Drymax Sports

North Coast 24 Hour Run Happy Feet Update

2009-10-07T12:14:00.000-07:00

Now that the dust has settled and our Drymax athletes had a chance to rest we are now hearing how their feet felt after this last weekend's 24 Hour National Championships in Cleveland Ohio:

Jill Perry's Feet Immediately After 24 Hours Of Running

From Jill Perry, 2009 24 Hour Women's National Champion, "Look Ma! No Blisters! Thank you so much Bob, for your support, for the socks. I'll have to say, I openly advertised how my feet were doing great and many of the 24 hour participants wanted to know what I wore! In an event like this, running round and round on some hard asphalt...it makes it very important to have good coverage for the feet. And another true test...once again, no blisters! Thank you so much! I know your socks made my feet happy and made a difference in my race. "

Dan Rose 24 Hour National Team Member

From Dan Rose, 3rd Overall Newest Member of the 2010 USA National 24 Hour Team, "As always, my Drymax Max Pros kept me blister and hot-spot free for all 139 miles. Didn't think of my feet once during the race. Thanks for helping me make the National Team!!"

Debra Horn on her way to a 12 hour USA Record

From Debra Horn 3rd Woman new age group 12 Hour National Record Holder, "A special THANKS to my socks sponsor, DryMax socks. I only changed my DryMax socks once during the race and had no problems with blisters."

Congratulations to all who participated in the event. We were very honored to be involved as the sock sponsor of the event and on the feet of so many of those who competed.

photos provided by Jill Perry, Dan Rose & Debra Horn

Jill Perry USA 24 Hour National Champion!

2009-10-04T08:55:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to Drymax athlete Jill Perry for her spectacular National Championship performance at the North Coast 24 Hour Run taking place on the banks of Lake Erie in Cleveland, Ohio. Jill was able to complete an amazing 136.01325 miles in 23 hours, 56 minutes, 06.05 seconds.

Jill battled with Ultra Legend Connie Gardner for most of the race pulling away in the later stages of the race. The dominating victory qualifies Jill to be the on the US National 24 Hour Team. Her eventual margin of victory was over 4.5 miles over 2nd place Anna Piskorska. Jill finished an impressive 5th overall.

Other great performances by Drymax athletes include a 3rd place by Debra Horn completing 128.80725 miles and winning her age division. Debra was able to reach 72.96 miles in 12 hours setting a new American Record for her age division (50-54).

Another fabulous result belonged to Dan Rose who finished 3rd overall with 138.71550 missing out on a 2nd by 37.5 seconds behind another ultra legend John Geesler. Dan's story is even more impressive because it wasn't too long ago that he was battling cancer today he is an elite ultrarunner who just reached his longtime goal of making the US National 24 Hour Team. Great job Dan!

It was a wonderful weekend for all involved and we were very excited to be represented at the event by some wonderful athletes. We were also very proud to be the sock sponsor for the race.

Lisa Bliss' Blister Free Spartathlon Redemption

2009-10-01T08:13:00.000-07:00

Lisa Bliss Immediately After Running 153 Miles

Drymax is very fortunate to have some of the elite of the elite ultrarunners competing in Drymax socks but the very first elite ultra runner to trust us with their feet is Lisa Bliss. The 2007 Badwater champion continually faced blister issues for many years. A friend gave her some Drymax socks to try and she became an immediate convert and has been competing in Drymax ever since.

Lisa has continually given us constructive feedback on our socks offering unique perspective from not only her athletic but her medical background during her wear testing that has only served to provide newer and better generations of Drymax socks.

This last week Lisa returned to the 153 Mile Spartathlon race in Greece for some redemption. Due to a chronic ankle injury Lisa was unable to complete the race in 2008. This year Lisa was able to not only complete the race but take 3rd woman and 1st overall American in a time of 32 hours 23 minutes.

I just received the following note from Lisa along with attached photos regarding how her feet felt after completing the race:

Hi Bob,

As you've seen, I placed 3rd woman overall at the Spartathlon! I am so happy with my race.

Drymax performed superbly as usual. I changed my socks just once and that was at the base of the mountain at 100 miles where I put on an ankle brace. Since I was already taking off my shoes, I decided to change socks too. A quick glance at my feet at that moment filled me with joy as they looked perfect, like I hadn't even run a mile.

So, despite the 153 mile distance, heat, and 30 miles of torrential rain to the finish that soaked me to the bone, I had not ONE SINGLE BLISTER! Not even a hot spot! I am so pleased with Drymax and how well they performed.

Every runner that kisses the foot of King Leonidas at the finish line is personally escorted to the medical tent where doctors and nurses evaluate you to make sure you are ok. They take off your shoes and wash your feet in a basin of cool water. They were amazed that my feet looked so good!

