Donaldson Will Not Defend 3-Time Badwater Title

Littleton, CO May 21, 2011

Elite Ultrarunner Jamie Donaldson and Drymax Sports, LLC announced today that the women's three time defending Badwater 135 Ultramarathon Champion and record holder has decided a fourth title will not be in the cards for 2011

After careful consideration Donaldson made the decision due to personal and professional conflicts that would prohibit her from putting in the miles and hours needed to make a competitive repeat performance at the epic event that begins below sea level and travels through Death Valley to 135 miles to Mount Whitney Portals during the scorching heat of July.

About the announcement, Jamie stated, "Training 200 miles per week to run on such a challenging course takes full focus and 100% commitment, I cannot give this amazing race the attention it deserves at this time to achieve the result I desire."

Bob MacGillivray of Drymax, Donaldson's primary sponsor added, "We are so proud of Jamie, she has been our greatest supporter over the last few years and we agree with her decision completely to take a break from what most consider the toughest road race in the world." Bob added, "Nobody is tougher than Jamie and nobody is more thoughtful, we look forward to supporting her in all of her endeavors both on the course and off for a long, long time."

Donaldson concluded, "Everyone who competes and crews at Badwater are family and I am grateful for all of the support I continually receive from this family... I fully intend to compete in other great races this year and one day possibly make my return to Badwater, just not this summer."

About Jamie Donaldson

Jamie Donaldson, of Littleton, CO, a sixth grade math teacher and running coach and is considered to be one of the top utra runners in the world. She not only holds the women's course record at Badwater with an amazing 26:12:12 she holds the top three women's times of the event's history. In addition, Jamie holds the USATF record for 200,000 meters and in 2010 ran 100 miles in 14:58:23. A documentary chronicling her 2010 Badwater victory will air in Britain on BBC this summer then on TLC in the USA.

Direct Inquiries To Bob MacGillivray bob@drymaxsports.com

Photo By Bob MacGillivray

Terror, Devastation Brings Tenacity and Perseverance

Drymax socks are proudly made in Rainsville, Alabama. This week terror and tragedy swept through this small textile town in the northeast corner of the state. It appears now that the death count of this small town of about 4,500 people will exceed 32 citizens. The storm emerged out of nowhere and came down upon the town with fury never before seen by the residents.

Above is video taken from our factory in Rainsville just at the tornado touched down just blocks away as workers scrambled for cover.

Schools, homes, restaurants were destroyed. The town is without power and will be for the immediate future. Life is already tough in this this area which relies heavily on manufacturing and distribution businesses to make ends meet. The utter devastation has rendered the area a complete disaster very reminiscent of a war zone.

The fire department is now serving as a morgue and residents are just trying to come to grip with the level of destruction and now their very uncertain future.

We are very fortunate that the tornado missed our factory by just blocks and that all those who work at the factory and their families appear to be safe and accounted for. Everyone at the knitting facility is thankful for their health and looking forward to moving on and trying to return to normalcy as soon as possible, but it will be a long road to put this town back together, fortunately the community is stronger than ever through their tenacity and perseverance Rainsville and the surrounding area will rebuild and flourish once again.

This is a devastating event leaving the entire region short on even the most basic resources to exist day to day. Clothing, food, water and other vital staples of life are in very short supply especially with no electricity. If you would like to help a donation to the American Red Cross http://www.redcross.org/ it would be the most efficient way to assist victims of this massive devastation.

Drymax, Why We Race

A Runner Rockin' Drymax Socks At The AR50

Upon receiving some gentle prodding from the subtle and charming Olga Varlamova and candid Evan Hone, I was reminded that I have been neglecting our blog while favoring our Facebook and Twitter Accounts. Check those out by the way! They are just easier, like microwaving food but probably not as good for you. They are both right, if we have a blog we should give it the attention it deserves and spend a little time with it.

Ellie Greenwood Joyfully Bounding Along At Mile 31

This weekend I was fortunate to spend in Sacramento visiting many old and new friends at the American River 50 mile race. We are very fortunate to have some splendid athletes turn in some amazing performances with Ellie Greenwood victorious in the women's division and Ian Sharman securing 3rd in the men's division. We also had other top 5 female performances and top 10 men's.

