Alameda Runners – Get After It!

If I were to ask you to name a bike rack company, you’d probably list either Yakima or Thule.  Both companies are extremely well known for their bike racks, ski racks, and cargo carriers.  To learn more about this interesting industry, I recently chatted with Thule about the company’s current and future product lineup.

For people heading out on adventures alone, putting a single bike in the car and heading off is just fine.  My Subaru Legacy is able to fit one — and can fit two bikes, with front wheels removed — in the back, seats folded down, with room to spare.

“By adding a Thule strap, hitch or roof rack to a vehicle you can increase the carrying capacity of that vehicle. Putting a bike inside a smaller vehicle is cumbersome and limits the amount of other gear or passengers into that vehicle.”

For customers looking for an entry-level, cheaper bike rack solution, Thule still has you covered:

“We make fork mount carriers that start at $119.00. If someone is looking for a more cost effective option, they can look at one of our strap racks that start at $109.99.”

Although it doesn’t seem obvious, there are still technological advances Thule can use for new rack products.

“We are always looking at the market and seeing how we can improve our products. Right now 29ers are gaining in popularity and we extended the hooks on our Sidearm and T2 products because of this. In our test lab here in CT we do UV testing, climate testing, pull testing, shaker table testing, etc. These tests help us to make stronger, lighter and more user friendly products.”

Rest of the article available after the jump. Read more… »

Trying to become more eco-friendly is a popular trend among athletes, and a major problem is the use of plastic water and soda bottles. A common method to reduce the amount of plastic purchased is to purchase an aluminum or stainless steel water bottle. I chatted with Klean Kanteen to learn about its products and innovations for reusable bottles.

I’ve recently had a greater interest in plastic alternatives, and wanted to reach out to companies like Klean Kanteen to learn more.

A common complaint I have about aluminum and steel bottles is the learned lesson that many of them can be extremely difficult to clean. Convenience is an important perk that must be met by products aimed at being more Earth-friendly than the competition. 

“Klean Kanteen Classic bottles have wider openings than most aluminum bottles, (and) they are wide enough to fit ice cubes and put in the dishwasher for easy cleaning,” Klean Kanteen recently told Alameda Runners.  “We also make the WIDE bottles, which has a huge mouth at 2.125 inches. Take a look at this Klean Kanteen anatomy page for more details on the design of our bottles.”

Aluminum may be safer for the environment, but it has been discovered that it may not be the best for our bodies. There is a threat of bisphenol A (BPA), and the Klean Kanteen BPA info page can help inform you. When asked about why stainless steel is ideal over aluminum (related to safety), Klean Kanteen was more than happy to explain.

“Great question, not all metal bottles are created equal. While aluminum is lightweight, it can leach harmful substances and chemicals when it gets hot or comes in contact with anything acidic. Studies have also linked aluminum exposure to Alzheimer’s disease.”

To read the full interview, please visit after the jump. Read more… »

Alameda Runners prides itself on tracking down upstart companies with products and services you may not have heard of. Performance clothing is crucial to many athletes, even though there are only a small handful of companies that cater to us.

That’s why today we’re proud to introduce you to a new clothing company, Enso, which offers compression clothing. Both Ted and I currently wear a couple of Enso products, with a review currently in the works.

“Enso was initially started to bring a clean cut, strong brand to MMA to compete with the gaudy/gothic/skull and death brands like Affliction, Tapout, and the 1,000 other brands that all look alike,” Enso founder and CEO Tim Roche told Alameda Runners. “As much as we love MMA, we didn’t want to confine our brand to one market and chose to represent all athletes that compete individually.”

The company currently offers compression and athletic performance t-shirts, according to Roche, who also said board shorts, fighting sorts, yoga pants, and other products are in the pipeline. 

Opening up a clothing line — especially for the finicky athletic and MMA communities — can be an extremely difficult business to crack into.

“It’s very risky, but we’ve carved out several niche markets where we believe we can get our foot in the door with a little more ease than most brands. Basic compression clothing is dominated by Under Armour. Finally companies are providing designed compression and finding new innovative ways to print on compression material to avoid the traditional cracking/flaking of designs/logos. Enso will be at the forefront of both of these.”

Read the rest of the interview with Enso after the jump.  Read more… »

Ted has participated in numerous running, cycling and triathlon events over the years, and understands the importance of volunteers.  I’ve participated in a couple of different events this year, and have volunteered several times in the past, so I’ve noticed the importance volunteers have during events.

