Gear Junkie

My feet may never forgive me for the past two years. Three marathons, ten adventure races, a triathlon, several mountain climbs and hundreds of hours of training have left my dogs beat up, ragged and just plain ugly.

But it looks like I’ll be able to save the three or four toenails I have left. After so much carnage, I’ve learned how to take care of my feet. It’s a formula that starts with good shoes, appropriate socks, some strategic taping and — for me — gobs and gobs of foot lubricant.

Hydropel, a greasy, gooey salve made by Genesis Pharmaceutical Inc., has become my foot lube of choice. It goes on thick and stays that way for hours on end. For a 24-hour adventure race, I usually apply the solution only once or twice.

It does a good job eliminating friction — both between your foot and the sock as well as the skin-on-skin rub between toes. It also repels water, an important trait for people who may tromp through mud puddles or thigh-deep rivers during an average hike.

For my first three or four adventure races, my feet would invariably get wet within the first hour of the race, and I’d have to run, bike, climb and paddle all day long in wet socks. Without lube, my feet would get saturated with water, promoting big, painful blisters.

With Hydropel, I can run through the woods all day and night with wet feet. The water actually beads up on my skin where the lubricant has been applied.

Though I prefer to use a dry powder lube on other areas of my body, Genesis Pharmaceutical recommends Hydropel for use beyond the feet, including for your thighs, chest, bottom, underarm and anywhere else that gets chafed during a workout.

The product comes in small, 2-ounce squeeze bottles, which cost about $13 each. It’s not cheap, but used somewhat conservatively the bottle should last you for five to 10 lube-ups.

Price: $13.
Contact: Genesis Pharmaceutical Inc., 1-800-459-8663