Thank you for making ultrarunning simpler for me, as I have only to focus on my running. The relief of not having to worry about blisters is liberating.

Here are some pictures. The foot picture in the medical tent where you can see my face is from Glenn Tachiyama, and the other two, which were taken back at the hotel, are from Tim Englund.

All the best

Lisa Bliss

photos provided by Lisa Bliss

Jamie Donaldson Named USATF Athlete Of The Week

2009-09-30T17:14:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Drymax athlete and team captain Jamie Donaldson for being named USATF Athlete of the Week!

From USATF:

"INDIANAPOLIS - Jamie Donaldson (Littleton, Colo.) has been named USA Track & Field's Athlete of the Week after setting an American record in the women's 200,000 meters over the weekend at the 28th Annual Ottawa International 24 Hour Self-Transcendence Race and Masters' 24 Hour Championship in Canada.

The fifth-place finisher at the 2008 24 Hr World Championships, Donaldson destroyed the 18-year old American record by completing 200,000m on the track in 21 hours 1 minute 28 seconds en route to running 214.487 km in 24 hours. The previous record of 21:08:47 was set by Sue Ellen Trapp in 1991. As the overall winner, Donaldson ended her 24 hour run in dominating fashion, as her next closest competitor, runner-up Andrew McLean of Ontario, ran 202.943 km.

Now in its eighth year, USATF's Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week and features the athlete on the USATF website. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week."

Previous 2009 winners include elite athletes Tyson Gay, Anton Krupika among many others.

photo provided by Jamie & David Donaldson

Olga Varlamova Married In Drymax Socks!

2009-09-28T15:05:00.000-07:00

We just received a wonderful note from our good friend and Drymax athlete Olga Varlamova with the above photo from her wedding on the trails to Larry King.

We would like to extend our sincerest congratulations to you both. We feel so privileged to be a very small part of their very special day. To see more about Olga and Larry's wedding check out her blog at: http://runmoretalkless.blogspot.com/

photo provided by Olga Varlamova

Jamie Donaldson Sets USA 200K Record In Ottawa

2009-09-27T09:51:00.000-07:00

Update: Jamie did in fact break the 18 year old 200 kilometer American record previously held by Sue Ellen Trapp. Jamie's 200k time of 21 hours, 1 minute, 22 seconds surpassed the record by over 6 minutes. As soon as the proper paperwork is completed the record will be certified by USATF.

I just received word from Jamie Donaldson moments ago that she and her husband David just completed the Self-Transcendence 24-Hour Race in Ottawa, Canada. Jamie was able to complete 134 miles in 24 hours with a personal best of 100 miles in 16 hours 7 minutes. Jamie's time at the 200 kilometer mark appears to be a new American Track Record.

David was able to complete 75 miles in his comeback race, yes that is 59 miles gap so there will be a bet to be paid, see Jamie's blog for details. http://altitudeultrarunner.blogspot.com/

More details to follow about their adventure and their overall classification once Jamie and David have a bit of time to rest!

Great job Jamie and David!

Photo by David Donaldson

Lisa Bliss 3rd Woman 1st American At Spartathlon

2009-09-27T09:37:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Drymax athlete Lisa Bliss for her amazing result at the 2009 Spartathlon in Greece. Lisa completed the 246 km (153.85 miles) with a 3rd place women's finish behind two athletes from Japan with an impressive time of 32 hours 23 minutes 26 seconds. Her finish also gave her the title of the top overall American.

The Spartathlon is a legendary ultramarathon beginning in Athens and follows the route that Pheidippides covered to Sparta. Of the over 300 athletes to start the event only 132 made the 36 hour cutoff. Lisa was unable to complete the course last year and had some unfinished business to attend to in Greece for 2009. Job well done!

photo by Bob MacGillivray

Great Results Continue For Drymax Athletes

2009-09-09T10:19:00.000-07:00

Over the past month or so Drymax athletes have continued their amazing form at some the toughest races on the planet.

Jamie Donaldson takes an amazing 2nd place at the Leadville 100 Trail Run. Her tremendous finish came just over a month after dominating the 2009 Badwater Ultramarathon. The finish of 21 hours 53 minutes solidified her stature as one of the most versitile and dominant ultra runners in the world. Going from what is considered to be the toughest road race to one of the toughest trail races in just 5 weeks with two great finishes is really unheard of! Jamie then went to the Grand Tetons 100 to pace Ashley Nordell to her record setting victory.

Jamie's good friend and fellow Drymax runner Meredith Terranova came off of a great Pacifica 50 to take 2nd at the Headlands 50 followed by 2nd in her class in the Transrockies that takes place over 6 days and 120 miles. About the race Meredith said, "It must be noted that 6 days and 120 miles of climbing and descending through dirt rocks and creeks and not ONE blister!! Thank you for the continued support from Drymax!"

