May 6, 2025 • 34 mins
RED Episode 308 Ergotrail Founder Daisy Myburgh
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Ergotrail Founder Daisy Myburgh
This week, we talk with Daisy Myburgh, founder and creator of Ergotrail Soft Flask. This product is great for those on the road or on the trail. Dana went camping recently and this flask, that can be purchased with a filter, can be a great tool to have with you on a trail run or camping, so you can have clean water wherever you are.
Daisy was so kind to talk with us and so generous with her time. The links below will bring you to the products on Amazon and Daisy is including a 30% discount for the first 24 hours of our interview being live on our podcast feed. So, if you ever wanted to try it, now is the time!
Thanks, Daisy!
Purchase Ergotrail Products
3 Pack of Bottles without Filter
Connect with Daisy and Ergotrail
@daisy_myburgh
https://www.instagram.com/daisy_myburgh?igsh=eDBvNDB6Nm93ZDNk
@ergo_trail
https://www.instagram.com/ergo_trail?igsh=MTF2NHo4NWd0MTUxag==
Website
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hi everyone.
It's Mefka Flezgahi, the BostonMarathon, new York City
Marathon champion and Olympicsilver medalist.
You are listening to the RunEat Drink podcast.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Welcome to the Run Eat Drink podcast.
We feature destination racesfrom across the country and
after the race, we take you on atour of the best local food and
beverage to celebrate.
So, whether you are an eliterunner or a back of the packer
like us, you'll know the bestplaces to accomplish, explore
and indulge on your nextruncation.
(00:38):
Dana, we have a very specialguest on our show today, who
founded a product that we needto carry to every race where we
go.
We have a founder who sent us aproduct and she's here today
Daisy Myberg.
Welcome to the Runny DrinkPodcast and thanks for coming on
(01:01):
to chat about this reallyuseful tool in running.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
Thank you for having me.
I'm excited to chat about it.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
Yeah, happy to have you the product we're talking
about is the Ergotrail SoftFlask.
We have two separate productsthat have components of what you
have created.
Yours is the first that I'veever seen combine both aspects
into one thing, so could youtalk a little bit about it?
Speaker 3 (01:27):
I'll tell you about how it came about.
Great, I'm a trail runner.
When you start running, youstart with small distances and
keep moving up.
You have to carry more waterwith you as you go, so I one day
was running with about threeliters of water on me.
I was like no, this is tooheavy.
I live on a tiny island ofAfrica called Mauritius.
It's a tropical island, so it'sincredibly hot here.
(01:49):
The amount of liquid you haveto carry with you and I'm sure
you guys relate, being fromFlorida, it's incredibly hot
there as well and humid.
I was going through about aliter of water an hour and where
I run in the mountains there'sa lot of natural sources of
water, but it's not remoteenough to want to just fill up
your flask.
It might not be the safest idea.
So I looked into getting afilter for my bottle and came
(02:12):
across one or two on the market,but they were really expensive
and didn't strike me as beingvery safe because they were open
around the edges.
I figured the water isbypassing the filter a little
bit.
So I thought maybe this is anopportunity to create something.
So I just started Ergotrail.
I designed the filter and theflask and put the two items
(02:34):
together.
As you mentioned, you use alife straw and then a soft flask
, which is also a brilliantcombination.
But yeah, we made the flask thefilter and now I can run with
one bottle and just fill up atevery stream that I go to and
have enough hydration for thewhole time and not have to carry
pounds of weight on my back.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
That's true.
It's like kids in school withbackpacks full of books.
I feel like if you train withit, you can do it, but if you
can have something small andsimple and compact that you can
just apps and put in the pocketof your running, pants, exactly,
you can just put in your pocketnot only does it work in that
kind of setting, but at racesyou don't necessarily have to
(03:17):
stop drink out of a cup and thenlook for a trash can or a mess
for somebody else.
So I feel like it's a great.
It's comfortable and it's got abite valve on the top.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
I have one right here that was sent to us, so we can
try it out.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
We came prepared.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
And while I'm unboxing.
I know that I skipped the firstintro question.
I'm excited about this.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
Daisy, while he's unboxing your magical product
that we are in love with rightnow, tell us a little bit about
your background.
You said you're into trailrunning.
You live on an island, but howdid you get into running?
Speaker 3 (03:51):
Yes, it does sound absolutely bizarre.
I live on an island, so I'mfrom South Africa.
It's a small country at the tipof the African continent.
I'm from Cape Town, which isquite a well-known city.
It's got beautiful mountainsand a lot of trail to run there,
yeah.
