Bex runner

[wdwmagic]

I received a google alert re: a BEX Runner thread and had to check it out for myself... this is the first one I've seen. My name is Brett Warner and I am the inventor of the BEX Runner and founder of Cool Palms LLC in Austin. I don't want to intercede too much on the conversation, but just want to let you all know that the reason no one has heard of us yet, is because we are that new. We launched in March at the USA Fit national organizers meeting - www.youtube.com/bexrunner. We have been reviewed by the Wall Street Journal and are currently being featured in a 3 minute segment on NBC News Health - http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/h..._And_Your_Exercise_Regimen_Washington_DC.html.
We have been focused on patents and efficacy testing and are now turning our attention to sales, retail and distribution.

My wife and I are new marathoners and will be looking forward to WDW marathon 2011 and hope to have a booth set up.

The conversation about cooling the palms to cool the core is legit. The $3,000 medical grade unit corecontrol was just reviewed by a university to show the impact on weight-lifters.... yes weight lifters.

If you want to try BEX Runner - I would love to support your training. BEX Runner is currently available at www.BEXrunner.com and will soon be in running retail stores across the country. My guess is that it will be cheaper to buy them at retailers, when and if they pick up our product. Regardless, we accept all returns. So if you are curious, intrigued, or already a believer - try it out... post your reviews (good, bad, other)... and return it if you dont' like it. I've had 2 returns in the last 100 orders - and both were because the individual is waiting for the next version that will be specifically for marathoners and last 4-5 hours. The current version lasts about an hour and then the advice is to wet the fabric at water stops to keep a cool surface to your palm. Doesn't have to be cold... just cooler than the outside air.

This is a fun product that actually works.

Keep posting, email - brettwwarner@coolpalmsllc.com, call, or other if you want any specifics on the product. Good luck with your training.

Brett

Hi Brett,

Thanks for stopping by and posting. It certainly sounds like it has huge potential. The 4 hour version sounds interesting. Is there any scope for this to be used as a general cooling system for non-runners? I'm just thinking about theme park guests who are roasting at WDW.

 

[Phonedave]

I think this would be the only solution for a an extended wait like WDW. Then again, if temperatures were what people reported last year, I think the thing would stay cool on it own... or even the runner.

I hate to be one of the people that cant afford to try new stuff until I get to demo a version of the product, but I am. I just cant take a chance with 50 bones.

Welcome Brett to our little community here at wdwmagic. This sub community (running section) is only a few months strong but we have had really great turn out.

I think this thing would be great for team sports. I used to coach girls softball and the head coach would bring a cooler with ice water and sponges in it on hot days. We would have the girls wring the sponges out to just damp and then place them on the back of their necks and hold them in their hands. Worked like a charm.

I see these being a more efficient and less messy version. Freeze up 2 dozen or so, and keep them in a playmate cooler. When the team comes back to the bench they grab them. When they are done, back into the cooler they go.

Softball, baseball, hockey, lax, football, - any sport like that they would be great for.



-dave

 

[bexrunner]

Bex

Originally I wanted to call this "BEX", but we decided that a flagship product that would be a wearable core cooling device still needed an audience. Since we are a sponsor with USA Fit's marathon training programs we decided to call it the BEX Runner, because runners are a perfect fit. Runners train in all conditions and they are very aware of the impact that heat and other adverse conditions have on their performance. Since we are bringing to market a product that works and provides a benefit, it makes sense to start with individuals who will "get" the device.

To answer the question re: applicability... it is a performance cooling product that helps maintain core temperature. It is not a comfort cooling product that cools areas of the skin that are hot/cold sensitive.

I would love to outfit the WDW workers, the same way I would love BP to outfit all the clean up crews on the florida beaches. If you know someone at WDW - I'd love the opportunity to share the product and studies with them.

As a company, we are talking to professional sports teams, universities, high-schools, etc. And as of yesterday we are the newest sponsor of "The Biggest Loser - Austin".

Athletes of all levels perform better when they are cooler. Marathoners that finish in 4-5 hours are affected that much more than marathoners that finish in 2-3 hours, which is why we are prototyping longer lasting versions. (I'll be at the 4-hour pace-group wearing my BEX shirt at marathons.)

The BEX Runner is perfect for triaining that starts from home, the office, or a portable cooler in your car. Freeze-time is an issue, but keeping it cool/wet for longer runs is fairly easy to do.

Re: carrying water bottles or ice cubes... the answer is yes - they work too. The joke is that you can carry a cold beer as long as you promise not to open it. It might be fun to know that the first version of the BEX Runner was a hard-boiled frozen egg. This design was a failure. I hate holding something when I run, and when the cooling effect ended there was no replacing it. The BEX Runner is designed to be simple and purposful. It is fitted to an average Men's or Women's palm. The materials and straps are durable. The palm side is a wicking material and the outside is insulated nylon.... which allows the only heat transfer to be between the pack and the palm. BEST of all - you don't have to hold it because of the strap. It is light, comfortable, and does exactly what we claim it will do... maintain a cool surface to your palm.

If price is an issue - email me directly at brettwwarner@coolpalmsllc.com and I'll give you a promo code that is a one-time use discount. All I request is that you post your review and tell your friends... and it doesn't even have to be positive. Real word-of-mouth is the only way we'll be successful.