Jill Perry just completed the Monster Marathon as part of her training for the Cleveland 24 hour and 50k in Gibralter. About the experience Jill said, " I did a race called the Monster Marathon which is the hardest marathon trail race on the east coast...running through creeks (almost look like rivers), very steep up and down hills, muddy, technical single tracks... I came in first female and 3rd overall. And...NO BLISTERS, even drenching my feet in lots of deep creeks...my feet felt awesome, another success for Drymax! Felt so good I went out and did another 10 miles that night. Thanks Drymax!"

Brian Krogmann took a hard fought 2nd place with a time of 19 hours 43 minutes 33 second at the Headlands Hundred after taking an unfortunate detour while leading the race. "Went with one pair again for HH and not a single blister even though there were some rocky sections along the course... All in all a great day to be out on the trails."

Drymax athlete Kelly Ridgway completed the Run On The Sly 50k looking to get one last run in before a toe surgery. She found herself winning the women's division and taking 7th overall with a time of 4 hours 57 minutes 12 seconds. About Drymax Kelly said, "I wore my Drymax socks and had no blisters or hot spots. I wore the new 'hyper thin running socks' and loved them every step of the way."

A recent addition to the team is Andy Jones Wilkins who completed three races over an 8 week period including the Western States 100, Hardrock 100 and Leadville Hundred. AJW said, "I used Drymax socks for the first time this year at Hardrock after a podiatrist recommended them. I had terrible foot problems at Western States which really made preparation for Hardrock difficult. The Drymax Trail Running socks were outstanding. In a race in which your feet are pretty much wet from start to finish the Drymax socks successfully wicked away the water all day and night and allowed my already tender feet to survive intact. I was amazed with how the socks were so gentle on my feet and I am looking forward to using them at Leadville." During his Leadville 100 race AJW finished in 19 hours 49 minutes 42 seconds in an impressive 9th place, 1st master and with zero blisters.

Tim Englund just completed competing in the Trail du Mont Blanc with a wonderful result. Here is a brief report from Tim, " Wanted to let you know that I managed to finish the Ultra-Trail duMont Blanc - a 100+ mile race with 31,000 feet of climbing around MontBlanc in France, Italy and Switzerland(http://www.ultratrailmb.com/accueil.php) - in 30:31. This was goodenough for 86th place of 2,282 starters. Of course I wore Drymaxtrail socks the whole way (changing once). They performed perfectly!With all the climbing and descending, I worried I might get blisterson the back of my heel or on my forefoot. I'm happy to say that I did not!" Tim wore our new Lite Trailrunning socks for his epic adventure.

More Drymax Feedback:

Iris Cooper-Imhof: "The Drymax socks are amazing and the best socks I've ever used. I love them and all my crew member feel the same way." After Badwater and Dirty Girl 12 Hour Race.

Anthony Portera: "My feet are in amazing shape, thanks again to Drymax Socks. Not a single blister or hot spot from either event. That's 76.2 miles over two days on trails without a blister. I am still amazed by this, and am glad that I made the switch to Drymax last year." After completing both the Grand Teton 50 mile and marathon the following day.

Dan Rose: "I'll mention one more time what Drymax socks did for me. Here are a few facts: I ran 50 miles, in the rain, through streams and mud and I had ZERO blisters or hot spots. Amazing. " After completing the Cheat Mountain Moonshine Madness 50 mile race.

Hung Ng: "I had to trust in Drymax that even though there is foot movement, the sock provided a frictionless surface, and protecting me from blisters.That was the mental imagery that I had during the race... My Drymax socks held up well. Blisters were not an issue in this race. My feet never really got wet." After completing the Badwater 135 Mile Ultramarathon.

Adrian Belitu: "I am a big fan as I was loaned a couple pair by another runner at Badwater and just fell in love. Now, the Drymax socks have really been able to keep my foot dry and reduce the friction so I have not been getting the blisters I used to." After completing the 135 Mile Badwater Ultramarathon.

Rick Cheever: "The Max Pro Socks were amazing. I loved wearing them. I did not get a single blister or even a hot spot. I actually started the race with a hot spot due to walking around Vegas with sandals 2 days before the race. The hot spot did not get any worse, and I actually forgot all about it. My feet were wet from all the water and sweat but they still performed well and I never even wanted to change them." After his Badwater attempt.

Olga Varlamova: "I wore them at Hardrcok, changed once (just because, not out of need), and in 46 hrs of wet feet consistently not only had no blisters, but not even maceration! Now that is a sock I am in love with!"

