Personal Fitness Journalists are Exposed to the Elements in MIRA’s Climatic Wind Tunnel
Global sports brand Nike recently invited a group of top fitness journalists to take part in a product test with a difference in one of MIRA’s climatic wind tunnels – a facility capable of generating hurricane force winds, snow and temperatures between -35°C and +50°C.
Nike’s hand-picked guests were kitted out with items from their latest range of winter running gear – the Holiday 2012 collection, to see how their high-tech garments would fare in a variety of running conditions more commonly found during the UK’s winter months.
It wasn’t the first time that this facility had been used in this way; in 2009 celebrities Ben Fogle and James Cracknell famously trained for their trek to the North Pole by camping in the -35°C chamber for an incredible 18 hour period.
Fortunately for the journalists a slightly more comfortable set of test conditions had been selected for their day. Each of the journalists took turns running on a treadmill for 13 minutes in to an increasing headwind, starting at 20kph and climbing to 65kph whilst the temperature in the chamber was gradually reduced from 10°C to 4.7°C.
To highlight the garments’ thermal retention properties, an infra-red camera was trained on the runners to show the areas of the body where heat was lost most. The camera clearly showed that the majority of heat escaped from the runners’ heads; however Nike’s running beanies helped to reduce this heat loss significantly. The running gloves given to the journalists were also very effective at reducing heat loss from the hands and fingers – areas of the body with reduced blood flow.
The short amount of day time on offer during the winter months often forces runners to exercise in the dark on pathways close to busy roads. To help reduce the numbers of accidents involving vehicles and runners at night time, Nike have added a number of reflective elements to their garments to help wearers be seen in the dark. To test the reflective properties of each garment, bright lights were shone on the participants whilst they were running in MIRA’s darkened chamber to showcase this ability.
The runners were also outfitted with a variety of different tops, designed to keep the wearer warm but sweat free during exercise. After thirteen minutes of running, the journalists confirmed that each of the specially designed waterproof and windproof running jackets were able to successfully stand up to the test.
The recent Nike event held at MIRA’s Nuneaton HQ is just the latest in a long line of bespoke events created and managed by MIRA’s dedicated corporate events team. Hosting modern conference suites, event catering services and a comprehensive range of engineering, test and proving ground facilities, MIRA’s experienced events specialists are able to tailor-make both large and small scale events to our customers’ exacting requirements.
For more information about MIRA’s events services or to book an event please contact Joanne Bayliss – On-site Event Co-ordinator:
joanne.bayliss@mira.co.uk
+44 (0)24 7635 5398
