A man’s passion for running

He talks about his chosen sport, running, with palpable passion.

Marathon man David Edge has had a stellar running career. He has competed in such world-renowned races as the Boston Marathon, the London Marathon, the Commonwealth Games, and two Olympic Games (in Los Angeles and Seoul) in the ’80s.

Although he retired from the sprint scene about a decade ago, he hasn’t completely stopped running.

"I still run at least 10 miles everyday," he says, beaming with pride.

He also helps train kids.

His wife, Carey May is a high school cross-country coach. David met Carey May, also a top-caliber athlete, when they both took part at the 1983 World Championship in Helsinki, Finland.

"She was the first woman to set the 2-hours-and-30 minutes record in an all-women’s marathons," David says of his wife. "She is a remarkable athlete."

True to form, the couple’s twin offsprings followed in David and Carey May’s swift footsteps.

"Our twins run like the wind," David says. "Nicholas and Brittany just turned 16 and they took after us. They also love to compete."

David enjoys relating this anecdote about his daughter, now a high school sophomore. "She lost for the first time last week," he shares. "So I asked her how she felt. And her answer was beautiful, it floored me. ‘I was the first loser, dad!’ She handled it very well. She came in second, but second was not what she was aiming for."

David teaches his kids and other young athletes never to settle for second best. "We set high standards for them," he says. That’s precisely what keeps David running.

Put simply, it is the sheer love for the sport and of the adrenaline high he derives from competing with himself (first) and other runners (second).

"It is such a pure sport," he asserts. "Running is not a glamour sport. It is so grueling. When you’re in a good race, there is no pain. But if you’re in a bad one, it’s the worst feeling in the world."

Still, he can’t get enough of the runner’s high.

"It’s the greatest feeling," he affirms. "It’s like you are floating."

David recently participated in a competition in California to keep an officemate company throughout the 13-mile run.

"I was standing among the 2,000 runners on the starting line and this guy, who eventually topped the race, came up to me and asked, ‘Aren’t you David Edge?’ So I assured him I wasn’t there to race. Still, I felt the pressure," he recalls.

Especially because David once elicited an uncommon high from the rush of competition.

"It was not in the running," he explains, "the joy was in the competition. How I loved to compete! For me, competition was everything and I enjoyed it with passion."

Now, he gets to apply his fiercely competitive nature in his line of work as a shoe company executive.

"I am very aggressive," he admits. "I devote the same amount of intensity, whether it’s for an athletic or a business competition."

That’s why working as the head of the International Running Division of bullish shoe company Avia fits David like, well, a comfy pair of running shoes.

"We’re one of the best brands in the market," he states with confidence. "One of the Top Five, no question about it."

Since American Sporting Goods took over Avia, the shoe company’s success has been "phenomenal," David recounts.

"We are now selling a million and a half pairs of shoes a month in the US," he notes with bravado. "We have a very aggressive team behind Avia. And the company’s owner Jerry Turner is the only person I know who is as competitive as I am. He also loves to compete. He won’t settle for second place. He wants to be on top. I think that is exactly why we work so well together."

After conquering the US market, Avia is moving on and expanding to stake its claim in the Asian market.

Truth be told, Avia had its grand launch in the Philippines recently.

"We also have a good team here in the Philippins," David confirms. "It will be run by High Vision and it’s led by organized, motivated, feisty visionaries like Margie Go and Ryan Go-Kee."

They envision positioning Avia in the Philippine market as a "high-performance footwear brand."

"If other shoes are built for fashion and trends, Avia is built to perform," David explains. "You can play basketball, volleyball and other sports in it. You can cross-train and work out, even train for a marathon with Avia. Our shoes not only look good, they are functional, usable shoes. And Avia offers the Ecto Contilever System. It is the purest form of shock absorption and support any shoe can have."

Avia proffers cutting-edge shoe technology in its most basic form.The man who is on the edge – the cutting edge, really – of running shoes technology, David Edge sums it all up: "For people who are looking for the best shoes with the most features and functions, the perfect shoes that come at a reasonable price, Avia is the name to trust."