Ian Sharman Cruising Through Granite Bay

After the race, I was speaking with the charming Ian Sharman and made an interesting observation when asked, "Who doesn't wear Drymax socks?" I looked around and saw plenty, but I was okay with that because that means we have companies to compete with. This was further made clear when I was speaking with Eric Dube as he waited for his lovely wife Tara to finish (top 5 by the way) and we spoke about competition and how grateful we are to have it so we can measure our results in such an absolute way.

IndyCar At Long Beach Grand Prix 2010

I come from a perspective of motor sports, as a huge follower of what was Champ Car now IndyCar and that is what inspired me to seek out athletes to work with and to improve our products for general consumers. Back in it's prime, CART as it was known, was what I felt to be the pinnacle of motor sport (yeah I'm sure I'll hear about my opinion) because they had unfettered competition between multiple chassis makers, tire suppliers and engine suppliers competing on every discipline from road courses, ovals, super speedways and street courses. This produced an arms race constantly improving technology every week or face the possibility to falling behind and becoming non-competitive. Some succeeded some did not, that is what is considered to be survival of the fittest. Now IndyCar has lost it's way over the last few years since there is only 1 engine supplier, 1 tire supplier and 1 chassis provider, other than contrived competition and reliability no technology is being advanced forward because there is no competition between manufacturers (hopefully that will change in 2012 with new rules allowing additional manufacturers).

Sean Meissner Cooling Down Jamie Donaldson In Death Valley 2010

I recently read Dakota Jones insightful article about sponsorship in ultras on IRunFar.com and felt it was rather well thought out. Anybody who knows ultras and it's market size knows that there is really not any money there to justify throwing huge sums of money at it. As a small company we don't have the resources to do this anyway. We don't pay our athletes, we can't except for two. Full Disclosure: We do monetarily support Jamie Donaldson as her primary sponsor, we also pay a modest stipend to one additional very elite ultra runner who we shall leave anonymous, believe me it's modest. Because Drymax works, our athletes, for which we have over 60, wear our socks, give feedback and do very kind grassroots mentions about us in blogs, interviews and allow us to use their images in ads. Why? First, because they are all very cool people. Second, because for so many of them we have changed the way they compete because they aren't having the same foot issues they did before allowing them to concentrate on the task at hand which is finishing a very long race.

Famous Feet Wearing Drymax at AR50

It is with great pride that we attend races and see very elite athletes wearing our socks without us even knowing about it. It happened again this weekend at AR50 when I looked down and saw one of the most accomplished ultra runners in the world wearing our socks (I won't say who since I don't want that person to have a sponsorship conflict without her approval). The athlete said he/she loves them and always looks for one of the two pair the athlete has every time he/she goes out running. I got to tell you it is moments like that that we get a big fat stamp of approval on what we are doing. Additionally, we are seeing many people wearing our socks in the mid pack and bringing up the rear with equally as compelling stories, which we have great pride in being part of those racer's adventure as well.

I will have to give the benefit of the doubt to all sponsors of ultras and their sponsored athletes who participate week in and week out because they aren't there for the vast fortunes to be made, cause there isn't any. We are all there to see where we stack up with other manufacturers on an even playing field. That is why you hear certain runners skip, what they feel, are less competitive races for those that are stacked with fierce competition, so they can see where they stack up, good or bad, sponsors often want to see that as well.

Another big reason why we race, specifically in ultras, is the iconic nature of the events and the accomplishments. We feel that if runners can compete at the highest levels in daunting conditions for extreme distances with minimal foot issues then we can take what we have learned to marathons, 10k's, 5k's and even benefit charity walks. In every running shop you have one person who runs ultras, that person knows all of the players in the sport and what equipment they are using with success. That information is then passed along at retail to the guy who needs to lose 20 lbs to the person who wants to compete in their first marathon.

