Published June 9, 2026 02:00PM
At Outside, we have a lot of respect for the engineering lab—so much so that we built one ourselves in partnership with CU Denver. But if there’s one thing we’ve learned over years of testing, it’s that labs are only one part of the equation when it comes to developing groundbreaking, innovative gear. The other half? The human element—the unique preferences of testers, the real-world scenarios where people use (and abuse) gear, and the nit-picky feedback from individuals who are highly attuned to how their bodies perform.
The human element drove our conversation during the Built Better panel at the Outside Days Industry Conference. Brooks trail athlete and Olympian Anna Gibson and climber and adaptive athlete Maureen “Mo” Beck joined Brooks Chief Product Officer Carson Caprara and The North Face Senior Technical Equipment Designer Luke Matthews to discuss how athlete insights shape product development. Because Anna and Mo push gear to its limits on a daily basis, they offer invaluable insights to product experts like Carson and Luke. The result: Gear that was born from individual feedback, but performs better for everybody.
After the panel, we caught up with Carson to learn about the difference between designing with athletes versus designing for athletes.
“When we’re designing with athletes, we’re using their cues, their insights to not only make their product better, but to also make product better for everyone,” explained Carson.
One athlete in particular who’s made Carson’s job harder—in a good way— isDes Linden, the elite distance runner. She’s best-known for being the first American woman to win the Boston Marathon in 33 years, a feat she achieved in 2018 despite brutal conditions.
“We know [Des], and she’s such an incredible athlete, and she’s accomplished so many things,” said Carson. “And I’ve been on the journey with her for her career. From a product standpoint, she’s always pushed us, and she’s not ever giving us a solution, but she’s always, ‘Hey, I need something that does this. This needs to be better.’ She holds a very high standard. And in product creation, that’s all we can ask for.”
During the panel, Anna identified herself as a “guinea pig” of sorts, eager to try anything the product team throws at her. She also noted that she takes a very intuitive approach to feedback and analysis, relying on her gut instinct and strong mind-body connection to identify when something’s not quite right. That approach, Carson told us, is a key balance to the more quantitative side of product innovation.
“[Anna’s] able to explain things in emotional terms versus more scientific terms, and both are important,” shares Carson. “But I think she gives us the other end of the spectrum. And when you combine those things together, I think you get magic.”
Watch our full recap in the video above or read the transcript below to learn more about how Brooks and The North Face are working with athletes to build better.
Transcript
Kristen Geil: My name is Kristen Geil. I’m the Gear & Affiliate Director at Outside. I’m here with Carson Caprara. He is the Chief Product Officer at Brooks. We just finished our “Built Better” panel at Outside Days. How are you doing? You survived.
Carson Caprara: I survived. It’s a beautiful day, what a cool event, and what a great panel we had.
Kristen Geil: One of the main themes of our panel was talking about how Brooks designs with athletes in opposition to designing for. Can you walk me through that distinction and how Brooks approaches the relationship of working with athletes?
Carson Caprara: Yeah. I think it’s about athletes are just so incredible in their ability to give you insights and their ability to feel the impact of product on their sport, on their body, a lot of times in such a way that even the science or the technology can’t tell you. And so when we’re designing with athletes, we’re using their cues, their insights to not only make their product better, but to also make product better for everyone.
Kristen Geil: Have there been any athletes you’ve worked with that have stood out in terms of their approach to giving feedback or to testing?
Carson Caprara: Yeah. I think of Des Linden, and we know her, and she’s such an incredible athlete, and she’s accomplished so many things. And I’ve been on the journey with her for her career. And from a product standpoint, she’s always pushed us, and she’s not ever giving us a solution, but she’s always, “Hey, I need something that does this. This needs to be better,” and she holds a very high standard. And in product creation, that’s all we can ask for.
Kristen Geil: One of the people on this panel with us was Brooks athlete and trail runner and Olympian, Anna Gibson. She described herself as very intuitive, very experimental, willing to try anything once, any product you send to her. How does that balance out a more data driven or quantitative approach to product testing and iteration?
Carson Caprara: Well, it gives you the other end of the spectrum. It gives you an instantaneous feedback. You don’t have to wait for it. She’s able to explain things in emotional terms versus more scientific terms, and both are important. But I think she gives us the other end of the spectrum. And when you combine those things together, I think you get magic.
Kristen Geil: Before we head out today, is there anything that you can speak to that’s coming down the pipeline or any designs that you’re especially excited about that we can expect to see soon?
Carson Caprara: Well, let me tell you, we are so excited about LA28, to have the Olympics here in the US, and they’re so tied into our sport of running and to athletes. We’ve got big plans, big ambitions, and a lot of it has to be centered around athletes. And the great thing is that technology that we’re going to innovate for LA28, we’re bringing that to the masses very quickly.
Kristen Geil: We are going to wrap up with a couple of fun rapid fire questions. So first thing that comes to mind when I tell you these questions. Ready?
Carson Caprara: Got it.
Kristen Geil: Are you a road runner or a trail runner?
Carson Caprara: Road.
Kristen Geil: Are you an early morning or late night runner?
Carson Caprara: Late night.
Kristen Geil: And are you a solo runner or someone who loves a group run?
Carson Caprara: This is the hardest one, I think, but I’m going to say group run.
Kristen Geil: Thank you so much for being with us here today, Carson. We’ll let everyone get back to Outside Days, and we’ll see you out there.
