We had so much fun this summer traveling to different running events.  KT Tape freelance writer and advocate, Melinda Carlson-Smith helped us pass out samples at the Nike XC Series in Beaverton, OR.  Here’s her report:
I arrived at the Nike campus just outside of Portland, Oregon for the last run in their XC series this summer, armed with a big box of KT Tape sample packs and several rolls for pre-race taping for my “suburban” ambush.  Sponsored by the Bowerman Athletic Club, the XC series are “open” races — all comers welcome.  Each week, the race format changes; one week, it was a “meat relay” and the baton was a Slim Jim beef stick.  This week, the course was pretty straight forward — cross country, four laps around the center of campus with the start/finish on Ronaldo field, a huge natural turf soccer field.

The vibe for the race was laid back and fun – no entry fees, and just a paper sign-up sheet.  Classic rock albums were blasting on a turntable and speakers.  Most of the runners were high school and college track stars, but there were a few “vintage” athletes on the track as well.  The older generation was much more interested in getting taped up right then and there for the race, since they were much more likely to have the sort of nagging pains and injuries that go along with years of physical activity.  But everyone, no matter what their age, wanted a crack at the free samples of KT Tape.  They were eager to learn more about how it works, especially now that big-name track stars are showing up at meets with kinesiology therapeutic tape applied to every potential problem spot.  And even young athletes get hurt and overdo it now and then, so they were happy to tuck their KT Tape samples into their gear bags for that “rainy day”.

I demonstrated how to use KT Tape for Achilles problems, runner’s knee and other common issues.  One young runner had blown out his knee in a snowboarding accident, so I gave him the full knee tape treatment.  He said it felt good for his run.  I watched for him as the racers went by, and it didn’t seem like he was holding back.

The start was casual, but once the gun went off, it was “game on”, with the guys and girls laying down some impressive splits, and going all-out for the finish line.  More than a hundred runners squared off, with top prize for the top 5 men and top five women finishers.

It was great to meet so many runners who get together just for the thrill of competition on a hot weeknight in August, and send them home with some KT Tape samples and knowledge.

Filed under: Aches Pains Injuries | December 11, 2009
Tags :Achilles pain , Bowerman Athletic Club , cross-country running , KT Tape , Nike