Alisa Springman: "My feet were in great shape when I finished and I can't thank you enough for your support. " Immediately after finishing Badwater 135 Mile Ultramarathon. Her crew member Bobby Gil added, ".. I had a great time crewing for Alisa Springman. It was even nicer crewing for her since we had to deal with little to no blister problems!"

Dan Marinsik: "I just wanted to send my heart felt thanks. Blistering at Badwater has always been a bad problem for me. I must say I was a little nervous not taping for the first time however my feet came out of the race nearly perfect. Drymax socks are truly a great product!" Following his completion of the Badwater Ultramarathon.

Karl Meltzer: "I had NO BLISTERS Bob! My feet look better than when we started, and this is a course where feet are wet the entire time!"

Jamie Donaldson 2009 Badwater Victory Video

2009-09-03T18:10:00.001-07:00

Rob Kapfer, from Jamie Donaldson's Badwater crew sent me a series of video clips that he took while crewing her to another dominating victory in this year's Badwater Ultramarathon. Here is what I came up when I edited them all together.

Jamie's stunning repeat victory solidies her as one of the true elite ultrarunners in the world.

Drymax Athlete Jamie Donaldson On Magazine Cover

2009-09-03T08:32:00.000-07:00

We were very excited to hear that Drymax Athlete Jamie Donaldson is on the cover of the current issue of Colorado Runner Magazine. The honor was earned after her second dominant performance at the 2009 135 Mile Badwater Ultramarathon.

I was contacted by the staff at the magazine asking if we had any photos of Jamie's race. I frantically looked through the 1,400 photos I took at the event and found the photo I titled "Happy Jamie" which was taken a few miles before she reached Stovepipe Wells at about Mile 37 during this year's race.

We cannot say enough how proud and happy we are to be associated with Jamie. This is her first of many magazine covers as she continues to have another impressive competitive year. Congratulations Jamie!!!

Drymax Athlete Bethanie Mattek-Sands Faces Venus Williams

2009-09-02T07:29:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: Bethanie had a very competitive match in the 2nd Round of the US Open vs Venus Williams falling to the multiple US Open Champion 6-4, 6-2 . We were all very excited to be able to watch her on ESPN and there were many cheers to be heard through our office everytime time she scored a point. The socks were mentioned several times which drew cheers as well. Great job Bethanie!

We are very excited to be able to watch Drymax athlete Bethanie Mattek-Sands today in the second round of the US Open. She will be facing Venus Williams! The match will be televised on ESPN2 at 1:00 pm eastern 10:00 am pacific on Weds September 2nd.

Bethanie reached the second round after a very solid victory over Iveta Benesova.

Lately Bethanie has been sporting a custom pair of socks we made just for her. They are a retro looking pair of over the calf prototypes.

We wish Bethanie best of luck in today's match...

Andy Jones-Wilkins Now Competes In Drymax Socks

2009-07-31T09:54:00.000-07:00

Andy Jones-Wilkins Takes 4th Place @ Hardrock 100 In Drymax Trailrunning Socks

We are very honored and excited to have elite ultrarunner Andy Jones-Wilkins of Ketchum, Idaho, now competing in Drymax socks. Andy is definitely among the elite of the sport recently winning the 2009 Rocky Raccoon 100 mile, the 2008 Vermont 100, 2007 Grand Teton 100 mile events. His performances qualify him as a true elite runner with the following PR's: Marathon 2:38, 50km 3:31, 50 mile 6:55, 100km 9:10 and 100 mile 14:57.

Andy decided to make the change after having his feet ravaged at the Western States 100. He needed a new solution and found them in Drymax socks. Only weeks after taking an outstanding 10th at Western States he competed in the tortuous Hardrock 100 on still very tender feet. He took an impressive 4th place in the iconic event with no significant issues with his feet wearing Drymax Trailrunning Socks.

About making the switch Andy said, "I used Drymax socks for the first time this year at Hardrock after a podiatrist recommended them. I had terrible foot problems at Western States which really made preparation for Hardrock difficult. The Drymax Trail Running socks were outstanding. In a race in which your feet are pretty much wet from start to finish the Drymax socks successfully wicked away the water all day and night and allowed my already tender feet to survive intact. I was amazed with how the socks were so gentle on my feet and I am looking forward to using them at Leadville."

Andy, a School Headmaster, was born and raised on the east coast before moving west in 1996. From there he began his ultramarathon running career after discovering the rugged, mountainous trails of Arizona. Upon moving to Northern California in 2001 he began participating in 100-mile races that he soon discovered to be his strongest distance. The trails of Northern California proved to be quite good to Andy as he has steadily made his way into the elite level of 100-mile trail races over the past five years. Currently living in the mountain town of Ketchum, Idaho Andy has now discovered the value of high altitude mountain training that he hopes will continue to propel his running career upward. He has a particular love for remote, high mountain, technical trails.

