Rui Ueda, the world's best trail runner, looks ahead to a new frontier as an athlete.

Last year, professional mountain athlete Rui Ueda surprised us by graduating from Columbia, his main sponsor at the time, and becoming a "shoe-free athlete" without a contract with a specific shoe manufacturer.
The two-time world's best trail runner is wondering which manufacturer's shoes he will be wearing in his races in the future. But there is an even more exciting initiative in the works for the clothing he will be wearing.

Photo_Sho Fujimaki, Shinsuke Isomura

Text_Shinsuke Isomura (100miler)

PROFILE

Rui Ueda

He is a graduate of Saku Nagasei High School, a prestigious ekiden athletic team. He entered Waseda University, but instead of aiming for the Hakone Ekiden, he joined the track and field club because he wanted to enjoy running. While still in school, he set a course record in the "Japan Mountain Endurance Race" and entered the world stage. He is the 2019 overall winner of the "Skyrunner World Series," which is held in more competitive and higher elevation mountains, and the 2020 Skyrunning World Championships, which will be held in 2021, where he won the vertical and placed 3rd in the sky (combined winner).

An apparel line created by active first round athletes.

Ruy" is an original brand started by Rui Ueda this season. There have been examples of this brand in the field of cross country and extreme sports, but there is almost no precedent for an active athlete to create his own brand in a time-competitive sport.

Last year, I put an end to my contract with Columbia, a company that has been a part of my life since I started trail running. I have a lot of feelings about it, but I think it was a bold decision on my part to leave my main outdoor manufacturer even though I am a trail runner (laughs).

Mr. Ueda said. Then a small matter of concern surfaced.

I simply had a hard time finding clothes to wear. "Since I am not sponsored by any manufacturer of clothing, it was difficult to choose a particular manufacturer's clothing.

To put it another way, all sportswear today is of high quality, so I don't think there is much difference between them. Each company has its own characteristics when it comes to waterproof rainwear, but other than that, there is not much superiority in terms of functionality. If that is the case, I would like to make it myself and use the design and coloring I want to wear," he says.

However, as an active athlete with limited knowledge and experience in clothing production, it was too difficult to launch an original brand from scratch. He was even stopped from doing so by his close tax advisor.