Junior Austin Carmack, has received what most girls only dream about…free shoes! The only difference is he has to run, not only in the shoes, but for them. Austin is the new sponsored runner of Karhu. So next time you see him running through campus or through the streets of St. Pete, take a look at his feet to see what stylish pair of shoes he is wearing that week.
Who sponsors you and what does it mean to be sponsored?
“Karhu. It means I get free shoes (laughs). No but really it means I run for them and represent their brand. They look for people who can best represent their motto, ‘Move Forward.’”
Why did you choose Karhu?
“It is my favorite brand. I was introduced to the brand at Fit to Run, where I work, and now I have about 8 pairs. Karhu means bear in Finnish. I have Finnish heritage so it reminds me of my family. My favorite pair is white and blue, Finnish colors, and it has the Finnish flag on it.”
What was the process like?
“It started two years ago through the Ambassador process. I emailed them to express my interest, but they did not have sponsorship money to give out at the time so they said to check back. I emailed them this past January and drafted a sponsorship application that said why I wanted to be sponsored by them, my times, and why I believed in the brand. It went through a couple of corporate emails and then I received the sponsorship email.”
When/why did you begin running?
“Well if you Google where I’m from, Clatskanie, Oregon, you will see that there is nothing to do (laughs). My uncle was a runner so I started to run with him. I also had a couple of great coaches that inspired me to run and continue running. Oregon is beautiful to run through. In a single run (7 miles) you can go from 37 ft above sea level to about 2,000 ft above sea level. It’s harder to run in Florida because it’s flat and not very scenic. I began to run competitively in the 5th grade.”
Do you have any races coming up?
“I am doing a relay triathlon with my uncle and his friend. I will be doing the running portion, 10K (6.2 miles), and my goal is to finish in 35 minutes.”
What do you like most and least about running?
“I like it because it clears my head and puts me in a good place. I guess what I dislike is it’s hard, especially during interval and mile repeats (run a 6 minute mile, jog a quarter of a mile, then repeat the 6 minute mile).”
Do you feel more pressure now that you’re sponsored?
“Yeah, but it’s a privilege.”