Andy Jones-Wilkins Congratulating His Friend Craig Thornley After AR50

I could go on and on about why we continue to be part of ultra racing, we have had a blast doing it so far, we enjoy the great people we meet, the places we see, we love the stories we hear and yeah, we love to win. Most importantly, have been so warmly welcomed into the ultra running community and we just love being involved with positive, friendly and adventurous people.

photos by Bob MacGillivray

Drymax Socks: Looking Ahead and Back

2010 is over and what a year it was for our little company. We continue to be very excited about what we have accomplished but that was the past and we are continually looking toward the future. Our passion to engineer the best possible socks on the market shall continue as will the desire to listen to constructive feedback to constantly improve our socks.

We are not sheep, we follow science and not trends, so don't look for too many crazy things brought on by chasing fads from us in the coming year. This is not to say we are standing still. We have some amazing advancements that we will be introducing including our completely new V5 line.

Ultrarunning remains our #1 test as to efficacy of our products. This iconic sport allows us to test our products beyond any other threshold we can possibly imagine. If we can keep ultra athlete's feet in good shape then we can be confident that marathoners, diabetics and cancer walk participants will also have a positive experience with our socks.

We also translate this accumulated knowledge to our entirely new Drymax Team Sport line. This new line includes Football, Hockey, Baseball, Softball, Lacrosse, Volleyball, Field Hockey, Basketball and Rugby. It was very exciting this last month to know that many of the D1 football Bowl teams wore Drymax socks, even some of the really big ones:).

We continue to make strides in the medical field working with podiatrists and dermatologists who often suggest that their patients with hiperhydrosis and sufferers of other foot issues wear Drymax socks to assist in keeping their feet dry and healthful. This is incredibly important in diabetics who run a huge risk in foot issues and even amputation for failing to take proper care of their feet.

Having traveled to so many of the big and small ultra races in 2010, I was so thrilled to see so many Drymax socks on the feet of both the 'elite' and recreational competitors. It was with great pride that we saw our socks finish first in so many ultras. Drymax runners won Badwater, Bandera, Rocky Racoon, VT100 and many more. We were even along for the run with Karl Meltzer as he retraced the route of the Pony Express on it's 150th anniversary.

All of the above is made possible from the continual feedback we receive from our ultrarunners. In 2011, our roster of runners continues to grow. As most know, we are a very small company and are limited in resources, so we are hugely honored to have the amazing group of wonderful athletes trusting their feet to Drymax socks. The list is too long to list and for fear of leaving someone out I won't post it. All I can say is that we are grateful to those who continue to spread the word about our technology. Thank you!

Stay tuned for some exciting stuff for 2011. Well we think it will be exciting...

photo by Bob MacGillivray

Alisa Springman Accomplishes 99th Ultra Race!

Always smiling Drymax runner Alisa Springman is one of the most prolific ultrarunners competing today. Every time we turn around the Mercersburg, PA athlete is running another ultra race! This summer alone she completed not only the Western States but just a couple weeks later turned in a strong performance at Badwater among many other events.

This past weekend Alisa completed her 99th ultra at the Hellgate 100k as the 7th female in a time of 15:58:43 in some pretty rough conditions.

About her experience "Hellgate was a challenge, as always. Midnight start, temps in the 20s, snow on the mountain and an icy, full stream to cross at mile 4, ensuring wet feet for most of the night. I wore my Drymax Cold Weather socks and had NO issues with my feet -- AS ALWAYS!! One pair of socks and one pair of shoes for 66.6 miles of snow, leaves, rocks and some of the most technical trail in Virginia. "

Alisa plans on making her 100th Ultra at the Virginia Happy Trails on January 1, 2011. What a way to start a year!

Congratulations Alisa on your amazing accomplishment!

photos by Bob MacGillivray

Jamie Donaldson: 2010 Another Amazing Year!

Drymax has been very, very fortunate to associated with Elite Ultrarunner Jamie Donaldson for a three years now. In that short amount of time she has evolved from an exceptional runner to one of the finest ultra athletes of all time. Her training regiment is unmatched as are her accomplishments with 2010 being another year of extraordinary performances.

Going into 2010, Jamie was already the two-time defending Badwater Women's Champion and record holder, USATF 200,000 Meter Track Record Holder, a multiple race winner and course record holder. In a world of hype Jamie quietly and humbly dominated the field in multiple races. It was alot to live up to, what is so incredible is that she surpassed many of her 2009 accomplishments.