So I started as a bit of aroadrunner doing the local 5k
here and there, and then slowlyrealized that it was more scenic
(04:14):
in the mountains, quieter and alittle bit more peaceful.
We go camping a lot, as Imentioned, so it's always nice
to get out into nature.
My husband and I moved toMauritius, this tiny island,
three years ago for work.
We are entrepreneurs, so heworks for himself, I work for
myself.
He does a few other Amazonbusinesses, which is how I was
(04:35):
able to get into doing a trailbrand on Amazon, which we'll get
into a little bit later.
But we just came for a bit ofan adventure.
It's been wonderful, and we areabout to move back to south
africa, which I'm very happyabout.
There's some really cool trailraces that I want to get
involved with there.
I've done quite a lot of racingin mauritius as well.
(04:56):
It's a good scene here.
So that's the story yes that'sa good story.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
We're having coffee because you're coming to us in
the morning a Sunday morning forus.
However, you're coming to us byway of the future.
This is exciting.
Can you get us the winninglottery tickets for the next?
Speaker 1 (05:16):
No.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
I'm kidding.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
That's a good idea.
Can we split?
Yeah, let's do it.
So it's actually 6pm where youare.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
Yes, it's do it, so it's actually 6 pm where you are
.
Yes, it's 6 pm and it isflipping hot.
I've got the air con on.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
Oh, we do most of the year here.
Even our winter is very mildand we're currently into the 80s
, pushing the 90s right now.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
How's the humidity where you are?
Speaker 3 (05:43):
Oh, it's usually like 80% plus.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
It's like our summers .
That's us.
Yes, that's like our summers.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
I'm so glad you guys can relate.
No one else can relate to this.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
We can, and the fact that your product addresses a
problem that we've had is reallynice.
There's a point of diminishingreturns, and I think you hit the
mark with three liters.
There's a point of diminishingreturns and I think you hit the
mark with three liters.
That's over a gallon in excessof eight pounds that you'd be
carrying on your back, if youdon't train your entire training
(06:14):
season with that kind of weight, you're going to have problems
with whether it's your hydrationpack.
It's shifting and it's chafingyour muscle aches caused from
carrying that extra weight.
Whatever the case may beCramping in your back and it's
just more stuff that you have todeal with.
Speaker 3 (06:31):
Nothing freeing about running on the trail with a
very heavy weighted pack.
It doesn't feel nice.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
This is it.
I'm showing this to everybodyon the camera here.
This is the Ergotrail flask,and this thing is tiny.
I can almost conceal itcompletely in one hand.
This would go easily in yourside pocket.
To me, it's ingenious toincorporate the filtration.
I don't know.
(06:58):
I would like to say no one'scrazy enough to just drink from
a stream and not have a filter.
But there are people who wouldtotally do that.
I promise you there are peoplewho would do that and that's a
great way to get nasty gut bugshospitalized or worse.
So this filter that you'veincluded I saw on your website
(07:21):
this gets out the microbes, theprotozoa, the amoebas, the
little creepy crawlies that canget you and I went, the factory
offered me what kind offiltration do you want?
Speaker 3 (07:30):
And I was like, listen, I am potentially filling
this up with very dirty waterand I want to make sure that I
will be safe and I can't sellsomething that could potentially
make other people sick.
So I said do it to the max andyou will see that when you use
it.
It does come with a littledrawback in that the flow is not
as fast as it would be withouta filter, but that's how you
(07:52):
know that the filter is doingits job, because if you open it
up, you can actually have a lookinside and see what the filter
looks like it comes off, so youcan use the flask with or
without the filter.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
I used it without the filter because I knew that we
would have nice, safe, cleandrinking water at the water stop
.
Speaker 3 (08:09):
If you open it up you can even take that little
rubber thing off the top.
You can have a look inside tosee what the filter looks like.
It's called a hollow tube.
Anything that is bigger thanthat filters through those tiny
little tubes filters throughthose tiny little tubes At other
trail filters.
The water goes in almost nearthe top, which doesn't make any
sense because it's supposed togo through the tubes to be
(08:29):
filtered.
It comes with the drawback thatthe flow isn't so fast.
But I would rather not get sickthan get a fast flow.
Speaker 1 (08:36):
It's funny that you said that the idea that a little
bit of water getting around thefilter, that's all it is.
And the microbes there are lotsof them in a little bit of
water.
Speaker 3 (08:46):
So it filters out all the protesura and any
contamination in the water andit also has activated carbon in
it which takes any sort of nastytaste out.
I store it in my fridge and thewater gets that freezer-y taste
.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
It even filters that taste out completely, which I
find a nice added benefit or itcan take on that kind of plastic
If it sits in plastic longenough.