Andy is a married father of three children. His wife Shelly and his three sons (Carson, Logan, and Tully) are his biggest supporters and crew for him at every 100-mile race he runs.

Andy’s remarkable running career has been documented in regional and national publications. Among them are Running Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, Trail Runner, Ultrarunning, The Oakland Tribune, The Idaho Mountain Express and The Auburn Journal. Additionally, in July, 2007 Andy was featured prominently on NBC Television’s Jeep World of Adventure Sports’ coverage of the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run and in 2008 on PLUM TV’s feature story on endurance athletes of the mountain west.

Andy plans on competing in the upcoming Leadville Trail 100 in a few weeks and the Javelina Jundred in October.

We cannot be more excited to have such a well liked and respected athlete like Andy joining the Drymax family.

photo provided by Andy Jones-Wilkins

Drymax Wins American Alpine Institute's Guide's Choice Award

2009-07-21T20:44:00.001-07:00

We are very proud to be the recipients of the American Alpine Institute's Guide Choice Award for being the highest quality item in a category:

From the American Alpine Institute:

"This year the American Alpine Institute presented six awards at the annual Outdoor Retailer Show in Salt Lake City. The equipment and clothing awarded the AAI Guides Choice designation have proven to be of the highest quality in their product category. The awards are determined on the basis of excellence in design, performance, and durability demonstrated in rigorous international field tests conducted by professional guides of AAI. Evaluations are made throughout the year in desert, cold weather, rain, snow, high wind, and high altitude environments. The American Alpine Institute has no financial ties or financial interest in any manufacturer or distributor. All testers and their expenses are paid by AAI.

A core group of AAI professional guides conduct Guides Choice field tests year round, throughout the world. Tests may be completed in a single long season (for example five summer months of intensive climbing in South America), or over several seasons (for example McKinley expeditions in the spring and Himalayan expeditions autumn). Because of the intensity and constancy of use, the wear and stress that gear receives during these tests corresponds to many years of use by a recreational climber.

Drymax: Drymax Socks and fiber Technology

Drymax has completely revolutionized the way that we think about socks.

Most sport sock manufacturers claim that their socks wick the moisture away from the foot quickly. While this may be true to some extent, the question is, where does that moisture go? The fabric in a sock that wicks sweat away allows the moisture to adhere to the sock, which ultimately makes the sock wet. The sock may dry quickly when laid out in the sun, but that doesn't help you while your foot is inside of a boot. Wicking fibers require evaporation to dry and little of this happens in the closed environment of sport footwear.

Drymax has devised a fabric which forces the water through the sock and away from the foot. This helps keep the foot dry inside the boot. This may seem like it's been the goal of every sock manufacturer out there all along, but the science to make this happen has never been there before to do it right. Drymax is the first sock manufacturer to really do it right. The socks do exactly what they're supposed to do. They help keep your feet dry!"

photo by John MacGillivray while in New Zealand

Jill Perry Takes Blister Free 2nd At Wet Vermont 100

2009-07-21T06:35:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Drymax athlete Jill Perry for taking a hard fought 2nd place woman and 12th overall at the Vermont 100 mile race. An amazing feat considering she spent most of the previous week crewing and pacing for Todd Baum at Badwater. She jumped a plane and dashed back to Vermont making it just in time for check in and then to early start.

About the race she completed in just 19:30:38.7 Jill said, "Just finished Vermont 100 with days of virtually no sleep! I came in second place and boy, was I ready to sleep after that."

Regarding the conditions and Drymax socks, "It was a bit hot, a bit humid... I wore the drymax trail socks...and NO BLISTERS!!!"

Great job Jill!!!

The Feet Of A Badwater Champion

2009-07-15T06:51:00.000-07:00

So what did Jamie Donaldson's feet look like after dominating the tortuous 135 mile journey from Badwater to Mt. Whitney in just 27 hours, 20 minutes, 18 seconds wearing Drymax Maximum Protection Socks? Well pretty darn perfect that's how...

After Jamie's blister free performance last year some questioned why we didn't show her feet. Well, she was tired and just ran 135 miles and we didn't want to bother her. But to answer those critics here are her feet from immediately after this year's race.

These photos were taken of Jamie and her feet just minutes after completing the race and the interviews that followed. "Do you want pictures of my feet?" Jamie asked. "They're perfect, not a single blister" she continued.

It is important to note that Jamie wore and trained in the socks well in advance of the race, she doesn't use any lubricants that may clog up the sock and she doesn't tape her feet which may hold moisture and soften tissue and create shear points. She used the socks according to our direction and she didn't get a single blister. Jamie also used a sensible pace, had a very experienced crew who kept her properly hydrated and her nutrition was perfect all of which contributed to the condition of her feet.

photos by Bob MacGillivray

Jamie Donaldson Dominates Badwater! Again!!!

