If you are looking for an extra layer of safety or looking for a gift for a loved one, Road ID has some great options. It is a simple concept and a simple design, but a good idea for anyone that spends time on the road or trail training. The Road ID bracelet is a simple rubber band that has a metal nameplate attached to it. The version I own is a Road ID Slim, which is about the thickness of the old Livestrong bracelets but comes in a variety of colors. It allows for up to five lines of text on the main plate. Common examples include things like Name, Phone Numbers to family, Allergies, Blood Type or other medical concerns.
Road ID Bracelets
Other versions include Road ID Elite (which is slightly wider allowing for a 6th line of text), Road ID Sport (which comes on a fabric band with reflective strips), Fixx ID (actual dog tag looking versions of Road ID), Ankle ID (similar to Sport but designed for your ankle) and versions that can attach to all the different variants of your Fitbit activity tracker. Total cost is around $24.99 depending on the version, but it will be worth every penny for the peace of mind it brings to family and its usefulness in the event of an emergency. They also offer a free ap that has a eCrumb trace showing your route. This allows you to go for a long run and your family to track your movement seeing where you are and how fast you are moving.
I have owned mine since the beginning of the year and have not had any issues with it yet. The band is still intact without signs of wear. The metal plate and the badge on my band both still look new. With the amount of training I do and how I treat most products, I have to say I am pleasantly surprised with how well it is holding up.
Custom badge shown on the author's wrist.
While I typically take mine off for races, if you have a medical concern you may want to keep it on. Based off how rough I treat mine during training, I have no doubt that it would easily hold up in an OCR as long as it does not get caught on an obstacle. The band is thicker and higher quality than those given out for BattleFrog Elite or BFX competitors (which I have never seen rip/break mid-race).
Road ID is essentially dog tags for athletes, but they can be stylized to fit your personality. Options include different color bands and badges. Badges are little metal additions that you can add text to showing off your accomplishments for an additional $4.99. They sell pre-made ones that cover common accomplishments in running or cycling but also offer custom badges. So feel free to make your own badges like “OCRWC”, “WTM 50”, “TRIFECTA” or whatever else you are proud of.
My road ID with phone numbers covered on this picture for privacy reasons.
Road ID is also very race director friendly, so if you are looking for some bibs, coupon codes or gift cards
for participants or winners of your event, make sure you contact them. They have sponsored over 130,000 events to date including my own OCR America occurring from 19-25 June. The bottom line is that Road ID is a safety net for anyone looking for physical improvement. I hope I take off my ID years from now and say “I never used this thing.” But in the event of an accident or other misfortune, you can bet that I am glad I took the time to make the small investment in my safety.
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