Teva
John Lucassian
November 13th
Hi Jaime,
My name is John Lucassian and I'm a photographer near Detroit, Michigan. I have been wearing Teva Sandals for many years. For the last couple have been in love with the Dozer. (I have bought 3 pairs - 1 that I destroyed by wearing whenever possible and the 2 that I bought to replace the first pair.)
One of the things that I did as a photographer this year is attend 3 of the Ujena Talent Jams. Ujena is a women's swimwear and fashion company. The talent jams attract photographers, models, and other industry people from around the world. There are also sponsoring partners and product sponsors who come to the events too. For each of the Jams, I spent 10 days in mexico shooting models in bikinis. (It really is hard work!)
The owner of the company is Bob Anderson, the founder of Runners World Magazine. Running and health is very important to him, so there is a 5k race at each one of the events. There has been a great turnout at each of the races, not just of the event participants, but of the locals too.
At the first race, which was in Cancun, I ran in a pair of reeboks. Probably 5 years old, but the only pair of running shoes that I owned. They were heavy and not what I needed to be wearing. So the the second race, in Puerto Vallarta, I went to a Nike outlet and found, what I thought would be, a pair of good running shoes. I was wrong. The streets in Puerto Vallarta were paved with cut stone and in some places cobblestone. The Nike's were light, but the narrow heels didn't cover the bottom of my foot right. Worse, the streets were still wet from some rain and they soaked up the water when I hit it. By the end of the race, my ankles and the edges of my sole were sore. For the third race, which was in Cabos San Lucas, I got smart and wore my Teva Dozers. They were fantastic! Great support for my entire sole and good traction from underneath.
I was able to wear those shoes for almost the entire event in Los Cabos. (I did have to wear somthing different for a costume party I went to!) I actually wore Dozers to all 3 events and recieved comments on them every time!
Sincerely,
John Lucassian
Photographer
AfternoonStudios.com
My Sandals
Ginette Mitchell
November 4th
Dear Teva,
I apologize to write this to your story site...It is the only place where I saw an e-mail where I could reach you while sending my photograph.
I am writing in the minute hope that there may be another pair somewhere. I bought Teva sandals about 11 years ago. They have walked thousands of kilometers in many many countries. Most recently through the forests of Borneo. Alas, yesterday the strap finely came off the sole of the sandal... I knew it was coming as they are old and somewhat decrepit by now but I can not give them up. I have been wearing them with shorts, skirts, dresses. They are the perfect companion to exploring whether a city or the jungle or just for every walking, wet or dry.
I have been looking for the same or similar sandals for about 5 years by now without luck. Now, in my desperation hour as I am sending you a photograph where perhaps somewhere in the dark oubliettes of a warehouse you would have a size 7 1/2 just waiting there... I love the strap work, coloring, natural leather footbed that keeps my feet dry (and from smelling, which, too often, one encounters with synthetic materials). Also, most importantly, the capricious pesky nerve in my foot does not flare up when I wear them.
Well I am off to the shoemaker in the hope that it can be mended if only temporarily...Sigh Hope to hear from you soon Ginette Mitchell
Ginette Mitchell
P.S.: I originally bought these in Calgary Alberta Canada
Riding the MS 150 in Tevas
Daniel Bahr
November 3rd
To the good folks who build Tevas,
You guys know how to build a sandal.
Earlier last month I was gearing up for my first "Bike to the Beach", the two-day 150 mile bike ride between San Antonio and Corpus Christi, Texas that was organized to raise funds for Multiple Sclerosis research. In preparation for the ride I acquired a $50 mountain bike from a co-worker, replaced the knobby tires with road slicks, and installed a gel seat insert in an effort to make an inherently inefficient bike semi-tolerable for a long distance ride in the Texas heat. I even used the plastic pedals that came with the bike from the factory.
A week before the ride I tore the skin on my lower ankle while donning some new cleats for flag football and the location of the wound made it impossible for me to wear shoes without substantial discomfort and disturbing the healing. The good thing was that I just acquired my first pair of Teva Flip-flops the previous week and given the comfort and support they provided, I decided to wear them for the MS 150, with an extra pair of shoes in my backpack in case the Tevas gave out.
It turns out that I never should have packed them. While I experienced mild cramping in my thighs during the second half of the first day, my feet felt great and extremely comfortable the entire 165+ miles that made up the duration of the trip and I feel it is due in no small part to the build design and quality of the Tevas. I add some additional context about the strain the Tevas were under, let me add that I'm a 6'3" 265 lb former college wrestler and I've worn out more bike parts due to use/stress that I care to mention in the last 10 years. In short, the sandals suffered everything short of being set on fire without any failure or breakage.
From what I've been told by the coordinators and officials of the MS150, no one to their knowledge has ever attempted to ride an MS event in sandals, let alone finished the grueling ride under their own power. And I did it in Tevas, the same ones I'm wearing as I type this right now, a month after the race occurred.
Attached is an image one of my teammates took during the 2nd day of the trip.
Keep building sandals like that and you'll continue to have a faithful customer in me.
Best,
Daniel Bahr