Known for turning in regular 200 mile training weeks up and down Mt Evans and Pikes Peak, Donaldson knew that there tougher challenges from not only courses but competitors in the coming year. Her focus was again on Badwater and the races leading up to that event were going to serve to build a base for that mission.

She lead off the year with a short 38.5 mile warm up at the Ghost Town 38.5 Mile, taking 2nd female.

She followed her Ghost Town performance with a strong 2nd place at the Rocky Raccoon 100 (behind fellow Drymax athlete Liza Howard) turning in an impressive time of 16:54 almost equaling her 2009 winning time of 16:51.

Jamie then went far, an extra 18 miles to make it interesting. She dominated the men and women in the Lost 118 Mile Race in Florida with an insane overall course record time of 18 hrs 36 minutes. That is a pace of 9 minutes 27 seconds for 118 miles!!!

Then came the Philadelphia 100 Mile Race. Jamie threw down the gauntlet again with a 1st Overall, Course Record of an amazing 14:58:23 ONE OF the fastest 100 mile times ever by a female with a stunning 8:59 per mile pace.

To shake things up a bit Jamie popped up to Wyoming for the Rocky Mountain Double Marathon where she earned 1st female, 3rd overall course record of 8:07. This shorter distance victory really shows the range of a very talented runner who once won the Denver Marathon.

Jamie was then off to Europe for the 24 Hour World Championships in Italy. Unfortunately, due to a stomach issue, Jamie didn't live up to her own lofty expectations. She still turned in a gutsy 120.61 mile performance.


Now to focus on her primary goal, to come back and win her third women's title at Badwater against what can arguably be considered the deepest, fastest women's field ever at the event. Jamie, again ran her own race and by mile 42 she had taken command of this epic event. At times, she was even within challenging for the overall lead. At the end she shattered her own record by 35 minutes, finishing in a time of 26 hrs, 16 min, 12 sec, a pace of 11 minutes 40.4 seconds through 130 degree heat and 13,000 ft of elevation change over four hours ahead of 2nd place woman. 3rd overall, she was only 1 hr, 32 min behind the overall winner. Jamie now owns the fastest three female times at this event 2008 - 26:51:33, 2009 - 27:20:18, 2010 26:16:12.

Not able to compete at Leadville, Jamie rested a bit and came back strong at Javelina Jundred event in Arizona. On very little training, Jamie challenged again for the overall win only to come up a bit short taking 2nd overall, 1st female with a course record time of 17 hrs, 11 min.

A month later Jamie traveled to Texas for her final race of 2010, the 24 Hr Ultracentric race. The course was a bit more challenging that anticipated, but Jamie pushed on with the help and encouragement of her crew to post another overall win and a strong 136.98 mile performance on a tough course.

Beyond Jamie's performances is her character. Many fellow competitors can contribute numerous stories of Jamie waiting at the finish line for hours on end to greet friends and fans as they finish their own epic adventures. I have personally been with Jamie when she finished a huge race and she wanted to go back on the course to cheer on fellow runners who were literally 20 hours behind her because of her love of the sport and the value she puts on friendship and friendly, respectful competition.

Most know that Drymax is a very small operation with limited resources, so we are exceedingly thankful for all of the elite and avid competitors who choose to compete and train with our socks. We are especially honored to have Jamie competing with Drymax as her primary sponsor and as our team captain for the last two years. We can hardly wait to see what Jamie has in mind for 2011!!!

Drymax Socks Spanning The Globe

I know, it has been a while since we have updated the blog. I've been doing so many of our updates via our twitter account where you can find us at http://twitter.com/drymaxsocks .

What prompted this brief update is the amount of photos we receive from wonderful people who travel this great world of ours. We receive so many notes and stories about so many varied adventures from the hottest place on earth to the top of the world.

This latest comes from Jackie Ginley, she writes about her experience in Nepal with Drymax HD Hiking Socks,

"I was dry and blister free all the way to 18,000 feet. Never even needed the moleskin. Not once. (First time that's ever happened on a long backpacking trip!) I brought polypro liners, which I usually use with wool socks, but I never ended up needing them.)"

We love stories like this, as a matter of fact I sense a contest coming on. So send us your best photos and stories about your adventures with Drymax and we may post them and you may have some socks heading your way!