Speaker 1 (09:08):
I've made that mistake.
I filled up hydration bladdersbefore, like in my backpack for
camping.
Filled it up just so that Iwouldn't have to worry about a
day of leaving and then thewater tastes of the bladder.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
So you've talked about coming up with it and the
process of getting the filterright, but how did you create it
?
How did you collaborate withothers to perfect it?
Speaker 3 (09:28):
So I first went to my husband and I said, listen, I
have this idea, what do youthink?
And he said, no, it sounds likea good idea.
I found different suppliersthat had ready-made things,
different options, and asupplier that specialized in
filtration, as opposed toathletic bottles, because I
wanted the emphasis to be on thefiltration.
(09:50):
There were a few design pointsI mentioned to them.
I really wanted it to have anice big opening, because I like
to scoop ice into my bottlesbefore I run and I like to scoop
drink mix, carb mix,electrolyte powder, whatever you
want to put in.
The other bottles always havetiny openings and if the powder
gets everywhere, it needs to becomfy and soft big opening.
(10:13):
And then the filter wasobviously the focus.
They gave me options ondifferent filtration and we went
with the maximal filtration.
It's a bit of a liability issuetoo, and an ethical issue.
I would never want to sellsomething that would put anyone
at risk.
So we made it the safest thatwe possibly could and it took
quite a long time.
(10:34):
It took about six monthsbecause, as everything is
manufactured in China, we hadsamples backwards and forwards
sent to us Different generationsof testing.
Exactly so.
They would send me some andthen I would fill them up, go
for a run, use it and then comeback to them and be like no, I
need to change that.
As a small business owner, Iobviously couldn't use a big
(10:57):
agent.
I had to do everything myselfand communicate with the
manufacturers.
If you come up with something,you can actually do it alone.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
You don't need to go through big companies and agents
.
I tell you, it sounds like youwent through and made the water
bottle you would want to usewhich I think is exactly what
you'd want to do.
Something that I noticed that Ireally like about this you've
got that big, wide opening, likeyou talked about, but you've
also got this harder.
I don't know if it's a plasticor a silicone shoulder.
I can hold on to that withoutsquishing the bottle, so I can
(11:33):
scoop ice in or I can get thefluid in.
That's just a nice littledesign touch that a lot of
companies might otherwiseoverlook.
I've seen some products wherethey try to make something like
this and it's a collapsiblebottle and it goes to a flip top
mouth, opening pain in the buttto fill.
So this this is much moreuser-friendly and you are
(11:55):
correct that.
Speaker 3 (11:56):
I said I made exactly what I wanted and I asked my
other trail running friends whatthey would want in a bottle.
I did quite a lot ofquestioning of people.
They sent me a few sampleswhere the bottom was harder like
the top.
I said absolutely no way,because if it's in a pocket or
in a pack and then it's tight,it's going to rub on you and
make you chafe, so it had to beperfect.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
You said you tested it.
Did you also have your runningtrail friends?
Test it as well?
Speaker 3 (12:25):
I asked them to help me with some of the marketing.
I did photo shoots with themand in exchange I would give
them bottles to taste and thingslike that oh that's cool,
wonderful.
Speaker 1 (12:36):
And I love the material you went with.
It's heavy duty, ripping,ripping yeah, I don't know what
you would call this if it'ssilicone or what.
Speaker 3 (12:44):
It's a type of plastic, but it is recyclable.
You can recycle it Okay.
Speaker 2 (12:50):
Well, it's.
Speaker 3 (12:51):
It's food grade and it's BPA free.
That was really important to mebecause I know a lot of
outdoorsy people really careabout these things.
I certainly do.
Being a plastic product,there's only so much you can do,
but I wanted to do the maximumthat we could.
Speaker 1 (13:05):
Plastics aren't all bad.
They only account for about 3%of landfill space.
If you reuse and recycle, it'svery responsible.
And heaven knows, we've seenthousands of environmentally
friendly paper cups crushed upand tossed on the side of race
courses.
Speaker 2 (13:23):
Yes, and we appreciate volunteers who pick
them up?
How long does the filter lastbefore you need to replace it?
Speaker 3 (13:31):
Yeah, that's a good question.
They couldn't really tell me anexact point.
They said a couple of years andyou will know If the taste
hollow fibers crack and breakphysically they're not filtering
, but until they get blockedthey could get blocked and the
(14:01):
water flow will stop and you'llknow that it's time to replace.
But there's no danger in it.
If it's working, it should begood.
Speaker 1 (14:09):
Yeah, and see, that's great, those cartridges.
