Press Release – Content provided by Spring PR
171 specially designed pairs will celebrate his 2017 UTMB victory
Salomon have today announced the launch of a limited edition run of their new S/LAB ULTRA shoe, in honour of Francois D’Haene’s UTMB win in 2017. The shoes, which are due to be launched in February, are limited to 171 pairs, commemorating the 171 kms of the famous Ultra Trail Du Mont Blanc course.
Not only are these shoes hot off the press, eagle eyed trail running fans will have noticed elite’s starting to wear them on the trails, after their launch at OutDoor 2017, but the D’Haene’s as I shall now call them, feature unique designs.
The course profile is visible in gold on the inside of the heel cup, as well as Francois’ signature. The tongue features 3 gold stars, each star representing Francois’ individual victories on the globally recognised course. For those looking for a unique touch, every pair is numbered 1-171, for every kilometre of the course, but more importantly for the collector, no two will be the same. And finally, to link back to Francois’ primary occupation as a winemaker, the insole is made of cork. As you can see, many small details set these apart from the remainder of the Salomon offering. 
“I’m really honored that Salomon decided to make this playful design of the limited edition S/LAB Ultra shoe,” says D’haene, whose pair will be numbered 000. “I recently saw them for the first time and the UTMB-themed design is quite cool. It’s amazing that 171 other runners will be able to share this great UTMB experience with me by owning a pair too.”
“For me it is important to live my partnership with Salomon and feel that there is a real exchange of ideas,” says D’haene. “Three years ago with Salomon we began this project to create an ultra-distance shoe that could not only meet my needs, but also fill the needs of many ultra-runners. After many long discussions with these runners in search of their shoes, I became more and more sincerely involved in the project. It became very close to my heart because it was not only done to develop my personal shoe, but a shoe for other ultra-runners like me.”
The limited edition Francois D’Haene S/LAB Ultra is available from Salomon.com from late February (Europe only) and anyone who purchases will also receive a limited edition shoe box, a booklet describing the story of the shoe and the same cap Francois wears on many of his ultras. (we have been reassured yours will be fresh out of the warehouse).
For those who aren’t able to get their hands on one of the 171 pairs, the new Salomon S/LAB ULTRA will be available in retailers globally from the 1st March. The only difference is it wont have a cork insole, nor the unique gold markings.
James Mackeddie 