Icebreaker - Pure Merino

Due to the success of ‘Team Ariki in the 2010 edition of the Hood to Coast relay race, we are back running this weekend for our second attempt at claiming glory.  Last year we were the third placed team overall so gained automatic entry into a race that often has to turn away close to 1,000 teams.  If Bob Foote the founder of Hood to Coast is to be believed, the secret of our success last year was the Portland beer and girls.

The Hood to Coast is a 197 mile running relay race with over a thousand teams competing.  The race is based around the city and surrounding areas of Portland in the United States.  The race starts half way up Mount Hood and finishes on the coast at Seaside.  Each team has 12 runners and these runners complete 3 legs each.  The relay see us run over a variety of terrains, weather conditions and times of day, which will once again test us both mentally and physically.

Our team is made up of runners who specialise in variety of distances ranging from 800m to marathons.  Most of us have run for the Ariki Club which is based in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand (close to the birth place of Icebreaker) during our running careers. Due to us being a New Zealand team, Icebreaker felt it was only right that we wear their merino.  Team Ariki is honoured to be supplied by Icebreaker, there is a compelling logic to this combination/partnership as Icebreaker will be represented at the worlds largest relay by a group of first class runners from the same region, equally hardy and resilient as the raw materials from Icebreaker’s products.  We are determined to perform well for both Icebreaker and our supporters back home.

- Alastair Chisnall, Team Ariki Captain

It started as a simple bet; if a certain number of people liked the Teton Running Company Facebook page, I would  let the public choose my outfit for a the next local race. No harm there, I thought. I’ll probably end up running in some high split shorts and a bright jersey.

Turns out the people felt I needed a little more support and that I had a stomach to die for, or at least laugh at. The votes were counted and a running skirt and sports bra reigned as champions.

The skirt seemed simple enough, a compression short with some extra drapery, in all reality very comfortable. The sports bra was another issue. Ask any girl and they will tell you this is a big deal. Make the wrong choice and you will be bouncing, rubbing, or even worse you might have the highly feared (and completely detestable) ‘uni-boob’.  Can you see the environment for a nickname being created if I made the wrong decision? The Icebreaker GT Run Rush Bra was the obvious choice.  Icebreaker fits great and if I was going to subject my man chest to tight fitting womenswear (and inevitable humiliation),  I could only put my trust in the sheep. I never see any sheep taking flack about their chests.

The race went beautifully. I looked great, had no support problems, and the merino felt amazing. Chest sweat was no issue and I’m certain that’s the best I’ve ever smelled after a race. Just like the bra, I was hot to trot.

- Gray Augustus, Store Manager, Teton Running Company

I’ve always wanted to experience boot camp, but without the drill sergeants and with the opportunity to sleep in my own bed at night, so I jumped at the chance to take part in the inaugural Portland MS Mud Run, sponsored in part by Icebreaker.  10km of muddy running, with some extreme obstacles thrown in for extra fun, sounded like a good way to spend an overcast Saturday morning.  Plus, I’d get to be part of the Icebreaker team and run for a good cause: Multiple Sclerosis research.

Powered by a few bananas and fuelled by Gin and Gatorade from the ever-present Icebreaker sheep drench, I set out with my teammates to conquer the course.  The course was extra muddy by the time we started in the third wave and I found myself sliding down the first hill.  My Icebreaker GT200 Leggings were covered in mud and I thought I was already pretty dirty by the time I crawled under the first easy obstacle, but I had no idea what lay in store for me and the team.  Up ahead there were slides, tunnels, rope swings, and treacherous pits of mud that attempted to steal your shoes.

Then there were the climbing obstacles – not so great for someone with a fear of heights.  I didn’t even think about the first one . . .  until I got to the top, looked down, and realized I was 25 feet above the ground on a rickety wooden structure!  The second one, a 30 foot wall of cargo netting, wasn’t any easier, but with the team encouraging me, I found myself on the other side of the wall in no time and heading for the finish.

After crossing the finish line with my teammates and an extremely big grin on my muddy face, I celebrated the run with a beer, Korean tacos, and a cold shower from a fire hose.  The team discussed our favourite obstacles: the mud slide and the platform jump into a pool of freezing water were both big hits.  Then we started making plans for Mud Run 2012!

- Matt Hazel, Icebreaker US Customer Service Rep