The best thing we can do as a company is to get our products into the hands of people that will benefit from the device and talk about it. The members of this forum fit both criteria.

Have a great weekend.
Brett

 

[joel_maxwell]

Originally I wanted to call this "BEX", but we decided that a flagship product that would be a wearable core cooling device still needed an audience. Since we are a sponsor with USA Fit's marathon training programs we decided to call it the BEX Runner, because runners are a perfect fit. Runners train in all conditions and they are very aware of the impact that heat and other adverse conditions have on their performance. Since we are bringing to market a product that works and provides a benefit, it makes sense to start with individuals who will "get" the device.

To answer the question re: applicability... it is a performance cooling product that helps maintain core temperature. It is not a comfort cooling product that cools areas of the skin that are hot/cold sensitive.

I would love to outfit the WDW workers, the same way I would love BP to outfit all the clean up crews on the florida beaches. If you know someone at WDW - I'd love the opportunity to share the product and studies with them.

As a company, we are talking to professional sports teams, universities, high-schools, etc. And as of yesterday we are the newest sponsor of "The Biggest Loser - Austin".

Athletes of all levels perform better when they are cooler. Marathoners that finish in 4-5 hours are affected that much more than marathoners that finish in 2-3 hours, which is why we are prototyping longer lasting versions. (I'll be at the 4-hour pace-group wearing my BEX shirt at marathons.)

The BEX Runner is perfect for triaining that starts from home, the office, or a portable cooler in your car. Freeze-time is an issue, but keeping it cool/wet for longer runs is fairly easy to do.

Re: carrying water bottles or ice cubes... the answer is yes - they work too. The joke is that you can carry a cold beer as long as you promise not to open it. It might be fun to know that the first version of the BEX Runner was a hard-boiled frozen egg. This design was a failure. I hate holding something when I run, and when the cooling effect ended there was no replacing it. The BEX Runner is designed to be simple and purposful. It is fitted to an average Men's or Women's palm. The materials and straps are durable. The palm side is a wicking material and the outside is insulated nylon.... which allows the only heat transfer to be between the pack and the palm. BEST of all - you don't have to hold it because of the strap. It is light, comfortable, and does exactly what we claim it will do... maintain a cool surface to your palm.

If price is an issue - email me directly at brettwwarner@coolpalmsllc.com and I'll give you a promo code that is a one-time use discount. All I request is that you post your review and tell your friends... and it doesn't even have to be positive. Real word-of-mouth is the only way we'll be successful.

The best thing we can do as a company is to get our products into the hands of people that will benefit from the device and talk about it. The members of this forum fit both criteria.

Have a great weekend.
Brett

Wow Brett. That is pretty cool. Ill keep this in mind over the next week or so and see if I can swing the slightly discounted version.

Thanks
Joel

 

[dreamfinder]

Athletes of all levels perform better when they are cooler. Marathoners that finish in 4-5 hours are affected that much more than marathoners that finish in 2-3 hours, which is why we are prototyping longer lasting versions. (I'll be at the 4-hour pace-group wearing my BEX shirt at marathons.)

The longer lasting one could be interesting. I definitely have more issues over long term than short term. Doing 3 -4 hours and I get friggin nasty. Gotta love when your shoes squelch like you ran through a river when you been on a treadmill, and not even stepped outside.

If you need any testers, lemme know. ; )

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I'm so glad Steve posted this! This product could potentially be a good fit for me. First & foremost, I'm not running distances/durations like the rest of y'all. I'm pretty fresh to the running thing. I'm so sensitive to the heat and it's dang hot in Southeast Texas. I'm still limiting my runs to 30 - 45 minutes. The time thing is actually a good window for me. There is a secondary perk for me that isn't the norm for the rest of the world, too. One of my annoyances/discomforts during running is my fingers on my left hand. When I was 4 years old I had an accident & 2 of my fingers were cut off. They were reattached (routine nowadays but quite a major accomplishment in '78) but there's still a lot of function issues with my tendons and the lack of a joint that had to be fused and no longer exists that prevents me from making a closed fist. Any activity that has me drawing my fingers towards my palm for any length of time causes the tendons to ache. When I run I tend to curl my hands into loose/nearly closed fists. During my runs my fingers begin to ache which reminds me to flex back out straight. Not long and I've inadvertently closed my hands, the ache is on again, etc. It's a cycle and it's aggravating. After running it's not unusual for the aching to persist for a little while. Having something in my hand could really be helpful to prevent me from closing in those fingers to the aching point. I've thought of getting one of those water bottles with the strap on it but I think the sloshing would make me insane. This really sounds like a good product for me to try. I *may* just take the plunge.

And thanks to Brett for jumping in and providing the additional info. :wave: If all goes well for you at the Disney Marathon expo in January be sure to return for the Princess Half expo in late February!

 

[bexrunner]

We're always interested in testers. We have a great base of runners, but if you intend to trial the product for a different sport or weight lifting or other, let me know and I'll put keep your email for our next round.

Thank you all for the comments - it's been fun to join in.

Brett

 

[garyhoov]

Brett,

Thanks for checking in. As I mentioned earlier, I'm not real big on technology related to running (but that's probably more a personal hang-up than anything), but hearing you talk about it with obvious, genuine enthusiasm does get me interested.

Thanks for your input and maybe I'll give it more thought.