I recently chatted with organizers of the California International Marathon (CIM), a major running event that draws thousands to the Sacramento area each fall.

“Important is not the word for volunteers,” Alameda Runners was told, “vital is.”  Without them, there would be no CIM or other marathons around the country.  There are about 2,000 volunteers who help with all of the preparation for the race, the expo, and all of those out on the course.  Thousands of hours of volunteer work and all they get tangibly is a T-shirt.  But of course, it is much more than that.  Many come back year after year and are part of the CIM as much as the paid staff.  Also, the board which puts in a great deal of time all year round, in addition to the monthly (and special) meetings, is all volunteer.”

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again:  Thank the volunteers!  When it’s cold and miserable during a race, it’s likely the volunteers are freezing the entire time they’re working.  If it’s hot and muggy, they’re suffering as they help set up the events, hand out drinks and other tasks during the event, and clean up the race after everyone is finished.

Ted and I volunteered to run the Oakland Half Marathon carrying the 2:15 pace sign (the only half marathon pace group), which was a lot of fun for both of us.  It was a blast to help so many people cross the finish line, especially the participants who were suffering and needed just an extra boost of support to cross the finish line.

FINIS is a company well known to swimmers and triathletes, as a company that specializes in performance clothing, equipment and gadgets aimed at people who play in the water.  Alameda Runners recently contacted the company to learn more about the company’s products, outlook, and future in the swimming market.

I previously reviewed the FINIS SwiMP3v2 MP3 player for MyCE — a tech site I write for — last year, and am currently working on a review of the FINIS XtreaMP3.1G MP3 player for Alameda Runners.

“With today’s technologies creating an MP3 player is easy, but waterproofing that player and also integrating new sound technologies such as ‘Bone Conduction’ is another story,” Finis recently told us during an interview.  “Our engineers have worked hard to develop our current players, make them extremely durable, and have them be completely waterproof. Their successes only give us more confidence to dive into future electronic devices for swimming. In the end, waterproofing electronics is certainly not easy. ”

Many triathletes who participate in open water swims use wetsuits to help stay warm and increase swim performance.  Some have questioned why FINIS hasn’t branched out to offer wetsuits.

“There are very good technical wetsuit suppliers who focus specifically on their market, and we have close alliances with several of them. However, we have made a conscious decision to focus on our product development strengths in the competitive swimming arena. Ultimately we will look to bring our businesses closer together with other wetsuit suppliers, so that FINIS does not get directly involved with wetsuit production.”

FINIS also outlined its goal in the swim market which, not surprisingly, focuses on creating the newer generation of products designed to increase comfort and performance.

“Our goal is to be on the leading edge of swimming development, and our focus has always been to create products that help people swim better. Swimsuits and goggles are the most common products swimmers purchase, but when they want to improve their technique, they look to FINIS.”

You can read the rest of the interview after the jump. Read more… »

The inaugural Oakland Running Festival in late March was a success as thousands of runners took to the streets of Oakland in late March.  The company behind the event, Corrigan Sports Enterprises, recently answered a few questions for Alameda Runners (thanks to John, and everyone else who provided questions).

Check out our Oakland Half race recap and our additional  thoughts on the race.

Considering it was the first marathon/half marathon in Oakland in quite some time, it took place with very few hitches.  However, there was a bit of confusion as the half marathon and full marathon courses merged together towards the end of the race around Lake Merritt — an issue race organizers heard about from numerous participants.

“I highly doubt it will change as we use the same format as our Baltimore event and a good majority of the runners enjoy the merge.  They have told us that the merge gives them another boost of energy for the final stretch.  Logistically, having all the races finish in the same spot makes the end exciting and unites the fans in one place.”

Instead of altering the finish location, CSE is instead looking to change the flow of runners.

“We have looked at the surveys and we are already working on ways to fix the cramping along Lake Merritt at 14th Street.”

There were a few smaller issues, but nothing worth noting.  The future looks bright for the Oakland Marathon, and CSE understands what’s necessary to bring in higher profile athletes (and more media exposure):

“Our goal is to make the Oakland Running Festival one of the top races in the country and unfortunately we didn’t have the sponsorship dollars in year one to put up enough prize money to attract some of the top talent from across the globe.  As the race grows and sponsorship is added, so will the purse for the marathon.”

