Patent Application
20170000196
Starting in 2010, leading obstacle course race (OCR) organizers held the first ever OCR events in the United States. At that time courses were laid out with light to moderate physical challenges such as climbing over small walls, crawling through tunnels, and carrying buckets filled with stone. The general recommendations issued for race day were to wear clothes and sneakers one could throw away and a new set of clothes and shoes to put on afterwards as races typically include significant amounts of contact with mud and dirt. The use of protective gear was frowned upon by fellow racers as a sign of weakness, nor was it really needed in these early race courses. Numerous OCR events were held without injury to racers.
Over time a notable trend occurred—obstacle course race challenges became much more dangerous. The human spirit is always pushing its limits and wanting to overcome bigger challenges. OCR organizers took notice of the desires of participants for harder challenges and raised the bar of difficulty each year. Presently, this young sport is taking the world by storm and championships are now held worldwide. It is now the norm to see competitors climbing ropes 20 feet high, scaling cliff-side rocky terrain, traversing ropes across bodies of water, crawling under barbed wire and even leaping over tractor dug trenches or stacks of wood on fire. Many events take place at ski resorts year round testing the endurance of each racer by breaking down the body through extended, rugged and elevated distances. This has made current race courses significantly more dangerous and caused numerous injuries amongst participants as well as increasing their level of fatigue—itself a cause of injury due to participant error and physiological conditions.
Obstacle Course Races can average anywhere from 3.5 to 13.5 miles. Since many courses are laid out through woods and mountains, it is difficult to provide nutrients throughout the event, forcing racer to carry their own supplies. Often, due to the difficulty of the course, energy foods such as energy gel packs carried in the pockets of racers fall out during the race.
Currently, there is no product dedicated specifically to protecting the OCR participant against such injuries and fatigue. What is needed is a protective product dedicated specifically to protecting the OCR participant against light injury and fatigue without hampering their ability to race competitively. The new “Padded Limb Compression Sleeve” from Obstacle Guard can now assist OCR participants to compete at the top of their game by filling this unmet need.
In general, the foregoing and other objects are achieved with the invention as follows:
In one aspect, the invention is in a compression based foundation having strategically paced padding to guard against the types of injuries most usually sustained during obstacle course racing.
In another aspect, the invention is in an energy supplement storage garment where energy supplements are within easy reach during active racing conditions.
The present invention is directed, inter alia, to provision of a protective, fatigue reducing racing garment for obstacle course racing where mobility is not adversely impacted. When worn, the protective, fatigue reducing racing garment prevents injury to areas of the limbs and reduces fatigue during racing. A further central feature of the invention is the provision for energy supplement storage.
By way of overview, in a protective, fatigue reducing racing garment of the invention there is (i) a compression shell, (ii) padding and (iii) an energy storage system. Generally speaking, the compression shell is formed of an elastic material. The padding is formed of a suitably flexible but still protective material capable of absorbing impacts. the energy storage system comprises a compartment located on the compression shell within easy hand reach of a running individual.
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The arm unit 100 has strategically placed padding zones 105 covering the elbow 105A and forearm 105B. The padding may be any suitable lightweight padding, preferably EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate) foam of 10 mm thickness is used though other suitable padding materials are EPE (expanded polyethylene) foam, neoprene or silicone gel padding or even a hard shell PVC. EVA foam is preferred because its density and tear strength values stand at five or more times that of EPE foam. EVA foam is also preferred as more resilient than EPE, with the former's tensile strength exceeding that of the latter by as much as several orders of magnitude. The elbow padding zone 105A and forearm padding zone 105B are preferably not solid regions, but is instead divided into a series of shaped pads so as to maximize flexibility while retaining protection of the covered region. Most preferably elbow padding zone 105A is composed of 13 pads with the largest pad at the upper end of the elbow joint and a roughly rectangular pad covering the point of the elbow. The spacing between the pads is arranged such that the joint is easily flexed, with the arrangement of pads preferably spanning 100.6 mm in length and 85.6 mm in width at the largest spans. Most preferably the pads form a series of trapezoids, triangles and polygonal shapes arranged as in
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TACTEL®, CORDURA® and preferably a fabric having 8% spandex and 92% Polyester. Most preferably fabrics having UV blocking properties, air permeability and water wicking ability are selected, for example the previously mentioned fabric having 8% spandex and 92% Polyester with water wicking ability. For example, fabrics which remove moisture via capillary action may be used, examples of which include polyester, polyethylene, and microfiber-based fabrics.
The leg unit 200 has strategically placed padding zones 205 covering the knee 205A and shin 205B. The padding may be any suitable lightweight padding, preferably EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate) foam of 10 mm thickness is used though other suitable padding materials are EPE (expanded polyethylene) foam, neoprene, or silicone gel padding or even a hard shell PVC. EVA foam is preferred because its density and tear strength values stand at five or more times that of EPE foam. EVA foam is also preferred as more resilient than EPE, with the former's tensile strength exceeding that of the latter by as much as several orders of magnitude. The knee padding zone 205A and shin padding zone 105B are preferably not solid regions, but is instead divided into a series of shaped pads so as to maximize flexibility while retaining protection of the covered region. Most preferably knee padding zone 205A is composed of 11 pads with the largest pad at the upper end of the knee joint and a roughly V-shaped pad and series of rectangular pads covering the point of the knee and below. The spacing between the pads is arranged such that the joint is easily flexed, with the arrangement of pads preferably spanning 164.2 mm in maximal length and 118.9 mm in maximal width. Most preferably the pads form a series of trapezoids, triangles and polygonal shapes arranged as in
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The shin padding zone 205B includes five pads 205B.1-205B.5 which are largely rectangular and bounded by grooves allowing for movement of the shins Pads 205B.1-205B.5 have maximal dimensions of 5.0 cm by 2.2 cm and are located upon the shin.
Measurements of the aforementioned pads 105A.1-105A.13, 105B.1-105B.5, 205A.1-205A.11 and 205B.1-205B.5 are necessarily somewhat approximate as the pads have rounded edging and are deformed due to pressure applied by the fabric topping which sandwiches the pads to the sleeve.
While it is apparent that the invention herein disclosed is well calculated to fulfill the aspects above stated, it will be appreciated that numerous modifications and embodiments may be devised by those skilled in the art. It is intended that the appended claims cover all such modifications and embodiments as fall within the true spirit and scope of the present invention.
