Alameda Runners – Get After It!

The key to being active in the endurance sports community – especially online – is to go out and chat with the companies that are making high quality products but might not be as well-known.  That’s why I like when companies approach me and actively want to engage, because there is new opportunity to put together a great story.

Alameda Runners recently caught up with David Green, 110% Play Harder CEO and experienced triathlete and Ironman, to learn more about the company and its unique product line.

110% makes compression clothing from compression shorts and knee sleeves to compression socks, tights and calf sleeves – including ice inserts, which can be heated to create heat inserts – offering even better healing capabilities.

Jump into the full interview after the jump! 

Many triathletes and endurance sports athletes like to have clothes that can be used for swimming, cycling and running.  “We don’t market our gear for swimming. (With) that said, it is extremely hydrophobic and performs very well in the water!”

“I got the Ironman bug when I turned 35 in 1999 and compete in 16 events over the next 10 years. During that time, I evolved from first time – “I want to finish!” to wanting to go as fast as I can. Balancing family, work and training with an aging body is the challenge many triathletes face.”

Some athletes are weary of products that future items need to be purchased for, such as the 110% Extra Ice Replacement Insert, but it shouldn’t be a big investment.

“That depends on the usage. On average, our re-useable ice sheet should last a year.”

110% was born from a dream about helping athletes recover from hard physical effort, and the founder knows about pain.

“The key categories for me to address were faster recovery, stronger performance and injury management.  When we came out with the 110% Compression + Ice, we had a product that provided a solution to all of those categories. As I’ve gone from Ironman to Ultras, these categories hold true with the addition of comfort. You can get through an Ironman with an average garment and it feels fine. Once you undertake a 30+ hour race you realize that chaffing can be a whole different animal. There is no doubt, ultra- anything provides extreme product testing!”

As to why athletes should choose 110% instead of other competing products, it comes down to how 110% products help everyone recover:

“110% provides the only recovery gear that makes the most widely accepted protocol for therapy, RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation); simple, mobile and effective. The garment is also a superb performance piece of gear; constructed with seamless, gradient and zoned compression, our gear provides the ultimate in comfort, support and circulatory benefits.”

Each company making clothing and other products for athletes go through internal testing efforts to validate product. Here are some of the steps 110% does to ensure its products are the best available to athletes:

“Our product team starts with a vision for the line. From there, we actively pursue authentic validation by including input and feedback from the 110% Playmakers. Our roster includes 48 world class athletes from different sporting backgrounds. Once we gather feedback, their needs are matched with our line vision.”

110% has a great array of products and many have the “+ice” designation, so the compression products include ice to aid recovery.

There are a lot of upstart companies catering to athletes, and Alameda Runners is always on the lookout for fun, new companies to chat with.