upside down.

Here’s how:
• kidRunner is lightweight – made from advanced, composite materials, it weighs just 16 pounds (50 percent less than traditional jogging strollers).

• kidRunner allows for hands and arms-free running – parents will regain the efficiency and form of natural running by 15 percent by using their upper body, hands and arms.

• kidRunner is safe – the enclosed cockpit has a five-point child seat belt, weatherproof covers and windows.

• kidRunner is innovative – with four patents, the harness, “Reed” and “Bow” work together to create the first and only pull-style jogging stroller that makes running feel natural again.

“Being a parent is hard. Running is hard. Until now, combining the two was even harder,” said Will Warne, kidRunner partner. “As parents, we want to get outside and run with our kids, but jogging strollers have seen little to no innovation. Our Ambassadors are committed to using, testing and refining kidRunner, so we can bring back the joy of running to all parents.”

Led by King, the Ambassador Team consists of a mix of elite runners, adventure athletes, every day running parents, retail partners, and event sponsors. This group of parent-athletes will use their kidRunners for training (some for the 2016 Olympic Trials), testing and gathering community feedback before large scale manufacturing begins.

“I’ve been involved with this effort since very early on because I believe kidRunner is the future of running with kids. It’s more biomechanically efficient and more comfortable than anything currently on the market,” said King. “kidRunner is about being a parent and a runner. It’s about combining the things you love instead of trading them.”

“Ben and I have been hesitant to do any real training with our current strollers because they are not as efficient for our running needs,” said kidRunner Ambassador and professional runner, Stephanie Bruce. “Running is such a huge part of our lives and we want our son to experience it with us first hand. We’re looking forward to getting our kidRunner, so we can enjoy some runs together as a family.”

All proceeds from kidRunner’s Kickstarter campaign will directly fund the cost to build 15 Ambassador rigs. Additional funds will be used for scale manufacturing capacity. Pledge levels start at $10 and include rewards such as kidRunner caps and stickers; two day running clinics with Max King and other Ambassadors; a limited number of first-edition kidRunners; and one “Become an Ambassador” reward package, which includes an all-expenses paid trip to Bend to pick up a fully-customized, pre-order kidRunner as well as a spot on the 2015 Ambassador Team.
The campaign ends on Friday, May 29, 2015 at 5 pm PDT.

Founded in Bend, Oregon, kidRunner is the world’s first high performance, multi-terrain, pull-style kid jogger. Made from lightweight composite materials, kidRunner is 50 percent lighter than traditional joggers and is designed to enable runners with kids to run and explore, while retaining the efficiency and form of natural running. The company has plans to follow their running solution with bike and Nordic ski options. kidRunner will be available for pre-order beginning summer 2015.

For more information, visit www.kidrunners.com or follow us on Facebook or Twitter @kidrunners.