xempo kit

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Comments

  • Wobbled wrote (see)
    I still think it's sexist. If it's all about recognising and rewarding performance women shouldn't be judged against men's times. I'm not convinced it wasn't just an oversight rather than a desire to keep it simple and transparent.


    Strictly speaking  isn't it also ageist ?  Like a few on here I'm cracking on a bit and getting up the the faster colour bands will be practically impossible for me.

     Would making the bands based on "age graded" results be the only fair way of working out the bands ?  That takes account of gender and age doesn't it ?

    Wonder how hard that would be... mind you it would make the little logo a bit obscure.  Rather than "Sub 1:55" it would have to be "+65%" or something similar.image

  • weevil.............love the idea of an age grading colour instead of a time..............being a mature woman............if I keep on running faster as I get older...i might eventually be able to get my purple topimage
  • Well, from my 2007 time (3.09) I'd have a nice purple one else I'm blue (about 15 times over!).

    So, Dan would you go back to 2007 and use my Leicester Marathon time? Also ran a sub 1.30 half in 2007 but haven't raced a half since!

    BTW, fair play for coming on here and answering the questions and explaining where you're coming from.

  • Well as a 47 year old I donned my red top this Wednesday for the first time and loved it. Top quality and I was doing some reps so I felt right. And I just thought 'f it' I'm damned proud of what I achieved and when some of these youngsters watch me trotting past slowly, agedly and inelegantly on a recovery run they can see what I'm capable of when I race.

    Wear your achievement with pride: you earned it. Top bit of kit.
  • seren nos wrote (see)
    weevil.............love the idea of an age grading colour instead of a time..............being a mature woman............if I keep on running faster as I get older...i might eventually be able to get my purple topimage


    That is an excellent point image

    As long as you kept running as you got older you'd work your way up the grading system... even if you didn't get any faster !  Just got to maintain the pace and wait for the years to mount up and eventually the Gold shirt will turn up image  Only way I'm ever going to get one.... or the much coveted purple one for that matter... or the blue...

  • Dan Very good of you to come on and answer the points raised.

    I am torn, I can see both sides of the discussion. I am proud of what I have achieved and to be honest I tell anyone and everyone my PB and probably bore them about my running. However, I am not sure about why I would be wearing the top.

    Plus, most importantly it seems I am the only one who doesn't loke purple. Which is obviously the colour range I am in.

  • scooby............i will swap you my orange top for your purple oneimage

    my other problem is if I get faster now I will change to a green top............i don't like green muchimage

  • There's this guy I know who has one of them fancy gold ones and he was telling me a story about one of the side effects of wearing this kit. It's kind of inverse to what RWH mentioned in that it actually makes you run faster.

    So this guy I know, he was jogging around Regent's Park at ~7:15 pace and he gradually caught this guy in front of him. He passed him slowly and the gap gradually opened up. Next thing you know he hears footsteps and breathing closing in which annoyed him as he was just out for a leisurely jog and didn't want to have to defend his advertised time. The pace picked up slightly and got down to about 7 min miling but the guy still was there. He would have thought the "sub 2:30" on his back was enough to deter anyone from trying to pass him but it didn't seem to. To cut a short story long, this guy I know, well, he decides to drop in a "sub 2:30" pace mile to show this other geezer the goodness of the gold. Said geezer didn't have long to think about it after that as he was blown out the back door.

    So be warned, wearing it can make you go one of 2 ways. Sit back and let the numbers taunt knowing that you know that they know that on your day you'd have them for breakfast (a la RWH), or the less subtle approach, to explicitly demonstrate said pace (a la this guy I know).

    In addition to this, I now know that "this geezer" was actually one of Dan's QA runners who are out there to try and bust any imposters who claim undeserving colors. When they spot someone sporting a Xempo color, they chase them down until the subject has demonstrated they can run at least 1 mile at the pace on their shirt. If so, then the subject passes the test and they can keep their shirt. In addition, a new stripe magically appears on the sleeve to indicate they have passed the rigorous QA process. If they don't pass, however...
  • I saw these at the Expo at VLM and thought I'd treat myself to one if I hit my GFA in Edinburgh.
    I haven't mentioned this on here yet for fear of jinxing it - but as I got the time I wanted - a purple tee will be on its way to me soon.

    Its my little treat to me for running so well. It'll mean bugger all to everyone else - but so long as I'm happy eh ?
  • Mr PuffyMr Puffy ✭✭✭
    Well congratulations, I know you've been after that for a while, shirt or no shirt.  At least you'll know one person behind you knows what it's for image.
  • Why thank you Mr P. Are you up for Lpool Marathon this year ?
  • Mr PuffyMr Puffy ✭✭✭
    No, I'd already entered Chester when the date was confirmed for Liverpool unfortunately.
  • Aah fair enough then ! Good luck with it ! Hopefully next time we'll be able to look at both.

