Current temperatures in the seismic zone around Van are hovering around 2 Degrees and dropping below freezing at night.  The SURVIVA JAKs are to be handed out to those who are struggling to keep warm in the aftermath of the quake.

Where will SURVIVA JAK’s be turning up next?

Due to lack of fitness this year I was ready to cox (steer and shout) X-Press rowing club’s womens’ crew to what we hoped would have been a course record.  In fact with the commitment that they had put into training I am 100% sure that with the conditions we had we would smash the old record.

I had everything planned out and to save weight I had a SURVIVA JAK for each of them encase the weather turned bad!

Unfortunately, for the first time in the history of the event the Boston Marathon was called off due to excessive weed growing in the river.  Although it was a shame, it shows that things beyond your control can and often do happen.

So we came up with a back up plan and on what was going to be race day we decided to have a slightly later start and row to the pub and back with a nice stop for lunch. And the best part about that was that I didn’t have to watch my weight any more and I could have a lovely burger!

Thanks girls!  Let’s hope that it’ll be on next year and we can smash the record!

But what are the best ways to minimise the risks?

When you’re the only super-conductive object on top or a ridge or mountain top the chances of being struck are far higher than if you are in a city.

Lightning occurs when positive electrical charges forming at the ground stream upwards to try to make contact with advancing downward negatively-charged ‘leader’ in the atmosphere. Lightning does not always follow, as not all of the upward discharges make contact with the leader but when the two meet a lightning strike will happen.

Surviva’s top tips for avoiding possible strikes:

For most of us, dog sledding is synonymous with the Arctic but it is possible to enjoy the sport in Britain from Kent to the Cairngorms. As participant, competitor or spectator it offers plenty of enjoyment and excitement.

With its roots firmly in northern lands, it is not surprising that the favoured breeds of dog are from those countries. These include the Canadian Eskimo dog, Greenland dog and Samoyed though the most popular are the Alaskan Malamute (named after the Mahlemut people, a strong freight dog) and the Siberian Husky (bred by the Chuckchi people of North East Siberia, a smaller faster animal which was mainly used for herding reindeer). Sometimes these are crossed with other breeds such as greyhounds.

As Britain generally has little snow the activity has been adapted to incorporate carts and buggies with wheels replacing runners. Thus it is possible to enjoy mushing all year round in many locations. Competitions on and off snow are held world wide in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

Teams of dogs are traditionally 12 in number but smaller ones are common. Dogs within a team have certain titles and roles:-

SURVIVA Company directors appeared on hit BBC2 programme Dragons’ Den in August.

Letitia Valentine and Alex Lewis, the inventors of the SURVIVA Jak™– the jacket designed to prevent and treat hypothermia and shock – were looking for an investment in their company SURVIVA. They faced the fearsome dragons in a tense and nail-biting pitch and tamed one Dragon – Deborah Meadon who saw the potential of both the product and SURVIVA as a Brand.

The pair came up with the idea of the SURVIVA Jak™ a year ago and the story behind the invention is an extreme one.  They were cycling up in the Brecon Beacons when hypothermia struck.  It was this brush with death that led to the invention of the SURVIVA Jak™ and the business has grown from there.

This year Steve Hammond will be running from Land’s End to John O’Groats BAREFOOT.

We caught up with him and found out about his reasons behind doing such an immense challenge…..

What are you planning to do?

The idea is to run from Land’s End to John O’Groats barefooted – seems like the mileage is 847 (Unless I get lost, which with my sense of direction I probably will!)

Who are you raising money for?

Hoping to raise a huge amount for Cancer Research – 50 K is the target

Why are you doing it barefoot?

It was a sucessful launch for the Surviva Jak at this years Outdoors Show at the NEC.  Not only did the product get a roaring response but we used the opportunity to get some feedback from our customers direct.

We found that almost everyone we spoke to thought that the product was a good idea and we sold a lot more than expected.  It was particularly popular with the walkers at the show and we sold most to replace the traditional foil blankets.

One thing we did find out from talking to people is that a lot of you carry a blanket but very few of you know that unless it is vacuum packed (and not many are) then it will degrade over time and if left for years in a backpack or pocket, you might come to use it and find that it has degraded and is in peices – not much use if you havent used it yet!  Another advantage over the foil blanket: the Surviva Jak™ is vacuum packed so it does not have a shelf life.  You can leave it for years in a dark place and know that when you need to use it, it will work (and work better than a blanket!).

There were some great talks – we were particularly impressed by Joe Simpson (of Touching The Void fame) and even more impressed when he visited our stand to enter the competition to win a kayak! He was very freindly and had a great sense of humour – his response to the Surviav Jak was, ‘Ive given up surviving!’.

The traditional advice for most beginners new to running was “buy a good pair of shoes, and a decent sports bra” (women or cross-dressers only here).

Oh how the advice is changing, and there is good reason and research to support the incentive to get barefoot.

Barefoot running encourages better technique: the runner is more likely to land on their forefoot, thus allowing the foot and lower leg to absorb some of the shock that goes almost entirely through the knee in trainers.  This style of running is also much more efficient, and is encouraged by coaches across the globe.

One report suggests you’re 123% more likely to sustain injury in more expensive shoes, because they offer too much support.  By doing so, the supporting ligaments and tendons that are strengthened by use, waste away as they become surplus to requirements in these shoes.

Having run for years myself with my feet safely cocooned in trainers I have had no end of injuries: stress fractures to my leg and in my foot, shin splints, strains, sprains and a whole host of other nasty injuries that are supposed to be eliminated by nice cushioned shoes.  If the research and advocates of this way of running are right then my life can only get better: with less injuries I’ll have more time to run.

Here he is modelling one:

After meeting Ben we also met Olympic rower James Cracknell at the Outdoors Show and sold him a Surviva Jak.

Who else wil become a celebrity follower of Surviva?  Watch this space for updates!