Ultra Trail

Who Is Method Seven Ultra Trail?

At Method Seven, we are revolutionizing what it means to be a trail runner by redefining eyewear. You don’t have to settle for a community where your value is based on races finished or miles run. And we will NOT settle on a product that we believe is less than the best. You are more than a race result.

We are more than sunglasses. We are Human Driven.

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Did you know that the eyes are part of the central nervous system? It is the only part of the brain that is exposed. It’s responsible for the integration of subconscious commands throughout the body.

Trail runners are hindered by lenses that inhibit sight and provide inadequate UV protection. Our eyes deserve the highest-quality optics so that we can see every obstacle along the way.

Our mission is to protect your eyes and enhance your experience. To succeed we need YOU; the trail runners, the adventurers, the people who breathe life into this sport, to be on our team.

Join the Innovation Project where we use cutting-edge data science to optimize peak running performance in real-time by tracking individual metrics across the duration of a run including latitude, longitude, elevation, time, mileage, UV exposure, weather, and more. We leverage this critical data to assess the atmospheric experience of runners and better understand the range of risks and effects of UV light.

The team at Method Seven Ultra Trail will analyze vital metrics from your runs, study what factors impact runners most, and use that information to innovate our product engineering. M7 Ultra Trail HD—our upcoming collection of scientifically-developed eyewear built to the standard of professional runners—will be developed with your data, and your specific needs, in mind. An added perk? You’ll also receive training tips developed by Pro ultra runners Cat Bradley and Dean Karnazes based on your individual smartwatch data.

The Innovation Project is about understanding Trail Runners, their run environment, duration & frequency, and using this information to continually improve the trail running experience. By joining, you will receive personalized training tips developed by Pro runners Cat Bradley and Dean Karnazes specific to your training and skill level, motivational messages and congratulations based on recently accomplished milestones, and an opportunity to make a larger contribution in the future research and wear tester teams. Method Seven Ultra Trail leverages the Innovation Project to continue research on the risks and effects of UV light and drive product development on our goal to produce the best trail performance eyewear bar none.

Have a smartwatch? Sign up for the Innovation Project.

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The M7 Beta Team

We can’t claim to have the best eyewear without being vetted by the community. That’s why we created the Beta Team, fourteen dedicated and passionate trail runners who are putting our prototype lenses to the test. These fourteen athletes are a diverse mix of influencers, pro-athletes, podcasters, women's-rights advocates, community members, bloggers, back-of-the-packers, and more. We told them to share the good, the bad, and the ugly with us and with the world. If they hate eyewear, that is OK! They are the people who make up this wild and wonderful sport. Learn about the Beta Team here and follow them on Instagram to hear how they are testing their TRAIL26 lenses.

PREVIEW TRAIL EYEWEAR

The Team Behind the Lenses

Avery Collins

Avery Collins is not your average professional athlete. In an industry where pros are told to mold their beliefs to cater to those of the consumer, he speaks out about the medicinal properties of marijuana and uses it to aid his training. Collins runs high.

Collins has found that cannabis helps with pain mitigation. He believes that it is a safe alternative to hard drugs and alcohol. What it really comes down to, however, is that he likes getting high and he likes running. Naturally, he likes to combine the two. Despite occasional lash back from the public, Collins has stuck to his guns. His picture appeared in the Wall Street Journal a few years ago, bong in hand.

Avery’s near-decade of podium finishes has his fellow ultra-runners heads turning. His list of accomplishments includes wins at Cloudsplitter 100, HURT 100, Fat Dog 120, Colorado 200, and Ouray 100, in addition to top spots at world-renowned races like the Western States 100, Tor Des Geants 200, Grand Raid, and UTMB - CCC. With results like these, the stigma around weed is crumbling. More and more ultra runners are open to the discussion of running high, as well as following his lead and coming out about their own marijuana use.

We are excited to have Avery as part of the growth and development of the ultra trail team!

Dean Karnazes

Dean Karnazes is the Godfather of ultra running and the best-selling author of Ultramarathon Man. Named by TIME magazine as one of the “100 Most Influential People in the World,” Dean Karnazes has pushed his body and mind to inconceivable limits. Among his many accomplishments, he has run 50 marathons, in all 50 US states, in 50 consecutive days. He’s run across Death Valley in the middle of summer, and he’s run a marathon to the South Pole. But what he might be best known for is eating entire pizzas mid-run and telling his fans to do the same! We are so thrilled to have perhaps the most beloved ultra runner in the country as part of our team.

Cat Bradley

Cat Bradley is a professional ultra runner who is here to change the industry she grew up in. With nearly ten years under her feet as an ultra-trail runner, she has seen the good and the bad in this rapidly growing industry. With a 2017 win at the Western States 100, 6th place, and 1st American at the 2018 UTMB, a 50k PR of 3:25, and as the first woman to run Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim in under eight hours, Cat believes she can help to create a more inclusive community that celebrates more than just race results, but instead celebrates the whole person behind their running accomplishments.

While Cat continues to dream big in the ultra-running space with goals of big wins around the world, she also believes it’s important to give back to the community that gave her so much. Cat is not only a sponsored athlete for M7 Ultra Trail, but she is also the Brand Manager for the ultra trail line of eyewear. Yes, she aims to take part in the development of the best eyewear on the market. But the selling eyewear is just a vehicle to create a community where trail running is accessible to all.

This Is Bigger Than Eyewear, This Is A Revolution!

A note from Cat:

Greetings fellow ultra runners! It’s me, Cat. A runner, a low-key helicopter dog mom to my four-year-old heeler mix, Shirley (but getting better), a writer (but ironically, a terrible speller), former kindergarten teacher, performing arts enthusiast, dreamer, and doer of many, many things. Some days, I feel stressed that I can’t pin myself down. While that seems to be part of my charm, it can also be really difficult to find stability. In fact, sometimes it can feel a little batshit crazy.

I grew up in the sport of ultra trail running, competing in my first 50k at just twenty years old. I found a family in trail running. I found a home when it felt like I had none. It gave me something to work towards and a reason to try hard unabashedly, which takes a huge amount of vulnerability and confidence. I was able to pave a career path for myself in the sport when I didn’t see any already paved paths that suited me. Ultra trail running shaped my adult life.

However, the more my identity and everyday life revolved around the sport, the more toxic it felt. After winning Western States 100 in 2017, I was shunned by my training partners who I had thought so highly of. Brands praised me when I won, but it only took one bad race for that praise to turn into heavy criticism. The community values felt too rooted in running accomplishments, races finished and epic adventures ticked off the bucket list. The pressure was immense, the friendships felt fickle and I was lonely. There was no balance. Sometimes, the pursuit of greatness is toxic. Most of the time, it lacks balance. And that’s OK. But when the attitude of those performing at the very top seeps into the culture of the sport, it becomes elitist.

What initially drew me to Method Seven is the inclusive culture surrounding its pursuit of greatness. Our mission is to make the best eyewear on the market, designed with performance and quality in mind. Our margins are not those of our competitors, because we will not cut corners. Above all else, we believe in the pursuit of a happy and fulfilling life. Run and race hard if that fills your cup. Walk or hike or sit on a log if that is more your cup of tea. Be a great parent, a great friend, and a great community member. Have difficult and thoughtful conversations. Write a joke! Tell it. Enjoy your time outside and under the sun because we only have one life. We want the whole, interesting person behind the race results and mountain adventures. You are more than just a runner. We are more than just sunglasses. We are Human Driven.

Cat Bradley
Method Seven Ultra Trail Brand Manager
Whole and happy person