syndicate log, issue no. 017: it's like wearing nothing at all

brand story · naked sports innovations

vashon island is a sleepy farming island a short ferry ride from seattle, better known for weekend cycling loops and roadside farm stands than for gear companies. it's also the unassuming home of naked sports innovations, shipping to more than 35 countries from a warehouse on the island.

lindsay dakota is the founder, and the product most people know is the naked running band. but it's his path to founder that's the more interesting story: an artist from a young age, an alpine ski racer, then a designer at ralph lauren building entire lifestyle worlds around garments. the idea for the band first came to him on a run in the malibu mountains in 2014, and it arrived in his head fully formed. he never sketched it. he cut the fabric himself and hauled batches to a seamstress in downtown la until the real thing matched the picture, then mailed one to his brother rick, an age-group ironman and the first person to tell him it actually worked. rick came in as an equal partner and gave the company its name.

ten years on the rules haven't moved. no zippers, no stacked seams, no waterproof pockets. each one is a lesson from a failure dakota watched happen with his own eyes, including one at utmb that we'll let the full piece tell. what stuck with us most is that his restraint has actually cost him something, and he'll walk you through the bill without ever apologizing for it.

the full piece is on the journal, including the shoe that won a red dot and arrived too early, and the single detail that quietly exposes everyone who's copied him.

common interests · run slick

last week's gear feature started with a dm. felipe niada reached out on instagram, and a few days later a box from run slick showed up in the mail.

felipe is a chemical engineer who spent an ironman build in georgia heat losing the fight against chafing. everything on the shelf either felt greasy, stained his clothes, or gave up the moment humidity showed up, so he used his materials background to build his own: a silicone roll-on that dries in seconds and keeps working deep into a long day.

one tester carried run slick as her backup at a 232-mile race, found her usual product empty at the start line, and ran the whole thing on run slick alone. we're testing ours now and we'll tell you how it goes. worth knowing: run slick is an affiliate partner, so if you buy through our links, syndicate earns a commission. that never buys coverage, and it never will.

the full story is on the journal, including how the product got its name on a morning run with friends.

battle of the run clubs · season 1

one week left. miles is decided, vert is still live, and we found out what the miles leader is actually training for.

meshingomesia track club out of marion, indiana has 1,883 miles month to date, and cameron dean balser has run 619 of them by himself. we did some sleuthing, because nobody quietly knocks out near 200 mile weeks for bragging rights, and it turns out cam is the real deal. in 2024 he finished a self-supported 12,000 mile run around the entire perimeter of the united states, and this fall he's attempting a coast to coast record: the whole country, under 40 days, to benefit the grant county ymca. his crew is raising support for the attempt here. season 1 might be the easiest thing he does all year. behind him, the jeff walker fan club sits at 1,166 and bank of boston at 1,131, thirty-five miles apart with a week to settle second.

vert is where the fight still is. the wetter bandits hold 129,035 feet, with ross michell and alex wang each over 43,000 on their own, the wet bandits at 72,584 and meshingomesia at 61,618 behind them. seattle climbs, indiana covers ground, and one big mountain week can still move this board.

reminder: all season 1 runs must start by 11:59pm on august 31st to count. we know some of you are scheming some long runs to close the competition. let's see it.

that's it for this week. if you dig this, forward it to a running friend. if you don't, hit reply and tell us what you'd rather see.

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