Vivienne Westwoods spring 18 plastic bottle shoes that news clip of a Portland couple running in the snow went viral.
In February 2014, KOIN reporter Lisa Balick was interviewing passersby in Portland during a heavy snowstorm, and found the chef’s kiss of sources in a couple who was out running, unfazed by the arctic conditions.
When asked what they were doing, the woman in the clip said that it was “the perfect texture for running.”
“Very low impact and it’s dry snow so your feet don’t get wet,” she continued.
Later in the interview, her companion added: “It’s too nice to not be out here.”
The video then captures the pair turning and running away from the camera. Almost immediately, the woman slips and falls on a patch of ice. She shakes it off and resumes running, giving the thumbs up when Balick yelled after them, “Are you okay?”
They were probably unaware at the time that the unintentional comedic timing was perfect, creating a beloved viral moment that still gets shared every time there’s snowfall in Portland (or elsewhere)—begging the question, “Is it the perfect texture for running?”
The woman, Chelsea Bauch, was interviewed by Deadspin about the clip shortly after it went viral, and she cleared up any concern about her being injured from the tumble she took. “My neck was a little sore,” she said, “but the ridiculous, awesome irony of the situation cushioned the blow pretty well.”
And while she later ended up moving to Portland to be with Michael, her running partner from the news clip, at the time, they were in a long distance relationship and she was visiting from New York City. “Sorry to shatter the otherwise perfectly sculpted Portlandia stereotype, guys,” she said.
Abby Carney is a writer and journalist in New York. A former D1 college runner and current amateur track athlete, she's written about culture and characters in running and outdoor sports for Runner's World, Cali Sneaker Low Perf, The New York Times, and other outlets. She also writes about things that have nothing to do with running, and was previously the editor of a food magazine.
