Exciting news! Starting today we are doing a contest with Journeys.com where you can win a $5,000 gift card from Apple just for being witty and original. I know what you’re thinking — it’s about time someone finally came along to reward you for all your snappy comebacks and one liners!

Click on over to www.CaptionOriginals.com where every week from now until December 25, Saucony Originals and Journeys will give you a chance to write captions for fun photos from our collection. We’ll award the most Original entries each week with a special prize pack from Saucony Originals.* At the end of the contest, we’ll randomly pick a winner from the pool of caption writers and award that wordsmith with a $5,000 gift card to Apple.

And that’s not all, right now when you purchase a pair of Saucony Originals shoes from Journeys.com, we’ll throw in free shipping AND a $10 iTunes gift card, while supplies last. New shoes and new tunes. Excellent, right? Or should we say it sounds good? Hey - you come up with the witty remarks.

Check back weekly for a new photo to caption!

*Prize packs could include a Saucony Originals t-shirt, headband and duffle bag.

If you are a fan of the obscure, then you probably already know that today is Corduroy Appreciation Day! 11|11, the date whose vertical stripes so resemble the wale of the beloved fabric, is the natural fit for this unique holiday. So today we don our Corduroy pants, we think back about our college professors in their Corduroy jackets and we enjoy being comfortable in cords.

In honor of this special day, we had the pleasure of corresponding with Miles Rohan, president of the Corduroy Appreciation Club, about growing up Corduroy, Wilt Chamberlain and his favorite wale.

Team Saucony: How did you come to be such an enthusiastic appreciator of corduroy?

Miles Rohan: Growing up Corduroy just seemed to be a constant presence. My mother had a lot of it and used it to make all kinds of things for us. Couch cushions, bed spreads, clothes. I also used to find a lot of Corduroy in used clothing shops where it almost seemed like a discarded relic and so I’ve snatched a lot of it up over the years. It’s always resonated with me as something a bit more than a fabric.

TS: How did the Corduroy Appreciation Club get its start and how long has it been around? How many members does the CAC have?

MR: In earnest we got off the ground in 2005, but it was conceived somewhere around 2000, initially just as a theme for a party. But what I’ve come to realize over the years is that there always has been something of a club for wearing Corduroy even if it wasn’t spoken about or intentional. There’s something there with so many writers, artists, thinkers wearing it for so many years.

TS: Do you have a favorite wale?

MR: I’m more of a pinwale person—which I think has something to do with my personality. I’m can be pretty quiet. But I do love wide wales, and it seems like they’re more in style this season than in previous. But I rarely ware them. They seem louder than I am.

TS: Are there any celebs, athletes, etc. who you look up to for their corduroy-wearing proclivities?

MR: Of course. Totally. Woody Allen, Wes Anderson come to mind right away. But there are many great Corduroy wearers. I was just reading somewhere that Wilt Chamberlain likes Corduroy. Michael Jackson seems like he once wore a lot of Corduroy—in the 70’s—before he kind of moved into all that leather.

TS: What is the Corduroy Appreciation Club doing to celebrate 11/11/09 this year?

MR: We’re meeting in a new secret space. A big, old, very secret-feeling garage in a turn of the century factory. Feels good to be somewhere new. Our keynote speaker is Sloane Crosley [author of I Was Told There’d Be Cake]. We like to have writers be our speakers—and she’s definitely the most well-sold author we have ever had. There’s also a real women’s theme to this years meeting. Which is also nice because in the past it’s been very male centric.

TS: Any extra big plans in the works for 11/11/11?

MR: Well, yes. But I can’t talk about them yet. It’s going to be huge.

Photo of Miles Rohan by CAC member Meredith Modzelewski

Did you think it was weird this morning all those people racing down the sidewalk, running laps around your office building, jogging alongside the bus? Whether you noticed an up-tick in running behavior or not, have it be known that today is National Running Day — a day dedicated to bringing us “together as a nation to take strides toward leading healthier, fitter lives.”

If you’re thinking, “Oh bummer, but I totally drove to work and had a giant hoagie for lunch — my life is so not fit today,” it’s not too late! The Running Day website has a list of tons of local events, many of which start this evening. People in central Florida can join the run at Gemini Springs at 7pm; ambitious runners outside of Houston can take on a 3 mi run at 7pm; Long Island commuters can jog on the Long Beach boardwalk at 9pm — there’s something for just about everyone.

Or just embody the spirit of National Running Day by jogging to the copier and back. Racing to the corner coffee shop on your break. Jogging in place at your 5pm board meeting. Doing some quadriceps stretches between helping customers.

Keep in mind, if you want to get serious about running, Saucony has a full line of profesh running shoes in addition to the stylish Originals.

We were excited to see American Analog Set reunite at this year’s SXSW for the Insound party, and the AmAnSet guys were happy to get some new sneakers from us. It was a good day all around!

Although the Analog Set may have retired, front man Andrew Kenny is going full-force now with his new band The Wooden Birds. They have the same breezy, lightly rockin’ quality as his old outfit, which you can hear for yourself — Brooklyn Vegan has shared some MP3s including a few from a WOXY live broadcast. Like what you hear? Catch them on the road this summer!

The Wooden Birds - 2009 Tour Dates
May 27 Phoenix, AZ - Modified
May 28 Los Angeles, CA - Spaceland
May 29 San Diego, CA - Bar Pink
May 30 Visalia, CA - Cellar Door
May 31 San Francisco, CA - Rickshaw Stop
June 2 Vancouver, BC - Media Club *
June 3 Portland, OR - The Doug Fir *
June 4 Seattle, WA - Chop Suey
June 6 Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court *
June 7 Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge *
June 18 Lawrence, KS - Jackpot Saloon *
June 19 Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry *
June 20 Chicago, IL - Schubas *
June 21 Cleveland, OH - Beachland *
June 23 Cambridge, MA - TT The Bears *
June 24 Brooklyn, NY - The Bell House *
June 25 Philadelphia, PA - North Star *
June 29 Atlanta, GA - The Earl *
July 2 Houston, TX - Walters on Washington *
July 4 Austin, TX - Stubbs BBQ
* with Other Lives

Photo by Aubrey Edwards 

Photo by Chelsa Skees

Last month Saucony was a sponsor of a SUPER fun party put together by the guys @ LVHRD. The event was PHTHRD III and it will be forever known as “the most photographed party in history”. Well, until someone decides to try to break that record. Coming in at 3,987 photos uploaded by attendees onto Flickr, the title is quite an honor that everyone who attended should be proud of.

In addition to that honor, many people had the opportunity to break some records of their own. Check out the videos below to catch “Most Double- Handed High Fives in a Minute”, “Most Air Guitar Windmills in One Minute” & “Tallest Shaving Cream Wig “. All new record winners received a pair of Saucony Originals.

Take a look at the videos below & then go to Flikr.com & search PHTHRD3 to see all three-thousand-nine-hundred-and-eighty-seven photos!

Tallest Shaving Cream Wig

Most Air Guitar Windmills in One Minute

Most Double- Handed High Fives in One Minute