FLORIAN REICHERT FROM GERMANY / ARC'TERYX ACTIVITY SPONSORED ATHLETE
Athlete: Flo Reichert / Arc’teryx Activity: Mountain- & Trailrunning Set of Socks/Calves: 12 Usage: 2 days prior and directly after hard training sessions (+ 5h of running) and one competition (Brocken Challenge Ultramarathon; 80k)
Overall conclusion:
"I’m convinced of the benefits of Qilta socks and calves. After multi hours of running I didn’t feel the fatigue and tiredness as strong as without the product. This is especially true for the feet: I found that the socks help my feet stay strong, smooth, blister-free and with good proprioception throughout a multi-hour race.
I’m especially convinced of the good recovery value of Qilta. I experienced that only wearing the socks and calves for two hours immediately after a long workout or competition left me with a good and recovered feeling the day after. Ergo I was able to train more/harder the next day.
On the downside, I’ve to admit that it took some time to get used to the “creamy” feel of the socks and calves. I was/am wondering what the actual benefit of the treated socks/calves was/is, compared to say a recovery cream that you put on your feet and calves and then just wear socks over it.
However, the product did work for me, so I guess it must be something in the socks/calves that gives off the “cream” gradually, thus creating a longterm effect.
Socks:
I found these extremely comfortable. Actually, I chose a couple of times to not only use them prior or after training sessions, but ran with them. The key training session on La Palma, a 50km run with 3500m of elevation gain and loss on the Transvulcania race course (my next objective) was done with the socks on, and despite the rough terrain my feet felt fresh the whole way. So I’m considering using the socks in the race on May 11 too.
One sock had been ripped on the side even before I put it on for the first time, but otherwise I found the material quite durable. However, this was only a short-term trial, so I’m not in the position to make qualified statements about long-term durability. However, I’ve the feeling that it could be equal or superior to other products I’ve used in the past (Salomon, Falke, Bridgedale).
The white color is not my favorite, to be honest, as I often run a lot through the woods, snow and mud. And if I only wash the socks in 30-degree warm water, I’m not sure whether I can get rid of all the stains. I do like the logo, though, but maybe it’d be possible to have a darker (black, dark blue?) version of the product?
Calves:
Whereas I’m super happy with the socks, I found myself using the calves only half as much. This is for both, aesthetic reasons (I just don’t like the look of long socks or calves, but that’s just a vain personal opinion) as well as practical reasons: I couldn’t quite locate the benefit of the calves as much as with the socks. This might also be the case because the sock covers a big part of the ankle and the achilleas tendon. I prone to problems/injuries here, but more often in the lower part of the achilleas tendon than in the upper part where the calves might be beneficial. "