Running coach and ultra runner Jimmy Dean Freeman explains how to make an ice bandana to stay cool on the trails while running and hiking. He also goes over the benefits of ice bandanas.
Hi everybody, Jimmy Dean Freeman here with Path Projects and Coyote Running. Here to show you guys the benefits of ice bandanas for hot summer races and hot summer running. So what you're going to do is start off with a cloth or dry fit bandana. PATH makes a nice one here with some moister wicking properties.
You're going to lay the bandana flat, get a handful of ice. You want something between a softball and a baseball amount of ice.
Spread it out in the middle of the bandana. Then you're going to pinch the end together, like a triangle. Then you are going to roll it like a croissant.
What you want to do is keep the ice in the middle towards the points, so it doesn't fall out of the ends. When you pick it up, you are going to put it around the back of your neck, so that the ice presses up against the back of your neck. This is going to help cool your blood temperature.
You are going to tie it, like a boy scout bandana. You don't want to make it too tight, you want to be able to put a good fist in between your neck and the knot. You want it to rest on your shoulders, not choke off your air supply.
Now what the ice will do is, it will lay on your neck where blood comes closest to your skin, the back of your neck. As the ice melts, what you are going to do, at another aid station or another stop point, you are going to re-supply the ice.
You will un-tie it, some people would like to use multiple bandanas and trade them out. You are going to flatten the thing out, throw a new handful of ice in it, re-roll it, re-tie it and you are good to go.
To stay even more comfortable and cool during your runs, check out our PATH Projects tops: Basis Tee, Basis Tank, and Basis Sleeveless Tee. Designed with the same high-performance Tencelite 19 fabric, they offer sun protection, cooling properties, and ultimate comfort for your running and hiking adventures.
Stay cool out there on the trails!
