Legendary Day: The Tale of the Folklord

Elliot Matson’s adventure in endurance sports began unexpectedly. Fresh out of high school, he joined a group of friends on a cross-country bike tour from Portland, Oregon to Missoula, Montana. Elliot showed up overpacked and overdressed, but quickly learned the ropes. “I hit the ground running or cycling.” Elliot recalls. This experience sparked something in Elliot. “Understanding how to push myself like that became something very fundamental to me.” For Elliot, it was all about the “legendary day.”

Finding His Stride in Trail Running

As life got busier, Elliot couldn’t take entire summers off for bike tours. He turned to running, first as a way to stay fit. But when he moved to Portland, Oregon, everything changed. “We have just such incredible access to trails in the wilderness out here,” Elliot explains. Friends coaxed him onto the trails, and a new dog named Ginny sealed the deal. “I always say that my dog got me into trail running because, you know, without her, I probably wouldn’t have done it.” Soon, Elliot was covering 20+ miles on trails, loving every step. Unlike many runners, he’s not in it for races. “Although I admire those who do, I’ve never really felt the need or impetus to race, or needed that kind of goal to inspire me to get out and run,” he says.

The Birth of Folklord: Apparel for Legendary Days

Elliot’s experiences in endurance sports led him to create Folklord, his own apparel company. He wanted to make running clothes that didn’t look like typical workout gear. “I really wanted to create running apparel that didn’t look like running apparel,” Elliot explains. “I wanted something that looked like I had never been working out in the first place.”

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Folklord’s Unique Approach

Elliot calls Folklord’s style “Leisletic” – the opposite of athleisure. While athleisure makes you look like you’re always working out, Folklord’s clothes are designed to make you look like you’re never working out. But Folklord isn’t just about looks. Elliot wanted to pay tribute to the Pacific Northwest trails he loves. He creates hand-drawn prints inspired by local myths, tall tales, and legends. “Every limited-run print homage to the myths and tall tales and legends of the flora and fauna and cryptids of the wilderness,” Elliot says.

Chasing Legendary Days

Elliot’s slogan for Folklord captures the spirit of his brand: “Mythically stylish, high performance endurance apparel designed for legendary days.” What’s a legendary day? Elliot explains: “It’s any day with a story to tell. And whether that story is you got up at 3:00am to train for a race; or you ran 5, 10, 100 miles up a mountain; or you could only get out for a quick loop over lunch—that’s okay! Because you’re the one who gets to tell it.”

A One-Man Show

Folklord is Elliot’s passion project, built from the ground up. He’s using all his skills from his background in creative advertising and marketing to make it happen. “I’m doing this on my own, starting very grassroots with a limited supply of shirts and hats, and hoping to build from there,” Elliot says. It hasn’t been easy, but Elliot’s endurance sports background has prepared him well. “I’m the type of person that if I say I’m going to do something, I’m going to do it,” he says.

Looking Ahead

Elliot hopes the trail running community will embrace Folklord’s unique approach. He’s excited to introduce his ideas to new people and give like-minded runners a way to express themselves. “I want the whole brand to represent the joy and weirdness of being out in the wilderness, doing this bizarre sport we all love,” Elliot says.”It’s an irreverent and subversive take on the normal stuff you see in the running and trail running space.” For Elliot Matson, every day on the trail is a chance for a legendary day. With Folklord, he’s inviting others to join him on the journey, one quirky, stylish step at a time.

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