Latest News
All the latest news and events from Accapi UK. Click on one of the titles below to begin.
James Hanson, Personal Trainer and Rower
15th Mar '11
I have been rowing for over 10 years i primarily do lightweight sculling in the UK circuit which is awesome. I am a personal trainer so sport and training is my way of life, alongside this I compete in triathlons and do a lot of running whilst incorporating a bit of tennis football and American football.
I received a pair of Accapi leggings for Christmas. At first I was sceptical, but then I wore them after a very hard 5k ergo and two days after the ergo, where i should have been suffering from DOMS, I felt nothing, just very relaxed fresh legs. So I began to where them for rowing - and they are fantastic! I don't feel restricted as I do when I am wearing compression wear and my legs feel fresher after a hard outing. What's more I feel they do a better job of keeping me warm, especially on those freezing winter mornings on the river.
I have now started using them for all my activities - one activity in particular where I believe they help is weight lifting and resistance training in the gym. They keep my legs fresh and ready for more. What I love about the garment is its lightweight feel and it never seems wet. It’s great in racing terms, as before if i were racing in the Winter months the number of layers needed to stay warm was a real pain, but the Accapi leggings are all that I need to take in the boat, as i know they do the job.
I can assure you that all this compression wear and thermal tops will not be bought by me - I will now only ever consider Accapi wear – It’s fantastic!
Iain Twaddle - Update
15th Mar '11
I had a good run at the Home Nations international finishing 4th in my age catergory and 2nd England counter home. Shortly after this race we were hit with weeks of deep snow and hard running. All I could manage at first was steady running back and forwards to work, after 4 weeks of close to 100 miles a week I decided I had to start doing sessions again anywhere I could, in multistorey car parks, open fields in deep snow and even in the Tyne Tunnel. Hard weeks made a lot easier because of my Accapi Pro and Action tights, in the weeks where my rivals were struggling I was making the most of the conditions.
At the start of the year I took part in the North East Counties Senior Cross Country Championships, where I finished 7th, my best ever position. I followed this with the fastest time of the day at the North East Masters Cross Country Relay Championships then a week later I came 38th at the North of England Cross Country Championships and the next week I ran a good time at Dewsbury 10k in windy conditions. Four races in five weeks made a lot easier with the help of my Accapi pro to speed up my recoveries.
I have just finished my best ever Cross Country season with another good performance at the British Masters Cross Country Championships finishing in 6th position, closer to the leading runners than ever before.
My training is going from strength to strength and setting pb sessions while wearing my Accapi action tights. Im now looking forward to the summer and running some fast times over 10k and half marathons.
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Testimonial - Steve Roberts, Climber
7th Feb '11
Having used nexus garments as a climbing aid to performance and recovery since dec 08 and having invested in over £1800 worth, I felt i had seen the best of the nexus presciption!. However a very recent trip to Ben Nevis proved otherwise. After a late walk in to the CIC hut on Sunday night and a very heavy days ice climbing I arrived back at the hut with very tired legs. Sleeping overnight in nexus trousers (no top) resulted in me waking the next day expecting a hard day with aching lower limbs! In total contrast to my usual sport climber physique it was my upper body that felt jaded and aching and my legs felt totally rejuvinated, in fact stronger than the first day.
Steve Roberts (Heavily addicted user)
Run Geordie Run - By Mark Allison
6th Jan '11
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During the Summer of 2007, I ran 874 miles from John O’Groats to Lands End raising funds for St Benedict’s Hospice in Tyne & Wear. That run took 37 days to complete with only one rest day taken. The aches and pains experienced on a daily basis were excruciating but, in hindsight, they were well worth it after £34,108 was raised for the Hospice.
My next planned charity run will be 3100 miles coast to coast, across the USA from California to New York. That’s an average of 31 miles per day for 100 days and 3.5 times further than my John O’Groats to Lands End run in 2007. As with past long distance events, I’m expecting the trans USA run to be full of the usual aches and pains. If I achieve the fundraising target of £50,000, however, it will be well worth it. This time around I will be raising funds for St Benedict’s Hospice (Charity No. 1019410) and The Children’s Foundation (Charity No. 1000013).
As part of my training for the USA I recently ran a 107.1 mile route from Edinburgh Castle to the Keep in Newcastle upon Tyne. This gave me the ideal opportunity to try out some new kit that had been supplied by Accapi. Specifically, a long sleeve base layer t-shirt, full length trousers and a pair of running socks from the “Pro” range and full length trousers from the “Action” range.
Both sets of garments are designed to work in unison. i.e. The “Pro” product is worn during training and the “Action” product is worn at all other times, even while sleeping!
The kit arrived in some very well designed and attractive packaging and my initial reaction was that I really had some high quality kit in my possession here. Of course, the critical part of my test would happen over 3 days on the road but there is absolutely no harm in making a good first impression.
I took to wearing the “Action” product 2 days prior to the run. The trousers fit perfectly and were very comfortable.
I was very pleased to discover that the “Pro” products were equally as comfortable as the “Action” product. I can’t use that word “comfortable” enough during this testimonial. Having ran for 3 days in cold (highs of 3 degrees with a wind chill), wet (scattered showers) and dark conditions in the Scottish Borders and Northumberland, it is my opinion that the “Pro” base layer kit contributed massively to my overall comfort and warmth. A very good quality that the kit seems to posses is the transfer of moisture from the skin to the second layer. This quality was very important to me given that I was on the road between 10 and 12 hours each day. It would be interesting to see how the kit performs in warmer temperatures. Of course, I’m thinking ahead to the trans-USA run next year and the Mojave Desert in particular. Fortunately, I’ll get a chance to test the kit out early in 2011 in a lab at Northumbria University.
