Good Content from: Michelle Klinger, Field Marketing Rep for Ohio

What’s it like to be a Saucony Shadow Rep?

I’ve been working for Saucony on the Field Marketing Team for 7+ years and these questions come up as often as questions about our shoes. Each day, the Shadow Rep team is running as the anchor leg for the brand, which means a big part of our job is answering all kinds of questions about running, shoes, our athletes, or what’s next at Saucony. I think of each project as a different relay race: A ton of work has already been put in when our team gets the baton, and it is our job to run as hard as we can through each finish line.

So, what do I really do for work? A lot of different things. There is never a typical day or even a typical week as a Shadow Rep. There are month-to-month changes based on the current running season or what product launches are going on for Saucony. But each day my car is likely packed with demo shoes, event supplies or other assorted items determined by the relay races our team is out there running.

What’s it like to work for Saucony? It’s more than I ever expected.

A good day is when we run. A better day is when we inspire others to run.

This is printed in our catalogs, on the website, and on the back of our business cards. And the best part? It’s true. At Saucony, this is at the core of who we are as people and a way of life that we all embrace. Running is a big part our lives and we each appreciate the good things running brings us. We all have our own reasons for why we run, goals we are chasing down, or races we might be training for. But, if we had to make a choice, all of us would cut our own run short if it meant we could help you run a little further than you did yesterday. It is about us, and you, but it’s more about what we can do together. Working at Saucony means being part of a team where it’s about a good bigger than individual achievements.

So, what’s it really like to be a Shadow Rep? It’s both challenging and inspiring. Shadow rep life is a daily dichotomy where the days that you think will knock you down the hardest end up being the ones that give you the energy for tomorrow.

The Shadow Team works weird hours. We answer emails, study for clinics and plan events from coffee shops, libraries and home offices all over the country.

While there isn’t a standard day in the life of a Shadow Rep, there is a routine. Each day, you know you are going to get into your car to drive for some amount of time and at one point you will get to inspire others to run. Most days you have time to fit in your own run somewhere along the road. And every day, you get to be a face of Saucony and hear how our products have changed someone’s life for the better.

A lot of days are amazing. Many go like this: You walk into your first running store for the day and the staff tells you how great the newest Saucony product update is doing. At the next store, you get to hand deliver a pair shoes to a staff member who is so excited they jump up and down. That evening you host a demo run and someone who borrowed shoes loves them so much, they buy a pair immediately after their test-drive.

Over the past several years, I’ve seen hundreds of sunrises and sunsets from the driver’s seat in my Saucony car. I have no idea how many hundreds of thousands of miles I’ve spent on the road. I don’t have a set schedule and I have more regular running routes outside my neighborhood than in it. But, I embrace all the ambiguity in my job, every single day. Why? Because every single day, being a part of Saucony allows me to be a part of something bigger than myself.

Every mile driven is a mile towards helping someone discover Saucony – or running, in general. Every time I hand out a pair of demo shoes at an event is a moment spent helping someone figure out what shoes they might enjoy running their miles in. Each time I give a pair of shoes to someone who works at a running store contributes to that person experiencing our brand on a new level, helping them be more confident recommending Saucony.

Most days on my calendar are normal, by Shadow Rep standards anyway. But those occasional monster days are worth facing head on, maybe with an extra cup of coffee in hand. Because each day on the road gives more back to me than it could ever take away. Because runners are inspiring people. And no matter how tired I should be, the time I spend around runners, representing Saucony, always gives me energy to lace up and run another mile. Because every day is a better day when we run for good.