Thriv Has Done It Again!

Have you ever been on a long run where everything is going great physically? Legs feeling good. Breathing is in sync. Feeling strong. Only thing bothering you is that your shorts are giving you a mega-wedgie or your singlet is chaffing the smithereens out of your nips? Running apparel can make or break a good run. You can slather on all the anti-chaffing cream, powder, and ointment you want, but if the clothes are an irritation, you'll probably never wear them again.

Enter Thriv to the rescue! Never heard of them? I hadn't either until several months ago when Thriv asked if I'd be willing to test out one of their new shirts. Well, you see, I'm a bit of a running clothes hog. I love trying out new running clothes and running gear. The reason I'm constantly on the search for running shorts and tops is that I'm a sweater. No, not the snuggley kind your grandmother knits. Rather, the sweaty pig type. (Yes, I know pigs don't sweat, but you get the idea). In the summer I usually run shirtless, because, no matter what I wear, it just seems to get drenched during my run. I look more like I've been swimming instead of running.

One of the things that also intrigued me about Thriv was that their garments are made from bamboo. Yep, Bamboo. Thriv has developed a unique yarn process and fabric finishing process that blends cotton, bamboo, and elastane creating a fabric that provides moisture-wicking, anti-odor, UV protection, and thermal regulation.

Sound too good to be true? I thought so too, until I tried out the first shirt I received several months ago. The shirt was extremely soft and light weight. I wore the shirt during an intense workout at the gym one day and (then after a washing) I tested it out on a few rather sweaty runs. In all cases, the shirt worked amazingly well. During my gym workout, the shirt stretched with me and was not binding. It also was breathable and wore great. On the runs, I had similar results. The shirt did become damp (as expected), but it was not saturated. The material was breathable and did allow most of my perspiration to evaporate. The fabric is surprisingly soft.

Thriv has recently extended their line of great performance clothing and I recently tested their new Air Sleeveless top. The summer months here in North Carolina are hot and muggy. Very humid. So, if something tests well here, it should work just about anywhere. I've worn the Air Sleeveless on four 90°+ runs and the shirt has performed great for me. I've come to realize that I sweat so much that nothing is going to keep me completely dry, but the Air Sleeveless comes close. The fabric is so soft and lightweight that it feels almost like running shirtless. Also, the sweat seems to penetrate the fabric from the back to the top of the fabric where it quickly evaporates. So, I actually do stay pretty dry. I wasn't able to wring out buckets of water from the fabric like I usually do after a run with other shirts.

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Currently Thrive makes their clothing in men's sizes Medium through XX-Large. I'm a little guy, so when they start making a Small, I'll really be a happy camper. But until then, the medium works pretty well for me. Ladies, no worries, Thriv has some great apparel items for you too!

The clothing is also affordable. Another key factor in whether I like it or not. Most of their shirts are priced in the $25-$35 range. Their shorts are priced in the $35-$40 range. Pretty competitive with most of the other sports performance apparel companies.

The other thing I like about this company is that they truly believe in and back their product. Their mission is to make athletes as comfortable as they can be during their grueling events or just a regular workout.

Thriv did provide the clothing for my review, but I was not paid for the review nor was I encouraged to do a positive review. My review is based purely on my experience with the product. Honestly, I'd have to say that Thriv is a great find and probably my new favorite line of running apparel. It definitley gets 5 Dudes out of 5 Dudes on the RunnerDude's Rating Scale!! Be sure to check out the new line at their website.

Thanks Triv!!

Champion Listens to Real Everyday Runners!

One of my favorite athletic clothing brands, Champion, is located right down the road from me in Winston-Salem, N.C. Actually as I sit here writing this post, I'm wearing a Champion hoodie. Their casual athletic clothes are great. I also enjoy their line of running tops and bottoms.

One of the great things about Champion is they appreciate feedback from you, their customers. One way they get this feedback is through a cool program in conjunction with the Walt Disney World Marathon. Champion is the official performance apparel of Disney’s Wide World of Sports® and tooday they announced the continuation of the Champion Innovation Lab at the Walt Disney World® Marathon Weekend presented by CIGNA.

The Champion Innovation Lab brings to life its "How You Play" mantra through the experiences of real, everyday athletes. This year, the 2010 Innovation Lab works with runners, race-walkers, and wheelchair athletes from all skill levels to test Champion Athleticwear. Part of the group consists of the "Perfect 17/" The Perfect 17 are a unique group of runners that havee participated in the Disney Marathon Weekend since its inception 17 years ago.

Champion believes that in order to develop a great line of performance apparel, they need to get real feedback from everyday athletes who participate in the Innovation Lab. Claire Powell, Director Champion Brand Marketing said, “We are excited to bring the program back to the Disney Marathon Weekend for a third year to see how the athletes have responded to our products.”

Participants were given a variety of Champion performance apparel and, starting in September 2009, asked to catalogue their experiences in a Training Log and share real-time insights with the Champion New York Design Team and Champion Athleticwear Consumer Research. The runners received apparel from the brand’s Double Dry® line featuring wicking technology, compression tanks and briefs and athleticwear from the Seamless product line. Questions in the log covered topics such as pace, weather, route (e.g., trail, street, treadmill), comfort, fit and washing machine care. Runners were also outfitted in Champion apparel for the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend events and will be announced as Champion Innovation Lab participants when crossing the finish line this weekend!

“Perfect 17” runner and Champion Innovation Lab participant Seth Elsheimer said, “It's refreshing to see a brand that has stayed focused on regular, everyday athletes who are competitive as well as those who just want to have a good time and be active.”

Be sure to see the Champion Innovation Lab athletes take on the Walt Disney World Half Marathon this Saturday (January 9th) and the full marathon on Sunday (January 10th) which will take runners through all four Walt Disney World® Theme Parks starting at Epcot®, continuing on to the Magic Kingdom® Park, Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park and Disney’s Hollywood Studios™ and then back to Epcot® for an exhilarating finish.

If you haven't tried Champion's athleticwear, be sure to check out their website or check out some of their lines at Target. While you're at the website, be sure to sign up for their catalog. My kids love it when the new Champion catalog arrives!