Made to Flex: Timberland x Marcus Gustafsson

Inspired by the fear of being average, Marcus Gustafsson decided that the world was going to be his playground. This parkour and free running athlete has taken LA by storm since he moved from Sweden in the pursuit of a borderless lifestyle. We caught up with Marcus to talk about his need to be flexible, and how he focuses on the obstacles in front of him, not behind.

Q: Tell us about your talent and how you got into it

Marcus: My talent started as a kid. I did gymnastics for 10 years, but was unhappy with it because I was looking like everyone else...this group of people that were doing the same things over and over again. So, I was finding my own path and found parkour. Thirteen years later, I’m traveling the world, doing competitions, and living the life.

Q: Is flexibility important for you?

Marcus: Yeah, definitely. Flexibility in my life is the possibility to be doing different types of moves…tricks…or even jobs. Because you really don’t know what’s going to happen during the way, you need to adapt. I definitely needed to be open when moving from Sweden to LA. The structure of the city is different. You’re going from a small, small town to a major city, trying to adapt to situations…that’s one of the things I’m trying to figure out, every day. 

Q: Does footwear play a big role in your day to day life?

Marcus: Absolutely. It’s important that my shoes don’t inhibit my movement, because I never know where I’ll find myself. In fact, my boots that I’m wearing today are not actually feeling like boots at all. They’re very flexible, I can jump around in them...it’s kind of amazing to be honest! It’s really cool to be able to do my tricks in Timberland shoes.

Q: What does the Modern Trail mean to you?

Marcus: The Modern Trail in general is a way of life. It’s just nice to be open as a person…You need to be able to see the future and not so much look in the past, because if you’re stuck on the old-school tracks, you’re not going to be able to see the possibilities of what’s ahead. 

Though not much of a ‘trail’ in its traditional sense, Marcus’s way of life is definitely modern. Since so much of his job requires him to be flexible, his footwear needs to do the same. Our Killington Hikers feature a traditional hiking-inspired silhouette, complete with our SensorFlex comfort system, making for a stylish yet smooth ride through the city of Los Angeles. And while you may prefer to stay closer to the ground than Marcus, your Timberland’s certainly won’t be keeping you there.

Want to hear about how Virgil Gadson flexes in SensorFlex? Check out this article on why he loves his Killington chukkas here.