2009-07-14T16:23:00.000-07:00

Jamie Donaldson Immediately After Her Badwater Victory

We just returned from the Whitney Portal where Drymax Athlete Jamie Donaldson just completed another dominating performance covering 135 miles in just 27 hours 20 minutes 18 seconds. She was right on pace to match her performance from last year but her knee began to swell which effected her pace. Still this very impressive time is the second ever ran by a female runner at Badwater with only her 2008 performance of 26:51:33 being any faster. She beat her nearest female competitor Pam Reed by over an hour and a half.

Jamie ran the entire 135 miles without tape or lubricating her feet wearing Drymax Maximum Protection socks without a single blister.

Drymax wishes to congratulate Jamie on another impressive victory done with style and class. Great Job Jamie!!!!! More to come but we're taking Jamie out to celebrate!

photos by Bob MacGillivray

Death Valley Race Update

2009-07-14T05:50:00.001-07:00

Jamie Donaldson Before The Race In Great Spirits As Always!

The race is on and it is heated... Literally. The race from the lowest and hottest point of the United States to it's highest continues this morning and Drymax athlete Jamie Donaldson continues her quest to repeat as women's winner and does she look great!

Jamie Donaldson At About 3,000' Above Stovepipe Wells

At 3:12 am she blew through Darwin with a time of 17 hours 12 minutes. This checkpoint marks the 90 mile point. As of this latest report, Jamie was 5th overall and 1st woman. Jamie ahead of her 2008 record pace, but as everyone knows, anything can happen at this race.

Tony Portera and Iris Cooper-Imhof Starting Their Day

Other Drymax athletes look great too and seem to be in great spirits. Drymax athlete Hung Ng is in the top 20 as is the big surprise young Drymax runner Nickademus Hollon jumped out to a searing pace early from the 6:00 am group. Iris Imhof-Cooper are solidly in the top 30. Leigh Corbin and Anthony Portera have been in great spirits and their crews are doing great jobs.

Todd Baum's Crew All Wearing Their Drymax Socks!

Everyone here has been in great spirits and very focused at the task at hand and that is to finish and have fun!

photos by Bob MacGillivray

Hot Weather and Great People

2009-07-12T16:50:00.000-07:00

Above are just a few highlights for the day

OK, I'm not going to sugar coat it.... It's hot here! The car said 133 degrees the thermoter outside the motorhome says 128 in the shade. Where? Furnace Creek, CA the defacto base of the 135 mile ultramarathon from Badwater Basin through Death valley to the Mount Whitney Portal. I am here on a mission to deliver signs and socks to the 14 athletes who will be running with Drymax socks.

We are very proud to have the following athletes wearing our socks for the race:

Jamie Donaldson
Anthony Portera
Hung Ng
Alisa Springman
Elizabeth Carrion
Dan Marinsik
Todd Baum
Rick Cheever
Kelvin Marshall
Iris Cooper-Imhof
Leigh Corbin
Peggy Gaudet
Nickademus Hollon
Jarom Thurston

We are so proud to have these great athletes train and compete in Drymax socks.

It has been great seeing and meeting so many other thus far. It is a virtual who's who of ultrarunning here. If the many of the big names aren't competing they are crewing. A apecial treat today was meeting Valmir Nunes who currently holds the course record.

Another wonderful moment was presenting defending champion Jamie Donaldson with a photo mosaic of all of the photos we have of her competing in Drymax socks over the last year and a half. The mosaic put together shows Jamie passing Dean Karnazes between Keeler and Lone Pine on her way to a record shattering victory last year.

One more quick thing about the weather, it is very hot and dry unlike last year when it was not quite as hot but far more humid. Everyone here is in such good spirits about the weather, hey at least there seems to be a tailwind!

Good luck to all of the athletes who begin their epic adventures in the morning.

Meltzer 3 for 3 In 100 Milers Wearing Drymax Socks

2009-07-11T07:06:00.000-07:00

UPDATE:

I just received a note from Karl and he exclaimed, "I had NO BLISTERS Bob! My feet look better than when we started, and this is a course where feet are wet the entire time! "

This just in, La Sportiva Athlete and Drymax wearer Karl Meltzer has just won his 5th Hardrock 100. His dominating time of 24 hours 38 minutes crushed his own personal best by about 2 hours and is a new record for the opposite direction course. His victory is even more impressive since it has only been 3 weeks since his victory at the Bighorn 100.

Karl has been wearing Drymax socks durng all of his training and victories this year after suffering horrible foot issues last year wearing wool socks during his assault on the Appalacian Trail.

