Virgin Trains has launched an innovative swim cap for bearded men – the Beard Cap – which will be trialled with customers competing at the Great North Swim, Lake Windermere, June 12 – 14, 2015. The unique Lycra prototype extends down to wrap under the chin and packs the beard against the face to decrease drag whilst swimming. It’s reusable, adjustable and perfect for keeping bushy beards under control.
Responding to debates on swimming forums about big beards causing drag, the rail operator and official train partner to the Great North Swim commissioned its own research*. The findings revealed that over one in ten men (12 per cent) connected their beard to slower swim times, and nearly a quarter of men feel their beards hinder their sports performance. This could be because beards are an irritant for some sporting men (11 per cent), a source of discomfort for others (32 per cent) and a distraction for even more (42 per cent).
Virgin Trains expects the caps to be snapped up, as nearly half (46 per cent) of British men surveyed are now shunning the clean shaved look for something more hairy, and 22 per cent are opting for a big or thick beard. This is despite many (58 per cent) becoming annoyed with their furry faces.
However, it’s not all bad news because over a third of women prefer men with beards (37 per cent) with many women aged 25-34 preferring men with a hairy face (55 per cent), even though some men (29 per cent) find their beards get in the way of kissing.
Adrian Varma, Senior Partnerships and Marketing Manager at Virgin Trains, said: “At Virgin Trains we’re passionate about giving our customers the most awesome experience possible, and this extends to their sporting endeavours as they are travelling to the Great North Swim with us. In addition to the 50 per cent discounted tickets to the event for spectators and competitors, we’re delighted to be offering customers this innovative cap to help them do their best.â€
Image courtesy of Virgin trains, CC BY 3.0Alex Jackson, event director at Great North Swim said: “As a newly bearded man, who is also a keen swimmer, I can empathise! We’re sure our swimmers will appreciate the efforts Virgin Trains has gone to and perhaps the Beard Cap will solve the problem of ‘facial hair-drag’ and encourage more guys to suit up and take the plunge in 2015!â€
June 1st – 16th 2015, Iceland hosts the 16th Games of the Small States of Europe, see iceland2015.com and sundsamband.is. All swim sessions will be live streamed here on livestream.com June 2nd – 6th, prelims from 10:00 and finals from 17:30, ReykjavÃk time. See the start lists here.
When long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad turned 60, she was determined to complete her life’s biggest challenge.
“In the context of your phrase, ‘my big break,’ when I turned 60, there was a true, existential anxiety about how much time is left,” Nyad says. “My mom had just died; she was 82. And at age 60, I thought, ‘Uh-uh, I’m not going into that good night. I am going to fire up and live this thing as large as I can live it until I can’t live it that large anymore.’ ”
She decided to attempt a record-breaking swim — from Havana, Cuba, to Key West, Fla., over 110 miles away. But these weren’t uncharted waters for her. Nyad had actually tried — and failed — this swim four times before.
The creature emerged from the murky depths of Florida’s Crystal River just a couple of feet below where I was floating. I froze and felt my eyes widen. I wanted to shout “manatee!†but knew that would scare the animal. And that was the last thing I wanted to do.
Before I even dipped a toe in the water, I had been drilled about the rules of passive observation. “You have to be really quiet,†said Yves Delpech of Sunshine River Tours. And don’t touch the manatees; “let them touch you,†he said. Manatees, it appears, are the introverts of the sea.
Four-time Olympic champion swimmer Missy Franklin is already soaring to new heights on her return to Colorado.
Franklin, a 20-year-old nicknamed the “Missile,†flew in an F-16 with the Air Force Thunderbirds last week.
“I’ve been excited for like five days,†Franklin told Denver’s NBC affiliate 9News before her flight from Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora. “Ever since I found out I was going to be able to do this.â€
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