    (what am I saying ? Another marathon ??? Muppet)
  • cougie wrote (see)
    I saw these at the Expo at VLM and thought I'd treat myself to one if I hit my GFA in Edinburgh. I haven't mentioned this on here yet for fear of jinxing it - but as I got the time I wanted - a purple tee will be on its way to me soon. Its my little treat to me for running so well. It'll mean bugger all to everyone else - but so long as I'm happy eh ?


    but they were keeping the purple one for meimage

    seriously..........well done.thats a great timeimage

  • Had a chat with some clubmates with these tops on the LSR on Sunday.

    The general opinion was that, we couldn't wear it racing - I've got a club top that allows the AAA race cost reduction, and you have to run in club kit anyways.

    I wouldn't wear it training with clubmates as we all know each other's times, there's people both faster and slower than me.

    We also discussed that it would paint such a large target on your back were it used for racing or solo training.

    On reflection, it's a nice idea, but not for me.

  • I've got one for my HM time (sub 85mins) and wear it quite happily on club nights and wore it when I paced a work colleague around our local Parkrun on Saturday so she could get her first sub 30min time. It's a bit of fun and clubmates have seen it and asked me where I got it so they could get one for their respective marathon and HM times (sub 3h45, sub 3h30 and 1h30 ). Nice little gap in the market so kudos to DanA for doing something about it. I'll quite happily get another one for my marathon (sub 3h15).
    Quality of the garment is great - on a par with other named brands.

    No-one's forcing you to buy one and if the concept takes off for him, why not extend it to the 10k distance to expand the market?

  • Cheers Seren - dont worry though - there's a womans version with your name against it...
  • Mine just turned up.

    Unfortunately I must be the size of a zeppelin because the mens XL vest on me fits like a womens cropped top. Not a good look.

    To be fair the web site did warn that they came up smaller than "normal" so I ordered the next size up from what I would normally buy.

    Since XL is as big as they go, I guess I won't be wearing one of these tops for either races or training.

    On the plus side the company seem very nice and helpful and the products look to be good quality. But unless you have the archetypal wiry runners frame then size (at least of the vest top) might be an issue.

    Have to admit to feeling quite disappointed having decided to buy one.

    :-[
  • Mine arrived today too! I went for a medium size and it fits me perfectly.

    I'm nor quite as wirey as I'd like to be !
  • cougie wrote (see)
    Mine arrived today too! I went for a medium size and it fits me perfectly. I'm nor quite as wirey as I'd like to be !


    Must be me then.  image

    Guess this means that I'm going to have to lose some weight...... and height..... possibly a couple of ribs....

    Wonder if Vango do a range of running gear...... 

    Enjoy wearing yours Cougie - I'll be looking enviously at all you normal sized people. image

  • Only emailed Xempo at 6:30pm and I've already had a reply !

    They are going to send me the T shirt style to see if I can squeeze my massive frame into that.image

    Got to give them credit - they do seem to be working hard on looking after their customers.

  • Oh didn't realise you had the vest. I got the teeshirt one - so it could be the vests are for racing whippets ?
  • fat buddhafat buddha ✭✭✭
    so cougs - are you intimating that us bigger blokes shouldn't wear vests for racing?? image
  • cougie wrote (see)
     so it could be the vests are for racing whippets ?
    You are probably right and that is something I'm NEVER going to be ! image
  • Lol - not at all FB - merely that the fit on these racing vests may be on the slinky side ?
  • LS21LS21 ✭✭✭

    Weevil - I was talking to Dan at the VLM Expo and I think the vests and T-Shirts might be made at 2 separate places. I think he said the vests came out smaller than the T's as a result. So you might not have to remove those ribs after all!!

    Oh and I wear mine much as Matchstick Man does - just as a training top really, although I also wore mine to a recent Park Run (where I also ambled round in a vey sedate fashion). Not sure I follow the logic of not being able to wear it to Club Nights cos your mates know your times anyway - it's just a top, no big deal for me. But each to their own I guess.

  • I was wondering whether to get one for my OH.................but what if in his next marathon he goes faster and changes colours............his current one would be made redundant almost immediatelyimage

     do they do a part exchange schemeimage

  • XX1XX1 ✭✭✭
    Here's a business idea (although probably not a great one): Some one who can run 10k in less than 32:00 could complete that distance in different events achieving different times, thus allowing verification for all the various colors... They could then re-sell the tops in the colours that people like rather than the color they qualify for. Or something like that. Can't really do it myself unless there's a lot of people who never enter or finish but quite fancy a white one.
  • I forgot about this thread.........

    Taxi driver.surely easier just to order it under the name of someone in your running club that has run that time...............

    but again..you wouldn't really want the colour that didn't go with your achievements

  • I just wear Y Fronts and my Medals when I'm Running.

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