Jamie Donaldson One Ups Herself At Badwater 26:16:12

2008, 2009, 2010 Badwater Women's Champion and Record Holder

Gracious, humble and amazing are three words that just begin describing this year's women's champion of the 135 Mile Badwater Ultramarathon. With her most recent race domination Jamie Donaldson now owns the fastest three female times of all time at this most epic race. In 2008 Jamie set the standard at 26 hrs 51 min 33 sec, in 2009 she set the second fastest in 27 hrs 20 min 18 sec and in 2010 she shattered her already incredible standard by 35 minutes with a time of 26 hrs, 16 min, 12 sec good enough for first female and third overall.

Jamie & David Donaldson

Besides running 219 mile training weeks, putting in countless hours preparing and her personal fortitude Jamie also has wonderful chemistry between her and her crew which was very apparent before, during and after the race. In particular, it is just a wonderful thing to see how great Jamie and her husband David compliment each other as runner and crew chief but as two people who truly understand each other and communicate with subtle actions and intuition rather than a dialogue of demands and coaxing to move faster.

Team Donaldson Drymax (L to R) Cecilia Meech, Rob Kapfer, Jamie Donaldson, David Donaldson, Sean Meissner, Eric Meech

Having stability and experience in the team along with the exuberance of a rookie seemed to be the perfect blend to get Jamie swiftly to the finish. Her crew of David Donaldson (4th year), Rob Kapfer (4th year), Eric Meech (3rd year), Sean Meissner (2nd year) & Cecilia Meech (rookie) all had such a wonderful chemistry. Their quiet calm "another day at the office" mentality coupled with an appropriate sense of constructive urgency was incredibly important component in the success of this year's race. David was like 49er Coach Bill Walsh calling the plays and Jamie was like Joe Montana calmly executing the plan flawlessly that was set forth well in advance of the race.

Jamie Donaldson & Sean Meissner Hustling Up Townes Pass

Speaking of the plan, Jamie and her crew executed it without trying to deviate too much. She started slow and her Mt. Evans training plus her years of experience at Badwater kicked in once she hit Townes Pass she maintained a running pace which allowed her to pull away from her female competitors as well as passing many of the elite male runners.

Jamie Donaldson Through Lone Pine

Through the night she picked off one runner at a time greeting the dawn hours ahead of 2nd woman and solidly in 3rd overall and was about 3 miles ahead of last year's overall winner from Brazil. Approaching Lone Pine Jamie was only about 2 miles behind the second place runner and 3 miles behind the overall leader. She was in great spirits with her trademark smile while she was running by an exuberant crowd in Lone Pine waving to everyone.

BBC Film Crew Interviewing Jamie Donaldson

During the entire BW experience Jamie was being shadowed by a British film crew shooting an hour long episode about Jamie and her extraordinary super human performance. Before, during and after the race the cameras, sound booms and reflectors were ever present. The high and low moments were being recorded for all to see. Along with the film crew was a specially assigned Highway Patrol car to assure safety of everyone involved in the film shoot. Jamie was really under a microscope during the entire race. Here patience often tested with boom mics and big lights but I'm sure she will come across very well on screen. We are very hopeful that this documentary will air in the USA on an affiliate sister broadcaster sometime this year.

Jamie Donaldson Determined To Keep Her Lead

Once through Lone Pine her game face was back on and she had to get to the finish. Not satisfied to being first female she pushed ahead with a steady pace as only a true competitor would. I don't think Jamie was overtly trying to break her own record but she really wanted to leave it all on the course and do the best she could. The course record would be just a bi product of this super human effort.

David & Jamie Donaldson Making The Final Push To The Finish

The last few miles to the Whitney Portals were very special. David assumed the final shift of pacing Jamie. There were more smiles and friendly encouragement than anything else. It was very evident how strong the bond is between Jamie and David. She trusts him completely and his confidence in Jamie is endless. They are truly a team that destiny created.

Team Donaldson Drymax Joyfully Making The Final Run For The Finish!

As the finish line approached the Team Donaldson Drymax assembled in their six abreast formation and crossed the line with a sudden burst of exuberant energy. More emotional than 2009 Jamie and her crew were joyous in their accomplishment having crushed her previous record by about 35 minutes. Her performance was good enough to be about four hours faster than her nearest female competitor.

