Altra Announces Alysia Montaño and Tina Muir to the Team

February 6, 2020

DENVER, COLORADO – February 6, 2020 – Altra is pleased to welcome six-time US National Champion, World Championship Medalist and Olympian Alysia Montaño along with International Elite Runner and accomplished Podcast Host Tina Muir to the team. In addition to their long list of accomplishments on the track and on the road, both women have powerful voices and have helped forge positive change for women and mothers through their stories and activism. Voices that align with Altra’s vision to unleash human potential. Positive change that speaks to inclusivity and purpose, and stories that support the ability to overcome and to never be counted out.

“Alysia and Tina have inspired us throughout their athletic accomplishments, their stories and their advocacy for women” said Altra athlete manager Emelie Ortiz. “These athletes are strong and inspirational, and they are making positive impact for people everywhere, and together with our current elite athletes, we are excited about the future for women and sport. We are very honored to welcome Alysia and Tina to the team”

Alysia Montaño is a native to California, a Canyon High School state champion and a University of California Berkeley graduate where she became an 800m specialist. In 2007 as a junior, Alysia recorded the best season in Cal Berkeley history finishing undefeated and claiming both the indoor and outdoor NCAA titles as well as her first USA Championship title. As a professional runner, Alysia earned multiple accolades including US Championship titles, World Championship podiums, and became an Olympic Games finalist. In 2014, at 34 weeks pregnant with her first child, Alysia became known as the “pregnant runner” when she ran the 800m in the US Track Championships to advocate for fit pregnancy and reverse the negative stereotype of working out while pregnant. In May 2019, she appeared in the NYTimes #dreammaternity op-ed video where she and Altra elite athlete Kara Goucher led the conversation of exposing athlete contracts that lacked maternal protection. Several companies including Altra felt inspired by their stories and immediately added maternal protection to their contracts.

“I am thrilled about my partnership with Altra,” said Alysia Montaño. Changing the industry standards on how we support whole-personhood is exactly what we need in sports. Altra truly values the running community and that includes mothers, for that I am so thrilled to be with such companies that are at the forefront of industry change and being true leaders for change.

Tina Muir is an international elite runner for Great Britain and Northern Ireland who shocked the running world by stepping away from the sport at the peak of her career to get her health back from medical malnutrition. Having run a personal best of 2:36 in the marathon just three months before, Tina brought awareness to the issue of amenorrhea, the cessation of menstruation, by sharing her story. In 2017, Tina was voted one of the 21 women changing the running world for the better by Women’s Running magazine, and in 2018, she became the first cover model of a fitness magazine to be featured with a running stroller (and her daughter, Bailey) for Women’s Running UK. Tina is a keynote speaker and the host of the Running For Real Podcast, which amassed over 2.5 million downloads in just over two years. Tina created the Running For Real community, a place for runners to share struggles and support one another through the difficult moments life brings.

“As someone who has been wearing and loving Altra for a few years, joining the elite team is a privilege and an honor,” said Tina Muir. “I personally believe that all of our experiences make us human and therefore more relatable and even better role models. Knowing that Altra is helping change the narrative about what is possible for a whole woman athlete and mother, and I am one of the athletes representing that change, is one of the greatest honors of my life. I could not be more excited.”

Both women are currently pregnant and expecting their third and second child respectively, and Altra is honored to support them in all aspects of their lives.

We encourage you to follow along with Alysia and Tina’s journey. You can follow Alysia through her Website, Instagram, Twitter and her podcast Keeping Track. You can follow Tina through her Website, Instagram, Twitter and her podcast Running for Real.

About Altra:

Altra was founded in the backroom of a small specialty running store in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah. Since the beginning, the goal has been to create innovative and purposeful running shoes that help people run more naturally. Altra’s unique Core3 includes a Footshape^TM toebox that allows the toes to relax and spread out which enhances stability and encourages natural running form. Balanced Cushioning™ platform that positions the heel and forefoot at an equal distance from the ground, cultivating optimal alignment, better form and a low-impact landing. And, an innovative Fit4Her^TM technology that builds shoes on female-specific platform, addressing the anatomical differences in men and women’s feet. Altra is on a mission to unleash human potential by inspiring the world to move naturally. Be a part of our journey and follow along on our Website, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.