In fact, let me check realquick You've got the ability to
get additional cartridges onyour website, correct?
Speaker 3 (14:19):
We don't, but we're working on that.
I wanted to be like theone-stop bottle shop and be able
to sell all the filtersseparately, the little bite
valves I want to add straws ifyou need them, I want to sell
replacement lids if you needanother one, and I wanted to do
it all separate.
But with Amazon it's a littlebit complicated and, yeah, it's
a little bit complex, but we'regetting there.
We're still a baby company.
Speaker 1 (14:41):
Coming soon.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
You said it took six months to create it and when you
got it, how long before it wason Amazon and what kind of
process was that?
Speaker 3 (14:49):
So while I was doing the design, my husband, the
expert, was doing the listingand the images.
By the time the soft glass wasready within those six months,
it took us a couple of weeksfrom there to make it live on
Amazon.
Wow.
Speaker 1 (15:04):
You moved quick at that point.
Speaker 2 (15:05):
Yeah, that is pretty efficient, offered in different
combinations on Amazon.
Speaker 3 (15:12):
So you can buy a three-pack, which is just the
bottle without the filters.
That's three soft flasks withbig openings.
Then you can buy a soft flaskwith the filter, and that's a
separate listing.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
If you were roadrunners doing organized
races, you might want the oneswithout the filters.
However, if you will use it forboth purposes, then you have
the complete package there aswell.
Speaker 3 (15:38):
Exactly.
And once you have the softglass, they still have that
little notch where you canattach the filter.
So if you buy a three pack theplain ones and you have one with
a filter, you can use thatfilter with all of the bottles.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
When you said years for the filter, I was thinking
it would be like a printercartridge situation where you
would have to replace it alsodepends how much you use it in
those years.
Speaker 3 (16:00):
If you're going to be filtering three times a day,
every day, then I would probablysay it might break down within
a year.
But if you're going to use itonce a week, it's going to be
very different.
That's why it's so difficult totell, because you can't really
say what it's going to breakdown and because it's a physical
thing, you'll know if it can'tfilter anymore, then it's broken
(16:20):
and that needs to be replacedso then it also came with
instructions and first usedirection.
Speaker 2 (16:29):
And yes, this situation right here packs they
looked like breath mints.
First to me, package likebreath mints.
Speaker 1 (16:38):
You'll only make that mistake once.
Speaker 2 (16:40):
Can you tell the Runcation Nation what these are?
Speaker 3 (16:43):
Yes, of course this comes from my personal
experience and I'm assumingother people have had the same.
When you buy a plastic softflask and fill it up for the
first time, you're very excitedand take it on your run.
You take a sip, it outimmediately and go why does it
taste like plastic?
So I was like okay, I know howI solve this problem.
I do it with all my soft glass.
(17:04):
I always soak them overnightwith a spoonful of, then in the
morning I just rinse it out andyou never have that taste ever
again.
And if you ever need to refreshit, you just do that again
again.
So I thought how can Iincorporate that I'm not going
to send a little bag of whitepowder along with the bottle?
Can you imagine?
Speaker 1 (17:22):
American law enforcement.
Speaker 3 (17:23):
would love that Can you imagine Exactly Some
foreigner trying to sell stuffon Amazon.
So anyway, I found thesetablets.
They're just pure baking sodatablets.
Oh look, what is this kitty'sname?
It's Garfield.
Speaker 2 (17:38):
Garfield, that's perfect.
Speaker 3 (17:40):
He's enormous, he's been booted.
He's so loud he doesn't stopmeowing.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
His name is Bruce and you can hear him no matter
where he is in the house.
Speaker 3 (17:50):
Bruce is such a good name for a cat.
Speaker 2 (17:52):
He's brilliant.
Yeah, he's so cute.
Speaker 3 (17:57):
Animals with human names.
Such a good name for a cat,yeah, brilliant, yeah, he's so
cute.
So I found these baking sodatablets and I thought I'm just
going to throw two of those inthe box.
You got two, right, yes, okay.
And then I wrote a wholeinstruction sheet on what to do
with them.
The instructions say you shouldjust put them in the bottle
overnight with some water, whenyou first get it, and then the
next day give it a good wash.
Speaker 2 (18:13):
Should you repeat that process during the use of
it?
Speaker 3 (18:18):
So if it ever gets any sort of smell, if you've
used a drink mix in it orwithout the filter and you left
it in your pack overnight bymistake or something like that,
and it starts smelling funky,you just need to soak it with
some baking soda and the nextday wash it out and it'll be all
good.
It's actually a really greattip for any bladder, soft glass,
(18:39):
anything like that.