Mike’s Random Aside:  You hear that sponsors?  You wanted to wait to see what would happen after the first event… now it’s time to step up and help bring elite athletes to the event.

The future certainly looks bright for the Oakland Running Festival, with event organizers expecting more participants, additional sponsors, and increased interest next year.

“Based on the survey results and feedback from the city, people are excited about the event and already looking forward to next year.  We expect the event to grow to nearly 10,000 runners and a bigger selection of vendors to want to sell their wares at our expo.  We have already booked the bigger convention hall to accommodate more vendors and more runners.”

The CSE had this to say to end the interview:

“We are thankful to all the runners who participated in the event this year as well as the fans who lined the course.  Without them, this wouldn’t have been a huge success and have us thinking about bigger and better things for next year.  For (all of you) who didn’t run in 2010, registration opens on June 1, so be sure to sign up early as we sold out last year.”

Mike’s Final Note:  The Oakland Half is what motivated me to run… I saw Ted finish numerous events, but didn’t have a real interest in racing.  If CSE and the City of Oakland didn’t step up to host the event, it’s doubtful this site would have launched.

AlamedaRunners previously interviewed Rocktape (and a KT Tape interview is in the works), so we wanted to continue our effort to provide information about even more kinesiology tape products.

Today I am going to interview SpiderTech, a kinesiology product company that has custom pre-cut pieces and regular products — and a professional cycling team currently in the Tour of California.

The first question many people wonder about these kinesiology products is whether or not they work – and if it’s worth putting down the cash.

“I have designed the applications based on functional anatomy of the primary area for which the applications are intended for,” said Dr. Kevin Jardine, practicing chiropractor and founder of the company.  “This is to include all of the primary muscles as well as the synergistic muscles involved making the pre-cut applications more functional.  The pre-cuts, cut out of one large piece also allow the applications to be applied without tape overlapping tape.  The Tape is meant to be applied to skin.  The Pre-cut applications also ensure that the applications are applied in a consistent way each time ensuring the athlete is receiving same results.”

Trying to figure out how to apply this tape is something that is challenging for most people (Ted and I are still working on it ourselves) — a fact realized by Dr. Jardine.

“Although we have simplified the use of kinesiology taping, it isn’t easy.  It is still a therapy and one that requires technique in the proper handling of the material.  We not only focus on offering the highest level of free instruction on our website and our online courses, we are leading the way in the most evidence led approach to ensuring the ‘best practices’ with the use of kinesiology taping.”

Full interview available after the jump. Read more… »

It seems auto makers enjoy supporting the endurance community with sponsored professional athletes and events.  To learn more about this mutual partnership, I reached out to Subaru to learn more about the company’s sponsorship.

Perhaps you or someone you know own a vehicle made by Subaru — the brand is extremely popular among athletes.  It’s not uncommon to go to a triathlon or ski town and find many cars made by the Japanese car maker.

“The Subaru brand is known as the brand for people with active lifestyles. The reason is that Subaru vehicles provide their owners with the capability, durability and dependability to get them where they want to go,” Subaru recently told Alameda Runners.  “As more people realized that they too, are adventure seekers, they also recognized that Subaru is the right vehicle brand for them.”

Subaru has extended its efforts in the sports community with a partnership with the Gary Fisher bike manufacturer to team the Subaru-Gary Fisher Mountain Bike Team.

“Subaru is a perfect fit for the Gary Fisher brand as our vehicles come standard with All-Wheel Drive technology, providing the team with go-anywhere capabilities and the team likes to go on challenging rides.”

Subaru also disclosed how this helps cater to the right people interested in purchasing a car:

” (It) provides an outlet that allows us to introduce our vehicles to like-minded, outdoorsy and adventure-seeking people. That is why you will see Subaru vehicles at trail heads, snowy mountain tops and sandy areas in the sunbelt region where traction is essential to getting around safely.”

Expect Subaru to continue catering to its selective group of customers in the future by using sponsorships, advertising, and  similar measures in the future.  The company has seen growing sales last year, and hopes to keep that momentum going forward.

“We are consistent in our approach to marketing and about who we are as a brand and it has really paid off for us. In 2009, Subaru had its best sales year in the history of the company and we were the only manufacturer with a sales increase in 2008.”

