The Rock Fight: Outdoor Industry & Adventure Sports Commentary

In this episode, Colin, Shawnté, Eoin, and Producer Dave deliver their on-the-ground, end-of-show breakdown of The Running Event and Switchback 2025 — recorded moments after the TRE Retailer Awards wrapped in San Antonio.

The crew dig into what worked, what surprised them, and what the outdoor industry should take away from a trade show that knows exactly what it is.

On The Docket!

• The TRE Retailer Awards: Emotion, community & why it works
• TRE vs. Outdoor Industry Trade Shows
• Booth Breakdown: The Best & Worst
• Trends & Rumors From the Floor
• Predictions: Who got it right and who missed? The crew evaluates their earlier predictions now that the show is done.

From San Antonio, TX it's The Rock Fight LIVE!

Colin, Shawnté Salabert, Producer Dave and Eoin Comerford take the stage at The Running Event & Switchback 2025 for a fast, funny, high-energy conversation on the annual trade show.

On The Docket!

• The Future of TRE & Switchback: Christina Henderson and Kent Ebersole discuss where the event is heading, how outdoor fits in, and whether an awards program is coming.
• RUNHER Magazine founder and Editor In Chief joins TRF to discuss what outdoor can learn from running when it comes to being more inclusive.
• Gear Abby Live: Shawnté answers your burning questions!
• Booth Hits & Misses: Standouts include Brooks’ funhouse, Superfeet’s geodesic dome, and Rabbit’s unbooth. Low points: Clif Bar’s table and Prana’s identity crisis.

It's an action packed episode of The Rock Fight as Colin, Eoin Comerford, Producer Dave are joined by Gear Abby herself, Shawnté Salabert to preview and offer their predictions for this week's edition of The Running Event & Switchback!

They also dig into Dick's Sporting Goods plans for Foot Locker and respond to a listener email about the profitablity of resale economics. Lastly it's the final interview recorded at GOA Connect in Kansas City last month as the Monday crew chats with Fjallraven CEO Nathan Dopp.

On The Docket!

• Is resale profitable? Becky from Tersus challenges the pod on resale profitability.
• Dick's/Foot Locker Update! What a $500–$750M of “pretax charges” actually means and why so much of Foot Locker’s inventory is getting liquidated.
• The Running Event Preview & Predictions: What the crew is excited for and what they think will happen at the show
• Fjallraven's Nathan Dopp: Our final GOA Connect interview!

Today on The Rock Fight, Colin, Eoin Comerford, and Producer Dave break down two major outdoor-industry storylines: Nike’s push into trail running and Sierra’s rapid suburban takeover. Plus listener feedback, The Lightning Round, and The Parting Shot!

On The Docket!

• Mailbag: A listener response to the Patagonia Impact Report and how they make their stuff.
• Nike Targets Trail Running: Does a Hoka lookalike and a new race sponsorship puts Nike ACG in the trail running pole position?
• The Lightning Round! Running continues to crush, REI's new travel partnership, and highlighting Women Led Wednesday!
• Sierra’s Expansion: Now at 141 U.S. stores Sierra's growth continues so The Rock Fight takes a field trip a couple of local stores to see the chain for themselves.

For The Parting Shot presented by Garage Grown Gear Colin highlights a friend of the pod's outdoor industry trade show call out (and solution)!

Today on The Rock Fight, Colin, Eoin, and Producer Dave sit down with Tony Post, founder and CEO of Topo Athletic, live from GOA Connect in Kansas City, to talk about the booming trail running market and Topo’s big year.

Topo has quietly become one of the most talked-about brands in trail running. Growing 70% last year and expanding into 25 countries all while staying true to its specialty roots and never running a sale on its website in 12 years.

In This Episode

• Trail Running’s Not New: Why today’s hype is really the second (or third) wave. From Leadville in the ’90s to the Born to Run era to now.
• Surviving 145% Tariffs: How Topo shifted production from China to Vietnam without sacrificing fit or durability.
• A 13-Year Overnight Success: Why Topo focused on authentic growth, not blowing up fast.
• Run vs. Outdoor Specialty: Why the brand refuses to choose.
• Silent Flex: Zero discounting… ever
• The Up-and-Comers: Tony weighs in on Speedland, Norda, and Mount to Coast and why entering the category is harder than it looks.
• Why Topo Will Still Be Here in 10 Years: Tony’s philosophy: deliver a better experience, every time.

For The Parting Shot presented by Garage Grown Gear, Colin struggles with the glut of poorly executed maximal midsoles.