Icebreaker - Pure Merino

My name is Alex Asher and many people think I’m a little crazy running near 2,400km of road, rock and sand around the entire east coast of New Zealand’s North Island this summer, but it will be a hell of a good adventure.

I am starting this December and running an average of 40km a day, 6 days a week, which will take me almost 2 1/2 months to get around the coast.  Fortunately, I have a fantastic tag team of friends and family to support me along the way that will pass some stunning parts of NZ such as North Cape, Coromandel Peninsula, swimming Waitamata harbour, East Cape and running through friendly farms on the Wairarapa coast.

I’ve got to come clear: I was lucky enough to work with Icebreaker over the last 4 years – so I know the company inside and out.  One of my favourite stories about Icebreaker is that i’ve run, tramped and played hard in Icebreaker socks during that entire time and have never had a blister.  I look forward to putting them through a real wear test this summer, and I’ll be wearing some of the new IcebreakerGT range along the way too!

Now with this challenge only 2 weeks away, I am rounding off my intense training to focus on my cause.  I am running to raise awareness to protect our unique coastlines and oceans from unsustainable fishing practices, pollution and plastic; threats that I noticed especially after spending some time overseas.  That is why I am supporting and raising money for two fantastic homegrown charities that work hard to keep our coastlines and oceans alive and healthy: Sustainable Coastlines and NZ Forest & Bird.

I hope to keep you updated, not only on the Icebreaker blog, but also through my website and facebook site: www.capetostrait.org.nz

Here you can keep an eye on my progress and help me: donate, become of member, choose sustainably caught fish and stop that next piece of rubbish on the ground from reaching the sea.  Go on…I dare ya!

We were contacted not that long ago by some Icebreaker fans, Friedel & Andrew, who were on a mission to find the best bike touring socks in the world.  These guys are serious about their socks, they obsess about it and tell us “if my feet are happy, so is the rest of me”.

After some extensive wear testing research (man did they put the socks they tested to the extreme!), they now wouldn’t be without Icebreaker merino wool socks.  You can read why here:  http://travellingtwo.com/resources/merinowoolsocks-icebreaker

Friedel & Andrew think our socks are so great – now they want to let you experience the revolutionary product they discovered.  Check out their blog, leave a comment telling them what you wear on tour or why you deserve some Icebreaker socks, and they will enter you in the draw to win one of three Icebreaker sock prize packs!  Entries close Monday July 19th.

Our NZ team have just hosted the inaugural Icebreaker Sock On, Sock Off Competition.  Teams got together this week and were timed to see who were the quickest to dismantle their new Run socks from the packaging, put them on, take them off and assemble them back in the orginal packaging again (kind of like a sock boat race!).

Sounds easy, but it’s not quite…  Check out the NZ ‘Soxy Bitches’ team attempt at staking their claim for global dominance.  We wonder which Icebreaker office will beat them…