Drymax is very proud to be the sock sponsor of the Hardrock 100 and every participant received a pair of Drymax socks.

Congratulations Karl on your 26th 100 Mile Victory and 3rd wearing Drymax Socks!!!

More details to come...

Meredith Terranova Wins & Sets Record At Pacifica 50k

2009-07-07T07:13:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Drymax athlete Meredith Terranova for winning and setting the new women's course record at the Pacifica 50k over the weekend.

Meredith was just flying on the final stages of the race turning in fast split after fast split. She finally caught the women's leader at her final water stop and opened up a 3 minute margin at the finish.

Meredith's final time was 4 hours 53 minutes 21 seconds a new course record (breaking the existing record by about 10 minutes) and strong enough for 1st woman and 6th overall.

About competing in Drymax Hot Weather socks Meredith stated, "The socks were magic, once again!" She continued, "It was a great day, and not one blister...of course!"

Great job Meredith and congratulations on a wonderful result!

Check out her race recap at http://mersadventures.blogspot.com/

Photo courtesy Meredith Terranova

Heather Griffith Wins Bethel Hill Moonlight Boogie 50 Mile

2009-07-07T06:57:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Drymax athlete Heather Griffith on her great win at the Bethel Hill Moonlight Boogie 50 Mile race. Griffith completed the race in a speedy 8 hours and 3 minutes as first female and 2nd overall in the field. This is an improvement of over 2 hours and 44 minutes ahead of her previous PR.

About competing in Drymax Maximum Protection Socks Griffith commented, "I no longer train in any other sock! Why would I? Drymax socks have helped me train consistently, under the coaching of Karl Meltzer, at 70-85 high-quality miles a week, without any huge foot problems! Never have a had to change socks or shoes during my long training runs of 30+ miles, nor did I have the need to at the Bethel Hill Moonlight Boogie 50-miler last weekend! On a hot and humid day, and dousing myself with water every 6 miles or so, shouldn't I be dealing with foot blisters that would be detrimental to my racing well? Of course not...because I wore Drymax! On to the win for Overall Female, never feeling an foot pain during the run, with a time of 8:03:32 to place 2nd overall runner! Since my feet kept reasonably dry on that hot and humid day, I didn't deal with any changes in my running form, which kept me not only injury-free but ready to race and win again by the end of next month! Thank you, Drymax! I will no longer run in any other sock!"

Heather's next mission will be to assist in pacing for Drymax athlete Hung Ng at Badwater this coming week then on to the 24-hr race in Wakefield, MA on July 24th.

Great job and congratulations on a great performance Heather!

photo courtesy Heather Griffith & Bethel Hill Moonlight Boogie

Sullivan Takes 5th At Western States

2009-06-28T19:45:00.000-07:00

(left: Kevin Sullivan at Mile 62, top right: Drymax Hot Weather Socks, bottom right: Bob MacGillivray and Kevin Sullivan moments after the finish)

Wow! What an event. We just returned from attending the Western States 100 and were so happy to see so many people and meet so many Drymax wearers.

It was an exciting finish of the race with Patagonia superstar Hal Koerner winning the race. We were receiving third hand text messages from Jamie Donaldson that she was getting by team member Meredith Terranova letting us know that INOV8 runner and Drymax elite athlete Kevin Sullivan was in a very tight battle for second. We waited anxiously at the finish line where Kevin came in an incredibly hard fought 5th.

The first time WS100 competitor surprised alot of people dealing really well with the heat and the altitude as well as fighting some knee pain to overcome the very challenging conditions that saw many elites drop from the event.

Kevin and his crew/pacers all wore Drymax socks for the event, with Kevin selecting 1 pair of Drymax Hot Weather socks that lasted him the duration of the race without failure.

Congratulations to Kevin and all of the competitors at the WS100 for a great effort!

Photos by Bob MacGillivray

Badwater Runner Rick Cheever Visits Drymax

2009-06-23T15:58:00.001-07:00

Bob MacGillivray & Rick Cheever In Front Of The Drymax Sock Wall

We love our athletes. Not only are they all great people, but there is no other way to get the real world data and feedback needed to constantly improve our products. We push the design envelope all of the time and sometimes we fail, but without our ultra athletes telling us this we would never know and never be able to fix the problems before the socks hit the market.

Today we had a nice surprise visit from Drymax ultra-athlete Rick Cheever. Rick will be attempting his first 135 Mile Badwater Ultramarathon next month in Death Valley. In doing so he will be raising funds to help stop ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease). You can check out his website/blog at http://energeticrick.blogspot.com/2008/07/personal-thoughts-regarding-badwater.html if you want to learn more about Rick and his goal to help eliminate this horrible affliction. Or you can go to http://web.alsa.org/site/TR?px=2245440&fr_id=5752&pg=personal to donate.