You can always use baking sodato refresh them.
And then the other thing I dois I always keep them in the
freezer when I'm done with them.
I get home, give it a rinse,chuck it in the freezer and sort
it, because you'll never getmold that way if you store them
in a humid climate.
Speaker 1 (18:56):
Absolutely.
What might be worse than theflavor of the plastic from the
bladder or from the soft pack isthe flavor of penicillin when
you take a sip out of it.
I need to cleanse this.
We need to purge it, so that'sa great tip, not only for these,
but for any big bladder.
I'm excited for what's to comewhen you mention straws being
(19:19):
able to put something like thison your shoulder and then have a
straw with a bite valve or, youknow, on the side of your
backpack or it would fit in avest this is also going to
appeal to that ultralight crew,that subculture of campers and
runners creating argumentsonline about going down to the
gram in terms of total weightyou're carrying, if you're not
(19:42):
familiar with the equipment theyuse for camping the tents, the
backpacks, they're all made ofmaterials that are just super
space age, very light.
They can still sometimes carry35, 40 pounds total on a camping
trip and that's it they've goteverything that they need, and
that that includes food andeverything.
(20:03):
But to have something like this,where you can that weighs next
to nothing, yeah and you're aslong as you've got a water
source nearby exactly like yousaid we are big fans of element
oh yeah you love element.
Speaker 3 (20:16):
It's so good for electrolytes.
Speaker 2 (20:18):
We need it because of the humidity and heat so you
can use it in here.
You just put it in the bottombefore you travel or put the
water in there and then I'mguessing, for those uses you
don't want the filter in exactly.
Speaker 3 (20:31):
you just stick it in your pocket or in one of the
pockets on your vest, on yourpack, and then, when it's empty
and you want to refill, you justattach it.
That's why it was important forme that you could remove it and
put it back.
Speaker 2 (20:43):
The filter.
Speaker 3 (20:43):
Because there's various different liquids that
you're going to be using in it,by the way, you don't want that,
because you need that.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
Put it in, then you filter it.
Speaker 2 (20:51):
Oh, that's because yesterday I brought it to a race
that was entirely on a beach,daisy, and I didn't use the
filter because they had waterstops where I could fill up the
bottle and it was fine.
But if you have salt water andit's not like an electrolyte
drink, will the filter that out,so that it.
(21:12):
I don't know, I'm bad atscience.
Speaker 1 (21:14):
We haven't.
Will this do salt water?
I don't know'm bad at science.
We have it.
Will this do salt water?
I don't know, but I doubt it.
Speaker 2 (21:25):
Salination is quite a specific process which I'm not
familiar with.
You probably clog up yourfilter super quick.
It's a lot of salt.
Yeah, it's a lot of salt, no,okay and most trail runs aren't
going on.
Speaker 3 (21:31):
That is so.
I did it right.
Watch us run down to the beachto taste this tomorrow, if you
do let us know how it goes.
Speaker 2 (21:38):
Report back.
What kind of feedback did youget from people when you started
to put it out there in terms oftestimonials and use?
Speaker 3 (21:50):
yeah, we've had really good feedback for the
guys that I gave the filters inexchange for their time to do
photo shoots with me.
They're all pretty seriousultra runners, training for five
plus hours a day on weekends.
They needed something like this.
They were drinking the riverwater, not filtered, also
getting a lot of GI stuff whereI'd be like maybe it's from that
(22:13):
river water.
They were really happy.
They've been training with themever since.
They haven't stopped using them.
As I said, nothing's perfect,but the one complaint we've had
is with the faster guys.
The flow isn't fast enough forthem because you can't really
gulp because it's going throughthe filter, it's going to be
slower.
But there's a little workaround.
That I do when I'm trying torun faster is that I will stop
(22:37):
at a river, I'll refill thebottle and then I just take off
the little bite valve and refillmy other bottle with the
filtered water.
I actually turn it upside downand I'll pour it into another
bottle and then, once thatbottle's filtered, I'll close it
up and drink that bottle with afaster flow'll close it up and
drink that bottle with a fasterflow while I'm running, if that
(22:58):
makes any sense.
Speaker 1 (22:59):
It makes total sense.
Speaker 3 (23:00):
I just use it as like a filter, not like a bottle.
Speaker 1 (23:02):
I just use it as like a jug filter on the go and
they're light anyway, I've seenthat type of setup for camping
have a bladder, a filter, in theconnector that goes to another
bag.
That is super smart to be ableto do that on the go.
Okay, those setups are like twoor three liter bags hanging on
a tree.
Speaker 3 (23:21):
I've seen these ever do this, where they hang them up
and let it drip through.
