)
Eliud Kipchoge and Sifan Hassan were among marathoners who donned a headband during their race at the Paris 2024 Olympics but what is the technology all about?
Kenyan marathoners Eliud Kipchoge and Hellen Obiri as well as Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan donned a headband during their races at the Paris Olympics which got curious fans searching for answers.
The three were donning a headband, made by Omius, a three-person company, whose CEO Jake Leschly was surprised by the huge statement of endorsement from the long-distance legends.
“They introduce Kipchoge and I’m like, ‘Son of a bi**h, he’s wearing it!’,” Leschly said in a recent interview with Outside.
)
05:03 - 30.09.2024
Eliud Kipchoge on why Berlin makes for good ground for breaking the marathon world record
Five-time Berlin champion Eliud Kipchoge has shared his thoughts on why he thinks the Berlin Marathon makes for the best ground to break world records as he misses this year's event.
So, what is it and what is the science behind the headband?
The headband is a cooling technology that contains 20 cooling units, each of which consists of nine mini-towers of porous and heat-conducting graphite.
It increases the surface area of the relevant patch of your forehead by a factor of five. The cooling units can be swapped in and out.
)
05:42 - 30.09.2024
CyBrian Kotut reveals strategy behind impressive second place finish at Berlin Marathon
Kenyan marathoner CyBrian Kotut has shared how he managed to floor most of his rials to clinch second place at the prestigious Berlin Marathon on Sunday.
Omius seeks to increase the surface areas available for evaporation with the headband and as long as you keep the headband damp and have airflow going through it, water evaporates from the large surface area, hence drawing heat away from your forehead, which in turn creates a cooling effect.
“It obviously does not change your core temperature. Nothing changes your core temperature,” added Leschly who says it is the local effect that makes one feel cooler, which enables them to go faster, a trick that the marathon runners were seeking to benefit from at the Olympics.
More like the now famed supershoes for athletes, there is a belief that the slight decrease in heat due to the headband is pleasant and even performance-enhancing for athletes although how big the effect is cannot be quantified.
)
16:27 - 21.09.2024
‘I still want to win something’ – Eliud Kipchoge reveals burning desire for success after poor 2024
Kenya’s marathon great Eliud Kipchoge is still not done yet as he is eyeing further success despite calls for him to retire following his disappointing 2024 season.
The Omius headbands were first used in 2019 in triathlon before the COVID-19 pandemic saw it take a break after which sales resumed in 2022 and Leschly says 43 of the 53 pros at the 2023 Women’s Ironman World Championship wore them.
At the Paris Olympics, the athletes wearing them were not paid to do it but the company reaped the benefits thereafter as it sold half as many as they did in the whole of 2023. Currently each piece retails at $200 (Ksh25,732).
Still, the athletes needed their strength, power and tactics to be successful at the Olympics as Hassan won the women’s marathon with Obiri third but Kipchoge could not even finish his race, dropping out after 31km.
)
07:00 - 17.09.2024
Beatrice Chebet: How Sifan Hassan inspired my record-breaking 2024 season
Double Olympic champion Beatrice Chebet has opened up about how Dutch woman Sifan Hassan motivated her history-making season in 2024.
Another marathoner who wore the headband is Ethiopia’s Bashir Abdi, who finished second behind his compatriot Tamirat Tola, as Kenya’s Benson Kipruto completed the podium.
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)