Still love my 1994 Subaru Legacy with almost 200,000 miles, even though it’s now showing its age.

Alameda Runners today decided to focus on Punk Rock Racing, the type of small, fun company I’ve looked forward to interviewing.  Today we chatted with the company’s founder, Ron “The Punk Rock Runner,” who explained a bit more about the company, its values, and what to expect in the future.

“Officially, PRR has been around a few months but I’ve been toying with the concept ever since I started going to running expos,” Ron told AR during a recent interview.  “I was amazed at the lack  of creativity that went into some of the stuff being sold at the expos and I wanted to create shirts that people would actually wear outside of an event.  I grew-up listening to punk rock so the imagery of punk rock made sense to me and so did the attitude that surrounded the entire punk rock scene. This was the Genesis of Punk Rock Racing and I like what we’re doing so far. The key to this is acknowledging that we are not a logo. With the exception of some hats, our logo is always on the back of our shirts. We celebrate art and imagery so there is no need to ruin that with a logo.”

Interestingly, Punk Rock Racing hasn’t been heavily promoted, but still has a strong following on Twitter and Facebook:  “Twitter is huge for runners. I had someone post a photo of our new tech shirt about a month ago and before you knew it thousands of people had seen it. We’ve sold a bunch of tech shirts and they’re not even on the Web site yet.  We go to races knowing a lot of people who are entered and we’re seeing our stuff on people we don’t know. The ‘plan’ is to start marketing as soon as our bike/tri stuff is ready and online marketing will be a big part of this.”

Punk Rock Racing is available online through the site’s Web site only, which is done for a very specific purpose.

“We would love to sell a bunch of shirts but we don’t want to over saturate the market either. Far too often you see cool stuff that was meant to be underground explode and the next thing you know every school kid is wearing it and it becomes a cliché. I guess I would rather stay small and change up our designs every 3-months to avoid becoming mainstream. Watch, I’ll end up selling out and someone will remind me of these statements one day…”

The cost of T-shirts and tech shirts in the running and athletic community can be extremely expensive — even for regular cotton t-shirts.  This is a personal issue with Ron, as the company plans to try and keep things as cost friendly as possible.

“We made a lot of serious statements in our ‘I am not your Logo’ mission statement.   One of those statements was, ‘We think everyone deserves better and we think that paying a bunch of money to wear a logo is bullshit.’ And we meant it. Our business model will not make anyone rich. Because we don’t print thousands of shirts at a time and we use good quality products, our production costs are high but our shirts are all $20.00 or less. Trust me, I’ve been told people will pay $30.00 or more for a T-shirt but I want to make it easy for someone to wear our stuff if they want to. Some of the artist series will cost more than $20.00 but that’s because I have to compensate the artist.

(As an aside:  Shirts sold to mixed martial arts fan can cost $50+ per shirt, with a customer base of shoppers willing to fork over the cash.)

There are a large number of companies attempting to offer athletes regular t-shirts and gear good for exercise — but the constant pursuit for profit can lead to a decrease in quality.  I haven’t personally owned Punk Rock Racing gear (waiting for the future stuff), but everyone on Twitter seems impressed by what they’ve received.

If you want to chat with the PunkRockRunner himself, feel free to find him on Twitter.

Injuries tend to be an unfortunate part of running, cycling, and endurance athletics.  Many of us have suffered from sprains, strains, and other nasty little injuries.  Perhaps you’ve occasionally seen athletes wearing brightly colored pieces of tape, but still don’t know what this tape is for.

To explain the basics of kinesiology tape, I’d recommend reading this article written by Ted before reading this interview.

…… Now that you’re hopefully familiar with these products, today Alameda Runners interviews Rocktape, a company that specializes in products aimed at injury prevention.  You can reach the company’s FAQ page here.

Rocktape currently offers both printed and video-based instructions designed to help inform customers how to use the product.  Putting the tape on by yourself – especially if you’re inexperienced – can be a relatively daunting experience.

“When it comes to injuries, you should always consult with a medical pro. After you’re confident that your condition is treatable with tape, simply follow the instructions we provide, or have your medical pro provide guidance. When it comes to taping for performance, it is a much easier procedure since there isn’t an injury involved. Simply follow the instructions; if you wrap a birthday present you can tape yourself!”

We discuss the cost of Rocktape, risk of improper use, and more after the break! Read more… »