It's exactly like that, exceptI squeeze it.
Hurry up.
Speaker 1 (23:28):
That's perfect, and to be able to do it on the go is
fantastic.
Speaker 2 (23:31):
Yeah, so it seems like it's good for short
fantastic.
Speaker 3 (23:37):
Yeah, so it seems like it's good.
For short, I know that I testedit in the 5k Back from injury.
Speaker 2 (23:39):
How far have you taken it and what running
distances?
Speaker 3 (23:44):
So I'm not one of those hundred mile runners yet.
Don't know if it will happen inmy future, but we have a couple
of those in our runcationnation too.
Speaker 2 (23:55):
Yes, we have Coach Twigs and Dean Gerber out there.
So, as you're listening to thisepisode, that's you guys.
That's epic.
Speaker 3 (24:01):
Much respect to all the miler runners out there.
My favorite racing distance atthe moment is 30 to 58
kilometers.
I don't know what that would bein miles, do you guys know?
Speaker 1 (24:12):
She's going to find out Kilometers, 32 kilometers
and 58 kilometers.
Speaker 3 (24:17):
I race anything from 20 to 58 at the moment, but I am
thinking about signing up formy first 100K this year.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
Okay, it says 58 is 36 point.
Speaker 3 (24:29):
That's the longest race I've ever done.
Speaker 2 (24:31):
And then 100 would be 62.1.
Speaker 1 (24:35):
That's a.
Speaker 3 (24:37):
I did my longest race this last year and I qualified
to go to OCC at UTMB the WorldSeries Finals in August this
year.
Congratulations, that's the aim.
It's in France.
So yeah, I'm going to try andget there, but if I don't, I'll
make a plan at some point.
Speaker 2 (24:57):
So what is this event that you've qualified for in
August?
Speaker 3 (25:02):
It's called UTMB Ultra Trail Mont Blanc and it's
the World Series final.
They hold races across theworld and you eventually qualify
to go and do one of the racesin Chamonix in August.
Speaker 2 (25:13):
Is that the most recent thing on your race
calendar?
Speaker 3 (25:17):
Yeah, I have a few races coming up In another
couple of weeks.
I'm about to do a 30K on theisland.
It will be pretty fast and alittle bit technical with about
2000 meters of climbing.
And then I'm doing a mountainmarathon in South Africa in May,
which is 42.2.
(25:37):
I'm just trying not to getinjured at the moment eating
enough, drinking enough andtrying to stay on top of any
niggles.
Speaker 1 (25:46):
Absolutely.
You don't want to run past thethreshold of irritation.
Speaker 2 (25:50):
Yes, because you want to show up at the start line,
exactly.
Speaker 1 (25:53):
Do you have a race in mind that you've done in the
past that you would consider tobe a must-do for runners?
Speaker 3 (26:01):
Oh, it's so difficult if I'm speaking to an American
audience because I can't tellyou to come to Mauritius.
It's this tiny little islandoff the coast.
Speaker 1 (26:09):
We are technically international.
Speaker 2 (26:11):
We are international.
We have people in Canada.
Speaker 3 (26:13):
Germany.
I just feel like America has somuch to offer.
It's a huge continent that ifyou want to travel you can come
to Mauritius or South Africa.
The one I would say that anyoneshould try is Ultra Trail Cape
Town.
It's in Cape Town everyNovember, the end of November,
and it attracts a lot ofinternational runners.
You guys have had a lot ofathletes come and perform really
(26:36):
well.
Jim came and did it andWormsley Jim Wormsley Okay, yeah
, he came and did it and won it.
Courtney DeWalter was there afew years ago and she came and
won it.
Every year there's a whole USteam and it's a beautiful race.
It showcases the best that CapeTown has to offer, because you
can do the 100 mile and see theentire coast.
(26:58):
You see the Indian Ocean, theAtlantic Ocean, you have views
from Table Mountain.
So, yeah, it's got everythingthat a good trail race should
have and it's got the vibe andthe community too.
We always look forward tosharing that with our
international runners.
Speaker 2 (27:14):
It's always good to be able to because, like we
always say, the nicest peopleyou'll ever meet are runners.
Speaker 1 (27:21):
Absolutely.
Speaker 3 (27:22):
It's so true.
It's so true.
I don't know if it makes usnicer or if nice people are
attracted to running, but you'reso right.
It's such a supportive, warmcommunity.
You can go anywhere in theworld and as long as you find a
couple of runners, you're good.
You'll have a great time.
Speaker 2 (27:36):
And people motivate you.