Last year, Rick crewed his good friend Ben Davis on the 2,175 mile Appalachian Trail. Ben had never ran more than 100 miles but was able to finish this epic journey in just 66 days raising badly needed money for ALS.

Rick stopped by our office today to pick up some socks for what will be 2 weeks in Death Valley to train for the upcoming 135 Badwater Race. He is optimistic and really geared up for the adventure. He has been wearing Drymax for almost a year now and has offered us some great feedback that has lead to several changes in our socks.

We look forward to seeing how his Badwater adventure turns out! Good Luck Rick!!!

photo by Bob MacGillivray

Karl Meltzer 2 for 2 In 09 Wearing Drymax Socks

2009-06-23T09:54:00.000-07:00

Drymax athlete Karl Meltzer has won his second 100 miler of 2009 in as many attempts by crushing his own record at the Bighorn 100 Mile Race. It was no walk in the park though having been attacked by a moose about 1/2 way through the race.

After 2 separate encounters and a high speed chase to evade the mother moose Karl was free to put the pedal to the metal and crank out an amazing time of 19 hours, 15 minutes, 26 seconds which was over two hours and fourteen minutes ahead of his nearest competitor. He also crushed his own course record by about an hour.

About wearing Drymax Maximum Protection socks for the record setting victory Karl stated, "of course my feet held up, look at the socks I'm wearing!" Karl continued, "It was a somewhat wet course, a few muddy bogs that feet were completely submerged. Lots of mud in the shoes, but no issues with feet. The socks really are the best in the business! Hopefully I can recover well for Hardrock in 3 weeks, that should be interesting."

We are especially proud to be part of Karl's Bighorn 100 victory since it is the 25th of his now legendary ultrarunning career! We are also proud that we are the official sock of Karl's Speedgoat 50k Race and the Hardrock 100 where Karl will be going for his 26th victory. Great job Karl!

Check out more about Karl's Moose encounter at his blog: http://karlmeltzer.com/2009/06/the-wild-and-scenic-bighorn-100-gets-a-little-too-wild/ and to find out more about the Speedgoat 50k check out his race site: http://karlmeltzer.com/speedgoat-50k/

photo courtesy Karl Meltzer

Drymax Athlete Sandy Powell Featured In News Leader

2009-06-18T12:39:00.001-07:00

Ultrarunning Drymax Athlete Sandy Powell was prominently featured in the her regional newspaper the New Leader, the news source for the Shenandoah Valley. The wonderful article was written about Sandy and her participation in last month's Surgeres 48-hour foot race in France.

Check out the story: http://www.newsleader.com/article/20090617/SPORTS/906170327

Powell, is an educator teaching 5th and 6th grades at the Commonwealth Center For Children and Adolescents, VA and has been teaching for 29 years. In addition she teaches cycling and fitness and fitness classes at AMC Lifetime Fitness Center.

Sandy has been one of the more prolific ultrarunners in the USA having the leading 48 hour race distances in the USA/Canada for the last 3 years with 201.5 miles. She also qualified and ran on the first four USA National Championship 24 hour teams that represented the USA in the World 24 hour championships, in addition she has been part of two teams that have won bronze medals individually placing a personal best of 133.4 miles in 24 hours (6th in the world).

About her experience with Drymax Socks at Surgeres she stated, "I just completed the Surgeres, 2009 invite only race which is run on a 300 meter track for 48 hours. This year, unlike the past two years that I have ran this race, it was very, very hot! (over 95degrees, pretty much both days) I like hot weather but I had not acclimated to this type heat! I have been in this race the last two years and we were blessed with more than an abundance of rain! My feet afterward looked like they had been butchered - blisters, toenails gone, (many of them) , my feet where in a mess needless to say!

This year I ran with the DRYMAX running socks and what a difference they made!... Was I shocked when I took off my shoes - I just can't tell you how good my feet looked after 48 hours of running! My Brooks shoes (another sponsor) were holding up well and I was wondering about the socks! Not another doubt when I looked at my feet! I could wear shoes and walk with no pain! My sister, (my crew) was impressed how good my feet looked - as she has been around in previous races and she knows how bad they were after the previous races. I am so impressed - I wear the DRYMAX socks all the time - I have even given some other runners a pair to try! They feel great on your feet and they do exactly what they say they do - this sock is true to its word!! Thank you and I look forward to having beautiful feet again - (well that depends on the definition of beautiful!)!"

We were very proud and honored to have been along for the ride with Sandy on this wonderful adventure. We look forward to many more success stories from Sandy in the future.

photo courtesy of the News Leader