Northern Ireland based Bridgedale Outdoor, a maker of performance socks for outdoor and sport, has won the Socks of the Year Award by Trail Running Magazine for its Bridgedale Trail Run Lightweight T2 Merino Performance socks.

Socks in Bridgedale’s Trail Run range are said to deliver fantastic comfort for those running, hiking or biking on the world’s great trails. Fusion technology maximises the benefits of natural and technical fibres, knit in such a way as to create a highly ventilated and perfectly cushioned sock providing advanced fit and comfort.

Trail Run are available with two weights of cushioning, just where runners need it for impact protection on uneven terrain. The Lightweight socks are deemed to be perfect for colder runs all year round, and Ultralight is recommended for warmer conditions and summer runs. There are also some non-wool, vegan friendly styles in the range.

Bridgedale’s Trail Run range was developed by working closely with a team of testers across the UK, all of whom are regular off-road trail runners who run between 45 and 200 miles per week. By testing and tweaking the products at every stage of development, the runners have told the company that it has developed the most comfortable and durable trail running socks they have ever used.

“I am thrilled to share with you the recent award we have won for our newly launched Trail RUN socks. We developed this collection by working closely with 30 amateur enthusiast Trail Runners over a two-year period to really understand what they wanted in a sock. The award is recognition of their inputs and the success of the Team in our factory in Northern Ireland to deliver against the brief,” commented Mark Brennan, Managing Director, Bridgedale Outdoor Limited.

“We introduced some brand-new features in these socks, such as the zero debris cuff and a reinforced, natural toe box – all part of the Bridgedale Sport Fit, designed to protect your feet and enhance your performance whilst running up and down hills and trails,” the company said.

“We are the first brand to use the new innovative Lycra Dry technology that helps bring long-lasting fit with the comfort of dry feet.”

Bridgedale Outdoor Ltd is located at the tip of the Strangford Lough, Newtownards, near Belfast in Northern Ireland, under the shadow of the Scrabo Tower which was built as a monument to Lord Londonderry. The factory there has been knitting socks in Newtownards since WW1, when the first army socks were made. The strong heritage in hosiery is a feature of the Bridgedale brand and several of the team have been working in the factory for over 40 years.

When the first Bridgedales were launched in the early 1980's there were 3 colours, 2 sizes and 2 lengths, just 12 products. Now the company has over 500 products in the range and has factories in Northern Ireland and South Africa.

www.bridgedale.com