On Tuesday, October 4th, we welcomed TNF Athlete Diane Van Deren to Raleigh! She was here for The North Face Speaker Series. We were so excited to learn that Diane would be our TNF athlete this year, as last year we missed the opportunity to see Conrad Anker in October, just a month before the grand opening of our new store.
Prior to her speaking engagement, our friends at Great Outdoor Provision Company (GOPC) held a group run with Diane at Umstead State Park. The small group went on an hour run through some trails. The run was followed up by an interview with Endurance Magazine. Chris brought the store’s Angstrom 30 daypack with him. He packed it with some running gear, a jacket, and camera gear. Chris was able to get some candid photos of Diane as she cooled off from her run.
After the run, Diane joined Chris on a short car ride from the state park to The North Face Raleigh store. She toured the store and she was able to meet Pete, Mary Specyal, and Geoff. After taking a tour of the store and picking up some new shoes, she headed off to GOPC.
Later in the evening, Chris headed up to Kings Barcade in downtown Raleigh to meet some other TNF Raleigh crew to listen to Diane speak. Beth, Mary Peck and Mary Specyal. came to support this wonderful event. Listening to Diane was amazing! She really opened up to talk about some pretty amazing accomplishments, the biggest being racing in the Yukon and then deciding to go back again the next year. The images that she showed from the Yukon were just incredible. She is one amazing person!
GOPC was a great host and proceeds benefitted the Mountain to Sea Trail (MST). We have worked with MST earlier this year for National Trails Day, and we are looking forward to future events. Maybe we can get Diane come back to visit us and break some MST records!
In the numerous times before, the Angstrom really did the job. It was able to hold all critical items, protect them and make us look good at the event! We hope you enjoy some of the highlights to Diane’s visit. If she ever visits your area, she is a must see!
TNF Raleigh
Chris Rief
Beth Uydess
Mary Specyal
Mary Peck
Never Stop Exploring
Check out the slide show highlights!
No comments:
Post a Comment