The Runfie Stick

The Runfie Stick solves a complex problem for the modern runner. How do I draw as much attention to myself and the event I'm doing without having to wait until the finish line or rely on friends or family? Enter Martin Spierings, long time runner, coach and Silicon Valley entrepreneur.

Athletes test early prototypes of the Runfie Stick

"Being Australian, I felt a bond with the 'selfie' phenomenon which originated in Australia" he said.

Spierings saw opportunity in the new breed of runners, an annoying bunch of narcissists who are more about self-promotion than self-improvement and who feel the need to further aggrandize themselves in real time by taking Runfies. After working on a prototype of the stick, which retracts into a small cylinder, he approached FuelBelt.

"FuelBelt was the perfect company at the perfect time to provide a transport solution for the Runfie Stick. They figured eventually runners will realize that it's useless to carry around your own own stupid little bottles when most races will hand you drinks every mile or so. So they were happy to develop an attachment for my device", explained Spierings.

The Runfie Stick is fully connected with all the major social media sites and GPS sharing apps. You can even pre-load hashtags and descriptions, if you had any self-respect left, and wanted to avoid stopping at the side of the road to type your update.

If development goes according to plan you should be able to get a Runfie Stick at a Rock 'n Roll Marathon Expo by early 2017. The only color available will be pink...to match your compression socks.