Speaker 1 (27:38):
It's the trauma bond of everyone having been out
there for the miles and in theheat, and you understand that a
mile is a mile or a kilometer isa kilometer, regardless of your
speed.
I think there's that bond therefor sure.
Speaker 3 (27:55):
When you carry hydration in a race, what do you
put in your hydro flask?
I usually do one flask oftailwind.
I love tailwind.
I've always used it.
Speaker 1 (28:01):
Fans.
Speaker 3 (28:02):
Always with caffeine.
The caffeine is anon-negotiable for me.
The Tailwind flavors that arecaffeine, I think, are the
raspberry, the raspberry and afew of the others do have it.
So yeah, tailwind with caffeinein one flask, and then in the
other flask I do an electrolyte.
If I'm in a very hot situation,I'll have one of plain water.
Always, plain water is a must.
Speaker 2 (28:24):
Yeah, do you carry any nutrition?
Speaker 3 (28:29):
Yes, so I tend to use gels or energy drink at the
distances that I'm racing, likethe 20s, 30s, 40s.
It's all a little bit fast too.
I tried half a sandwich in my50k last year and I actually I
just couldn't.
I'm quite jealous of the peoplethat can eat real food during a
race.
For me, I'm all about the gels.
(28:50):
I use a lot of SIS, science andSport, those isotonic gels.
Those are really good.
So between tailwind and gels,that's usually my feeling, and I
try to get between 60 to 100grams of carb per hour.
In a race.
You do music or run.
(29:10):
I listen to podcasts a lot whenI run.
Speaker 1 (29:14):
Me too.
Speaker 3 (29:14):
Yes, we love it, we love it.
And then music and races.
When I'm struggling withmotivation, you need a little
bit of a kick in the butt.
Then you put your music on.
Speaker 2 (29:26):
Okay, We've talked about nutrition during a race.
We've talked about hydrationduring a race.
Let's talk about crossing thefinish line and then celebrating
.
With what food and whatbeverage?
Where have you found the bestcelebratory meals and beverages?
Speaker 3 (29:42):
That is such a good question.
Certainly not.
Russia, it's the future issubpar.
South africa, it's an island.
Everything is imported.
It's very sad, yeah, but yeah,in south africa definitely, my
go-to post-race meal is always aburger.
I just need that protein.
(30:02):
It's just the perfectcombination of protein and carb
and everything.
And then post race generally,like at ultras and at trail
races in South Africa, you gethanded a beer or like some sort
of ale at the end, which worksreally well for recovery.
Yeah, nothing like an ice coldbeer as you cross that line,
right.
Speaker 2 (30:20):
Yes, Like a lighter one I'm not going for.
Speaker 1 (30:22):
I know we like stouts and no, not for post race.
Speaker 2 (30:25):
Yeah, this is not the time for that.
Something light, and easy, likea lager or yes, very good.
Speaker 1 (30:34):
So, daisy, where can the Runcation Nation connect
with you online social media andwhere can they get their very
own Ergotrail flask?
Speaker 3 (30:44):
You can check out the Ergotrail product on Amazon.
You can search for them or Iwill send you a link.
I wanted to offer you adiscount code for your audience,
so it will be a decent one.
I just have to speak to theAmazon expert.
In terms of finding us onsocial media, we are on
Instagram.
Ergo underscore trail and daisyunderscore myberg is my running
(31:08):
and trail running instagramthank you for the discount code.
Speaker 1 (31:13):
We're going to have links to everything in the show
notes, your social media, whereto get the ergo trail flask and
website information on thediscount code, and then the
website with all thetestimonials.
Speaker 2 (31:24):
Our website.
Speaker 3 (31:24):
Our website is sorry.
You're right, we do have awebsite.
We're not only on Instagram.
Speaker 2 (31:29):
We just want to tell everybody everywhere you know
yes, thank you so much.
Speaker 3 (31:33):
That's amazing.
I love how you support smallbusinesses and entrepreneurs.
Our website is ergotrailcom andyou can find it.
Speaker 1 (31:41):
And I'm on the website right now.
It's a great site, it's afantastic product and we are
just excited to tell theRuncation Nation about it.
We're grateful for having youon the show today.
Speaker 3 (31:52):
Thank you for the discount.
I'm definitely going to belistening to more of your
podcasts on my runs.
Thank you so much fordiscussing the bottle with me.
Speaker 2 (32:01):
Oh yeah, we can't wait to follow it and keep up
with all the latest innovationsas you add to it, because it
sounds like you're verypassionate about it.
Speaker 1 (32:10):
You can come back on the show anytime and tell us
about what's next and new forthe Ergo Trail line.