Overall Champion Zach Gingerich With Women's Champion Jamie Donaldson

She crossed the line only about 1 hr 10 min behind 2nd place Oswaldo Lopez and 1 hr 32 min behind overall winner Zach Gingerich who was great about waiting to greet Jamie at the finish to offer his congratulations.

Jamie Donaldson Post Race Interview

During her post race interview her emotions were evident. She was proud of her accomplishment but not boastful. She had done something no other woman had ever done at this race, win three female titles in a row in the three fastest times ever run by a woman and she was immensely thankful to her crew and race officials for such an epic experience.

Jamie Donaldson's Feet After Badwater

It is with great pleasure that we can announce that Jamie won her third Badwater wearing Drymax Maximum Protection socks with virtually perfect feet once again using no lubricants, powders or tape. Thank you Jamie Donaldson for trusting Drymax and for being such a wonderful representative of our brand. We are so proud to be associated with Jamie Donaldson. Her quiet class, genuine interest and concern for her crew, race staff, other runners, their crews was quite evident from before the pre-race check-in to the time she left Lone Pine for some R&R.

Congratulations to Jamie Donaldson and her crew for an absolutely wonderful performance!

A race report will be forthcoming from Jamie at her blog once she has a bit of time to unwind: http://altitudeultrarunner.blogspot.com/

All Photos by Bob MacGillivray

Interview with Drymax Team Captain Jamie Donaldson

Between training sessions near Littleton, CO, we were able to grab Jamie Donaldson for a quick interview.

Keep an eye on Jamie this July as she prepares to defend her Badwater title in the heat of Death Valley.

Project America Run & Observing Memorial Day

Today is Memorial Day and I think the perfect day to talk about Mike Ehredt and Project America Run. I met Mike last July in Death Valley just before the start of the Badwater Ultramarathon. He made the impression of being a quite unassuming man yet serious and passionate about his upcoming mission. Mike, an Army Veteran and retired Postal Clerk was planning a trans American run from Astoria, OR to Rockland, ME with 4,514 American Flags with the names those brave men and women who have given their lives in our nation's service in Iraq.

On May 1, Ehredt began his epic journey and has completed approximately 800 miles. Yesterday, my brother John and sister in law Christen were able to catch up with Mike as he was working his way by their home in the beautiful Bitterroot Valley in Montana. They were both overwhelmed with pride and emotion after visiting with Mike and watching his repeated ritual of honoring the fallen.

About their experience my brother wrote the following to me:

"Christen and I just had the pleasure or meeting Mike Ehredt on the road during his 4,500+ mile run across the nation. Today he expects to reach Lost Trail Pass at the southern end of the Bitterroot Valley here in Western Montana. At each mile he is placing an American flag with the name, rank and hometown of a fallen soldier lost in the Iraqi theatre. The yellow ribbon below the flag also has the chronological number in which the soldier died. Mike is placing them in reverse order.

We've been following Mike on his website as he uses a satellite locating device giving almost instant locations as he traverses the country.

We found Mike to be a humble and soft-spoken individual who speaks proudly of his service in the armed forces. Seemingly benign watching him run, a persona is suddenly filled with emotions when, every mile he stops, plants a road-side flag, stands and salutes that flag, then runs another mile to repeat the process.

This is the best way we as a family could have expected to spend our Memorial Day. We are proud of our county and are blessed to have people such as Mike in our midst to remind us of those who have given their life so that we can maintain our way of life. " - John & Christen MacGillivray, Victor, Montana

On this day when we celebrate life and liberty we should take some time to remember how freedoms were given to us through those willing to sacrifice everything to deliver it. We thank all of the men and women of the armed forces who defend us every day.

If you have a spare minute check out Mike's Project America Run: http://www.projectamericarun.com/ . You can track him in almost real time on the "Where's Mike" link. You can also see his planned route and even donate to support the journey. If he is coming through your town over the next few months go out and say hello and possibly offer him a place to lay his weary head for the night.

We are very proud to be playing a very small part in his noble journey, possibly you can too.

photos by John MacGillivray