Wow… it never ceases to amaze me how complicated we can make this seemingly simple sport. The latest thing I’ve read about it performance mouthwear.
Yes, a custom-made mouthpiece that is supposed to help improve your endurance. The idea behind it is that the mouthpiece is supposed to help the athlete keep their jaw relaxed, thus keeping the entire body more relaxed so you can go faster and further; you’ll be more balanced, agile and focused.
There’s a whole YouTube video about the Under Armour Performance Mouthwear.
Another brand is the Makkar Pure Power Mouthguard. An article about these products was even in the New York Times recently.
These things will cost anywhere from $500 to THOUSANDS of dollars, plus you have dentist fees since they’re not off-the-shelf products. And I guess if you are a pro-athlete you might have money to throw around on every little thing to give you any kind of advantage, but for the average person? Methinks it is a bit out of range!
Part of me wants to laugh… I recall how weird my speech was affected by sticking a retainer in my mouth and can’t imagine going on a social run with friends and talking like that. (Although, I wish I knew where that retainer was and wish that I’d worn it more, my teeth have moved since that time! The more you know…)
But part of me is intrigued by the research…
I can think of plenty other things in my life that I could spend that kind of money on though. Just know… elite athletes with lots of money have access to even more things that all of us “common” folk don’t to make them kick our tail at the races!
Well, combined with their super-amazing natural talent…
Jill Will Run 
Good God. I wear a mouthguard at night so that I don’t grind my teeth into oblivion. But talking about performance mouthguards… it seems that the male teacher at my kids’ former preschool likes to wear a mouthguard when he drives his BMW. He sits super close to the steering wheel so that his elbows flare out like wings. He puts in his mouthguard and dons his black gloves, then drives about 25 miles per hour down the street, like a slo-mo Mario Andretti. That memory is as close to a performance mouthguard as I’ll ever get!
LOL! That’s way too much effort for 25 mph! So silly!
ohhh geez! no thank you 🙂 haha
Oy vey! Isn’t much of the allure of running its simplicity? But I’m sure people will bite (such a bad pun!).
hah yeah i read that ny times article… i hated wearing a mouthguard in softball so i don’t think i’ll ever be purchasing a running-guard, let alone one that costs $5000!
I refuse to believe that the ‘pro’ runners have more talent than me. They only way they rack up those wins and impressive finishing times is because they can afford expensive products such as this.
What do I need to do to get the manufacturers attention so they can provide me with free equipment and mega $? Like, win a race or sumpin’?
Just wonderin’ out loud…
Doug
That’s so…I don’t even know what! It seems a little excessive to me!
I’ve been using the Under Armour performance mouthpiece and it is anything but a standard “mouth guard”. The mouthpiece is completely unobtrusive and fits perfectly on my lower teeth. Speech isn’t affected at all and I usually forget that I’m even wearing it.
I seem to stay more relaxed and I definitely recover much faster after hard efforts. There also is a drastic difference in my gym workouts. Reps in my second and third sets are much easier than they used to be. Is anyone here familiar with Ben Greenfield? There’s an interview on his site with the company that makes the products: http://www.bengreenfieldfitness.com/BenGreenfieldFitness70.mp3 It starts somewhere in the middle of the podcast.
Oh yeah, I paid $400 for it and that’s total cost, no other fees and it took only a week to get it. Considering that its a custom product the price didn’t seem excessive. Heck, I pay more for supplements, gels and bars on an ongoing basis.
Yeah…um…there is definitely a way to make this sport expensive, and that’s one of them. No thanks, don’t think I need that! (Although a retainer, yes, I do.)
Interestingly enough, this product was invented and developed very close to where I live, here on the east coast of Canada — and the story is not without its legal controversy! I don’t think I will shell out for it, however.
I’ve worked for seven years for Bite Tech Inc., the company that researched, developed, tested, proved and patented the technology, called ArmourBite, that powers Under Armour Performance Mouthwear products, including the mouthpiece that fits on your lower teeth and the mouthguard.
If anyone has any questions about it, please feel free to ask me or start a discussion on our facebook page. I can assure you that “Alex” is correct. The cost of the mouthwear is $495 at most, and it includes all the dentist and shipping fees.
With regards to the performance benefits with our products, they are as real as it gets, backed up by world-class research: double-blind placebo, peer-reviewed and published – better strength and endurance, reduced production of cortisol (stress) and lactic acid, better flexibility and range of motion, lowered heart rate, opening the throat for easier breathing, faster reaction times, etc.
Our products were made specifically to be the most comfortable by using the least amount of material and still get all the benefits. You can talk just fine, probably even recite classical poetry, while wearing them.
I encourage you all to do some research and give it a try. Thanks for covering the topic Jill!