Andy Jones-Wilkins Now Competes In Drymax Socks

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

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

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

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!!!

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

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

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

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

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

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