Life is a journey.

Life is a journey.

I want to share the story of how the Atreyu Running Company was born. The story begins in a small town in southwest Louisiana called Lake Charles, where I was embarking on my journey to sobriety (and today I remain steady on that course). Around that time, I started a small artisan hotdog parlor. After selling that restaurant to a set of new owners, I moved on to a gig as an acoustic lounge musician playing cover songs almost every night. Most nights consisted of folks yelling “Hey bro, play Freebird!” I’d play it, but often took the liberty of playing the outro solo long enough to make them regret the decision.

It was during that season of playing music in Lake Charles that I fell in love with running as a powerful tool to recenter my mindset each day. It was my ultimate dream to become a footwear designer, but actualizing that dream seemed impossible to me. One day, my mentor challenged me to lean into the obstacles of this dream, giving me the credo that remains to be a central part of our brand’s message today:  “Do the thing that seems most difficult and it will serve you right about 90% of the time.”

So I went for it. I borrowed my mom's sewing machine, bought a few books, made some connections, and moved to Austin, Texas. From there, it was many days of hammering out the business plan, building the website, designing the original products, all while working in a run specialty shop in downtown Austin. Somewhere along the way, Atreyu Running Company was born. Since then, the journey has only proven to be wildly exciting, challenging, and rewarding. 

I tell you this story because I want to ask you a question. Can you identify what challenge in your life seems most difficult to you? Are you willing to lean into the journey it may hold? 

What we do.

We’re here to offer you an amazing lineup of running tools, while creating an experience that is relatable, natural, and meaningful. It’s that simple. 

Honor simplicity, 

_michael