Behind the Design: Classics⁴ PRO |

How do you redefine a stalwart of a product? You enlist the G.O.A.T of course.

By Corrie Grant, Product Developer at SunGod.

There's always been a gap in the SunGod product range between our everyday sunglasses and our Performance sunglasses. Every year we get messages about the opportunity for a design that genuinely enhances performance eg. stable, comfortable over long days, versatile in changing light, where customers can't quite justify themselves in what can be considered an aggressive, "go-fast" wraparound style. These customers want the performance without having to look like they're chasing an Olympic podium.

Why the innovation?

Classics⁴ PRO

The Classics⁴ were already quietly built to perform but they read as a casual, everyday pair. The idea behind the Pro-version was to close that gap: keep the exact silhouette people already love, and elevate it with functional tech trickled down from the Pace Series (specifically the learnings that helped us develop the Velans™ 2 ). Same understated look, more capability under the surface. A pair you'd wear in a race, on a walk, or to grab a coffee but still built to perform.

"Not everyone wants to switch sunglasses the moment they lace up their trainers or jump on their bike. The Pro is one pair that genuinely does it all. Race in it, walk in it, grab a coffee in it. Performance without looking like you're trying."

— Ed, Head of Product.

Courtney's input

Hardrock 2026 - Courtney and new her signature Classics⁴ PRO

Classics⁴ PRO

Courtney Dauwalter was our muse and the toughest tester on this project. She races in the Classics⁴ by choice over any wraparound because of the comfort, the way they sit, and because the style feels like her. The biggest races of her career, including the UTMB were won in the Classics⁴. She loved them, but pushed us for more. The specific problems she flagged became our to-do list:

Keep what works: same front frame shape, same streamlined fold for stashing mid-race. Evolve the arms and temples, not the face.
Fit stability: slight slippage and bounce on smaller faces during long efforts (her husband, with a larger head, didn't get it - which told us the issue was fit range, not the design being wrong).
All-day comfort: pressure building up behind the ears over very long wear.
Nose pad stability: didn't want detachable nose pads or anything that changed how the frame sits. We kept the existing nose geometry but switched to bonded rubber grips, for better performance over long efforts without changing the feel.
Lenses: more versatile lens for mixed light: in and out of trees, open sun, into dusk.
Relaxed style: running 100 miles is still considered fun for Courtney, the more relaxed and fun you can feel, the easier it is to get through the tough parts of racing.

Her benchmark for success was simple and brutal: over an 18-hour-plus day, the glasses should feel like they're not even there. And she's a demanding proving ground, 18+ hour efforts across constantly changing terrain and light, needing race-ready prototypes well ahead of every start line.

"I've run in the Classics⁴ for years, they just feel like me. I never wanted to switch to a wraparound style. But over a really long day you notice the small stuff: a bit of slip, a bit of pressure. I wanted a pair I could genuinely forget I was wearing."

— Courtney Dauwalter, record-setting ultramarathon runner

The Process

The approach mirrored the development of the Velans™ 2: nothing made it in because it sounded good in a meeting - it made it in because it solved something real from Courtney's list.

Kick-off: We started in late October 2025 by turning Courtney's feedback into a working brief, then aligned it directly with her before committing to anything. By December we were in 3D CAD, working through arm shapes across a range of face scans.
Courtney’s first physical fit checks: From there it progressed from digital to physical. 3D-printed frames went straight to Courtney for run testing, not just fit checks on a desk. She was logging miles in unpolished prototypes, feeding back on grip, bounce, pressure points and comfort. The temple design in particular went through repeated rounds, each print tweaked, tested on a run, then refined. The whole point was getting stable hold across a wider range of face shapes without adding bulk.
Samples → prototypes (spring 2026): By spring 2026 we had race-suitable prototypes, followed by 2 development sample rounds and then pre-production samples.
Race testing at Hardrock 100 (June 2026): Courtney received pre-production product to wear at Hardrock 100.

"The timeless silhouette is what people love about Classics⁴, so we respected that. All the engineering went into how it holds onto your head. The Velans™ 2 gave us the playbook for what a performance, formed arm should do. We took that, put 3D print prototypes on Courtney to refine what didn't work, and kept going until it did."

— Ed, Head of Product

What sets it apart?

All trickle-down from the Pace Series / Velans™ 2 , tuned back for everyday wearability (dialled down from the full Velans™ 2 spec, not carbon-copied).

Straight Arm Even contact along the temple, whether wearing a cap or helmet. Why it matters: stable hold across a broader range of head sizes and conditions than the standard Classics⁴.

Temple Flex + Tuned Fins (scaled back from Velans™ 2) Flexes to adapt to different head shapes, with pared-back fins for added stability. Why it matters: the single biggest fit-range win over the standard Classics⁴, with the performance cue that signals Pro without going full sport.

Overmoulded Ear Grip Softer, grippier contact behind the ear. Why it matters: takes the pressure out of long wear and holds firm when pushed up onto the head.

Rubber Nose Pads Same nose geometry as the Classics⁴, switched to rubber. Why it matters: better grip over long efforts without changing how the frame feels. No detachable parts.

8KO lens range only Every lens option is top-tier: 8KO, 8KO Polarised, and 8KO Iris (photochromic) new to an everyday silhouette. Why it matters: lenses that match the performance credentials of the frame. Iris adapts to changing light in one lens, from everyday wear through to serious mixed-condition performance.

Performance you feel, not performance you have to advertise.

The Goal

Everything was built toward one proof point: getting a pair race-ready for Courtney at the Hardrock 100, the Classic⁴ Pro's first time on a start line, and about the most unforgiving test there is. If a pair can hold fit, comfort and clarity across 100 brutal miles and 18+ hours in the San Juans, on the GOAT of ultrarunning, it's earned the "Pro" name. And it worked. Courtney won, and posted a new course record, crossing the finish line, after 26 hours of running, in her signature design.

That's the story arc for the piece: a project that started with one athlete's honest feedback about a pair she already loved, and ended with that pair, rebuilt where it counted, toeing the line at Hardrock.