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EXPLORE THE STORY

01

THE
CONTEXT

Bogotá's weekly Ciclovía draws approximately 2 million people every Sunday, around 20% of the city's entire population, across more than 120 kilometers of car-free streets.

It is the largest open streets program on the planet, running continuously since 1974. It has since inspired more than 400 cities worldwide to replicate the model.

Latin America is the next major market for performance footwear.

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02

THE PROBLEM

Most performance running shoes are developed and tested in controlled environments: tracks and flat pavement in Northern Europe or the United States. The surfaces and extreme climate demands of cities like Bogotá or São Paulo are not primarily taken into acount.

According to World Bank data, 41% of Latin America's population is now part of the middle class. That is hundreds of millions of people with purchasing power, moving through cities that no performance shoe was designed for.

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“EL PAIS”

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03

THE INSIGHT

At Bogotá's altitude of 2,640 meters, the barometric pressure is approximately 25% lower than at sea level. While the concentration of oxygen remains constant at 21%, the reduced pressure means air molecules are much further apart, forcing the heart and respiratory system to accelerate to maintain basic functions.

A runner in Bogotá is not running the same race as a runner in Amsterdam, even in the same shoe. Add unpredictable mixed surfaces or sudden tropical rain that shifts within the same hour and you have a physiological and environmental contexts that current performance footwear was simply not built for.

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04

THE
REASON

Adidas reported 28% growth in Latin America in 2024, the highest of any region globally, and projects double-digit growth for 2025. The Latin American athletic footwear market is projected to reach USD 8.6 billion by 2030, growing at annually. The premium sportswear segment is growing even faster at annually, expected to reach

Online athletic footwear sales in South America are expanding at 9.35% annually, while the premium segment is forecast to grow at 8.87% through 2030.

“Alcaldía de Bogotá: More than 42.000 people participated in 2025”

“Alcaldía de Bogotá”

Verified Citings

Grand View Research. (2024). Latin America athletic footwear market size & outlook, 2030. https://www.grandviewresearch.com/horizon/outlook/athletic-footwear-market/latin-america

Grand View Research. (2025). Latin America premium sportswear market size & outlook, 2030. https://www.grandviewresearch.com/horizon/outlook/premium-sportswear-market/latin-america

Mordor Intelligence. (2025). South America athletic footwear market size & share analysis. https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/south-america-athletic-footwear-market

Smartscience.blog. (2024). Elevation of Bogota: Survival guide for high-altitude travel. https://smartscience.blog/elevation-bogota-guide

LatamFDI. (2025, January 27). These are the countries with the highest percentage of their population in the middle class in Latin America. https://latamfdi.com/middle-class-in-latin-america/

Wikipedia. (2024). Ciclovía. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ciclov%C3%ADa

Urban Cycling Institute. (2025, January 24). Ciclovía at 50: Thinking cycling histories from Bogotá. https://urbancyclinginstitute.org/ciclovia-at-50-thinking-cycling-histories-from-bogota/

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