Fresh Feet and Tougher Feats - STILLFRESH at TUFFMAN Gurugram Half Marathon

Ah, The TUFFMAN Gurugram Half Marathon - a race where only the toughest survive. And by toughest we mean the runners… and their shoes. Because let’s be real, if endurance sports had a villain, it wouldn’t be muscle cramps or hitting the wall - It would be the shoe odor. 

So, we, as a small business armed with the first of its kind product - Our Deodorization Pouches, an unreasonable amount of coffee beans and a dream of fresher finish lines-  We set up shop at TUFFMAN to save soles. 

From the outside, business seems simple—you make a product, sell it, and make a profit. But the “why” always matters. Why would someone buy something they don’t yet see as an essential, especially the amateur and elite runners.

We expected these questions at the TUFFMAN Gurugram Half Marathon. Was our goal to make sales? Absolutely. But more than that, it was about real conversations, spreading awareness, and sharing moments of laughter with our community.

     

0 KM : The wake up call

Running boosts health —no debate there. However, with every mile comes sweat, leading to bacterial growth and unpleasant shoe odor. At TUFFMAN, we met people who took pride in their sweat, but let’s be honest—the smell isn’t exactly a badge of honor, especially for those around you. And, frankly, it’s not great for you either, since bacteria could be running their own marathon inside your shoes, leading to foot infections and shoe degradation. 

5 KM : The hard conversations

When we introduced our product, many were skeptical. Some swore by home remedies—washing, sun-drying, even putting their shoes in the refrigerator 😀. While these might seem effective, they come with hidden downsides. Washing daily shortens shoe lifespan, too much Sun causes Sun Bleaching which fades the colors and ruins the outer shoe material rather quickly, keeping shoes in the refrigerator - Well imagine opening the fridge door to grab a snack and finding running shoes next to butter. ewww. 

10 KM : The moment of truth

So how did we prove our product works better than the DIY methods ? Through a simple experiment. We took some coffee beans and placed them in three different glass jars. The first jar contained only coffee beans, resulting in a strong aroma. In the second jar, we added one STILLFRESH deodorization pouch, and customers observed that the coffee smell was noticeably reduced compared to the first jar. In the third jar, we placed two STILLFRESH deodorization pouches, and the result left everyone stunned —the jar had no smell at all, leaving people in awe of the product. This hands on demo, made it clear - STILLFRESH Deodorization Pouches AKA Shoe Fresheners doesn’t just mask odor, it absorbs and neutralizes them.

      

21.1 KM : FINISH LINE

The results spoke for themselves, our sales numbers and the priceless reactions made it even better!

We also hosted a fun shoe pong game with the help of our MINI pouches, rewarding winners with STILLFRESH freebies. The competition got intense, but that’s what we love— building community, sharing experiences, and getting valuable feedback from athletes to improve our product.

       

It was a fun and productive event, and the verdict ? 

We converted skeptics into believers 👍

People genuinely appreciated our mission 🙂

Witnessed some truly terrible throwing skills 😀

Left our mark - with fresher shoes for the participants 🏃

Because let’s face it—just because shoe odor as an issue isn’t discussed a lot,  doesn’t mean it’s unimportant.

See you at our next event warriors, until then - STAY FRESH. STAY UNSTOPPABLE.