Cool Runners

By Sean Gregory

Natives roam the streets with water sprayers in their pockets so that they can douse their faces with mist. Heat mirages blur tourists' views of the Acropolis. Grandmothers fan while watching the evening news. "Kafsonas [Burning up]!" they say. Welcome to Athens in August, where temperatures top 100F and humidity reaches 90%. Given the sweltering outlook, it's no surprise that one of the hottest Olympic races is already taking place off the track. The world's three major sportswear manufacturers--Adidas, Nike and Reebok--have developed new technologies, from ice vests to metal tape to ventilated shoes, to keep athletes cool in the ancient city. The companies hope Olympic gold will trickle into the bottom line. "The Olympics provide a great opportunity for these companies to create demand for their footwear and apparel," says Mitch Kummentz, senior analyst at D.A. Davidson & Co., an investment bank and research firm based in the Northwest. "Performance products have gained favor among the fashion conscious. Once we get into the Games, this trend should accelerate."

Adidas has already scored success. Its ClimaCool system, first tested in 2000, accounted for 20%, or $82 million, of the company's 2003 U.S. apparel sales. For the Olympics, Adidas has unveiled the Adistar SS running shirt, with a wicking fiber that helps sweat evaporate and wide mesh holes that increase ventilation. Adistar's silver microfibers down the back and metallic tape at the neck let heat escape, creating a cooling sensation upon touch. "Since I started using ClimaCool, I don't sweat as much," says Haile Gebrselassie, the two-time 10,000-m Olympic champion from Ethiopia and one of some 5,000 athletes who will use ClimaCool in Athens. "It's like getting fresh air without a fan."

Athletes wearing Play Dry from Reebok cite a similar effect; the material also draws sweat to its fibers. U.S. tennis star Andy Roddick, Swedish heptathlete Carolina Kluft--the gold-medal favorite--and the Polish weight-lifting team will be among those sporting Play Dry in Greece. The technology helped Reebok sell some $263 million in apparel worldwide last year.

Nike has not been as active in the commercial market, but it may have developed the most innovative cooling product for the Games. This winter Nike tested its Precool vest, which looks like a James Bond jetpack, on the Australian field-hockey team and found that it slows the rise of athletes' core body temperature 19% during competition. The company's researchers instruct athletes to wrap themselves in the close-fitting vest, which holds about a dozen ice packs, for 60 minutes before a race or game. During the first 30 minutes, the athlete relaxes; the next 30 are spent stretching and warming up. Nike has shipped 300 vests, including 140 to the Australian Olympic Committee. British marathoner Paula Radcliffe and Lance Armstrong are among the Olympians training with Precool.

In most cases, both parties benefit from the Olympics. The companies get global exposure; the athletes consume new technologies. Corporate competition can, however, muddle the starting lines. Spaniard Mayte Martinez, her country's 800-m indoor record holder, says her running times have improved with Adidas' ClimaCool shirts. But Reebok will outfit the Spanish team in Athens, so she will have to leave her favorite tank tops at home. With reporting by William Boston/Berlin and Jane Walker/Madrid

With reporting by William Boston/Berlin and Jane Walker/Madrid