The first day of the run from Edinburgh to Newcastle passed without incident and 36.3 miles and a nice hot shower later I was soon changed into the “Action” product. My friends at Accapi had told me to expect a better recovery and I must admit that as I set off for day 2’s planned 39 miles, my legs certainly didn’t feel like they had ran as far as they had done the day before.
I had the same opinion at the start of day 3. i.e. the aches and pains in my legs were nowhere near as bad as I expected and, moreover, nowhere near as bad as they should have been. The final 31.8 miles were a formality and my overall opinion of the product was 2 fold. As I mentioned earlier, I was very pleased with the comfort throughout the run. Extremely pleased in fact. Given the conditions I ran in this, to me, was more important than a good recovery. Probably because I’ve become accustomed to the aches and pains experienced on runs such as the one I did from John O’Groats to Lands End back in 2007. That said, I could get quite used to feeling in much better shape having ran 30+ miles the day before!
In summary, the 2 benefits gleaned from the products were blatantly tangible during the test over 107.1 miles. In my opinion both levels of comfort and recovery were absolutely outstanding. It is important to note that I say the products “contributed” to overall comfort. I must stress that the 3 other layers played a part in that. There is no doubt in my mind that the Accapi base layers provided an excellent foundation for comfort. It’s, therefore, a product that I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending to fellow runners.
The Ice Hotel is Finished!
22nd Dec '10
Marcus Dillistone has completed his Ice Hotel, the theme has been unveiled as 'inside a fridge' and it looks fantastic!
Iain Twaddle - Update
16th Dec '10
I've had a busy few weeks racing, I ran the Gibside fruitbowl trail race and came 2nd, the following week I went to Dublin to take part in the Masters home nations international where I was 5th in the vet 40 age group, then the week after I ran the Sunderland park run 5k where i was 2 seconds off my course record.
I've been wearing my new Accapi clothing during sessions, I usually keep a training diary so I've been able to compare times and there has been a very noticable improvement. Even my coach (a hard to please man) has been commenting on my improvement. One particular session, 3 x 2000m, last time i did it he said i was stagnating, most recent running of this session i ran a 6 second average improvement per effort.
Accapi is going Arctic! Press Release
24th Nov '10
Royal Premiered British film director Marcus Dillistone has been invited to create an Ice Suite at the world-famous Arctic Ice Hotel in Swedish Lappland.
On November 28th, Marcus will join the hotel’s ‘elite Art & Design Group’ working 200km North of the Arctic Circle in temperatures down to –40º.
The Ice Hotel is the World’s biggest igloo, where adventurous guests can enjoy a sub-zero night’s sleep at –5ºC! The hotel is rebuilt every winter using ice harvested from the frozen Torne River. In late spring it disappears - melting back into the landscape. Marcus’ suite design - called ‘Frigid-dare’ – is under wraps until the hotel opens in mid-December. Such ‘Art Suites’ are the most sought after rooms at the IceHotel.
Given the freezing conditions, Marcus is working closely with specialist equipment suppliers Canada Goose, Sorel, Accapi and Peli:
“With any extreme activity it’s important to have total confidence in your gear; Canada Goose parkas are the real deal for this climate, as are Sorel boots. Controlling one’s body temperature when working in low temperatures is essential. Accapi’s high-tech ‘Nexus’ base layer technology means I can stay comfortable, work longer and recover quicker. I’ll be taking stills and video kit to record the event, and because modes of transport will include dog sleds and snowmobiles, I’m packing Peli cases. They’re pretty much indestructible, the gear inside will be safe, and it’s one less thing to worry about!”
Creating an ice environment is an unusual challenge for a cinema director, and Marcus is the first big-screen film maker to be asked to participate in this prestigious creative project:
“I’m used to working with sets and lighting, but this is challenging because it is the real deal. Having worked with talented designers and Oscar-winning cinematographers I’ll need to dig deep into my experience to get the best from the opportunity. But one thing’s for sure, it’s undoubtedly the coolest job I’ve ever done!”
Updated Testimonials - Stevie Haston, climber
15th Nov '10
Update
'Accapi continues to impress me, it is my preferred first layer in everything from hard training to relaxing. I wore it constantly during the Tor de Giants the 330 km mountain race and never had an issue with it, no chaffing, no rubbing, and it always did its job. The Accapi products also have a very nice feel, much better and more comfortable than other base/athletic layers I have worn. Its ability as a wicking layer is enormous and in the lighter layers you don’t even know your wearing anything, really amazing performance for just grams of material. Finally I just feel good in the stuff, hard to explain and I don’t even want to. In a lot of clothes I don’t feel right but the Accapi seems in tune with my body and helps me get the best out of myself'
Gold for Purchase
9th Nov '10
We are pleased to announce that Nexus athlete Zac Purchase is returning from the World Championships in New Zealand with a gold medal. Purchase and his rowing partner Mark Hunter beat Italy by a boat length in the lightweight men’s double scull, leaving defending World Champions, and hosts, New Zealand in third.
Iain Twaddle, Vet40 runner - Achieving PB's with Nexus
27th Oct '10
Iain Twaddle, Vet 40 runner
Six months ago I was struggling with a tight hamstring. Bordering on injury, my Physio told me if it didn’t start improving soon he’d have to tell me to take some time off running. It was at this point I started wearing Accapi Nexus action tights. I’d wear them for bed and during the day under my normal clothes. Six months on and there is no sign of the hamstring injury anymore and I’ve also noticed that my legs are less sore during deep sports massage. I recover from sessions quicker now, which means the quality of the sessions is better and my mileage has increased.
I’m now a Vet 40 and in the last six months I have run personal bests over 10k and half marathon, as well as completing 4 of my fastest ever 10k’s. Off the back of this I have also been selected to represent England in a home nations international in Dublin.