These Colours Do Run

20 AUG2012

In martial arts the colour of your belt corresponds with the standard of fighter you are. So why not apply the same principle to running? Well, Xempo did just that by launching its range of running gear for marathon and half marathon runners last year, with colours that correspond to runners' personal best times. And now it's expanding the range to include 5k and 10k race times.

To find out your colour simply go to the website and type in your PB time. The colours for the 5k and 10k range are based on the same range as before, so the standards correspond across the board and will be equally challenging to achieve for beginners and established athletes.

Dan Afshar from Xempo explained the concept: "It was a desire to give runners some recognition and reward for achieving their own personal targets that led me to develop the concept of Xempo running gear. Based loosely on the idea that exists in martial arts whereby different colour belts represent different standards, we devised a colour-graded scale with nine different colours representing standards from beginner to expert. I also loved the idea that I saw in South Africa at the famous Comrades marathon where you get a different medal for different finish times. I heard stories of runners who returned to the race year after year, sometimes as many as twenty times or more, to chase the next medal up the scale. They might not win the race, but there was always a chance of hitting their next personal goal. I want Xempo to be there to encourage runners to achieve their targets and keep on striving to get better and better."

So even if you can't run a 5K in the same time as Mo Farah or beat Stephen Kiprotich in a marathon, there's no reason for you not to show off your running achievements like them. Xempo provides a great way to do this, and it's a lot easier to run with than a medal!

For more information visit the Xempo website