Speaker 3 (32:16):
I appreciate it and I hope you guys will come and
visit me in South Africa.
I will show you all the winefarms and food.
The food there is next levelWine.
Speaker 2 (32:25):
That sounds amazing.
It's not breweries, it's winefarms.
Speaker 3 (32:29):
There are breweries, we can do as well.
Speaker 2 (32:32):
But you're a fan of the wine farms.
Speaker 3 (32:34):
The wine farms in South Africa offer a holistic
experience of food and wineviews, places for kids to run
and play, pools to swim in andvegetable gardens to look at.
It's just unreal.
Speaker 1 (32:47):
Thank you very much again for coming on the show
today Daisy.
We are looking forward toexploring and indulging with you
at some point in thenot-too-distant future.
Hi everyone.
It's Mefka Flezgahi, the BostonMarathon, new York City
Marathon champion and Olympicsilver medalist.
You are listening to the RunEat Drink podcast.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Welcome to the Run Eat Drink podcast.
We feature destination racesfrom across the country and
after the race, we take you on atour of the best local food and
beverage to celebrate.
So, whether you are an eliterunner or a back of the packer
like us, you'll know the bestplaces to accomplish, explore
and indulge on your nextruncation.
(00:38):
Dana, we have a very specialguest on our show today, who
founded a product that we needto carry to every race where we
go.
We have a founder who sent us aproduct and she's here today
Daisy Myberg.
Welcome to the Runny DrinkPodcast and thanks for coming on
(01:01):
to chat about this reallyuseful tool in running.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
Thank you for having me.
I'm excited to chat about it.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
Yeah, happy to have you the product we're talking
about is the Ergotrail SoftFlask.
We have two separate productsthat have components of what you
have created.
Yours is the first that I'veever seen combine both aspects
into one thing, so could youtalk a little bit about it?
Speaker 3 (01:27):
I'll tell you about how it came about.
Great, I'm a trail runner.
When you start running, youstart with small distances and
keep moving up.
You have to carry more waterwith you as you go, so I one day
was running with about threeliters of water on me.
I was like no, this is tooheavy.
I live on a tiny island ofAfrica called Mauritius.
It's a tropical island, so it'sincredibly hot here.
(01:49):
The amount of liquid you haveto carry with you and I'm sure
you guys relate, being fromFlorida, it's incredibly hot
there as well and humid.
I was going through about aliter of water an hour and where
I run in the mountains there'sa lot of natural sources of
water, but it's not remoteenough to want to just fill up
your flask.
It might not be the safest idea.
So I looked into getting afilter for my bottle and came
(02:12):
across one or two on the market,but they were really expensive
and didn't strike me as beingvery safe because they were open
around the edges.
I figured the water isbypassing the filter a little
bit.
So I thought maybe this is anopportunity to create something.
So I just started Ergotrail.
I designed the filter and theflask and put the two items
(02:34):
together.
As you mentioned, you use alife straw and then a soft flask
, which is also a brilliantcombination.
But yeah, we made the flask thefilter and now I can run with
one bottle and just fill up atevery stream that I go to and
have enough hydration for thewhole time and not have to carry
pounds of weight on my back.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
That's true.
It's like kids in school withbackpacks full of books.
I feel like if you train withit, you can do it, but if you
can have something small andsimple and compact that you can
just apps and put in the pocketof your running, pants, exactly,
you can just put in your pocketnot only does it work in that
kind of setting, but at racesyou don't necessarily have to
(03:17):
stop drink out of a cup and thenlook for a trash can or a mess
for somebody else.
So I feel like it's a great.
It's comfortable and it's got abite valve on the top.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
I have one right here that was sent to us, so we can
try it out.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
We came prepared.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
And while I'm unboxing.
I know that I skipped the firstintro question.
I'm excited about this.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
Daisy, while he's unboxing your magical product
that we are in love with rightnow, tell us a little bit about
your background.
You said you're into trailrunning.
You live on an island, but howdid you get into running?
Speaker 3 (03:51):
Yes, it does sound absolutely bizarre.
I live on an island, so I'mfrom South Africa.
It's a small country at the tipof the African continent.
I'm from Cape Town, which isquite a well-known city.
It's got beautiful mountainsand a lot of trail to run there,
yeah.
So I started as a bit of aroadrunner doing the local 5k
here and there, and then slowlyrealized that it was more scenic
(04:14):
in the mountains, quieter and alittle bit more peaceful.
We go camping a lot, as Imentioned, so it's always nice
to get out into nature.
My husband and I moved toMauritius, this tiny island,
three years ago for work.
We are entrepreneurs, so heworks for himself, I work for
myself.
He does a few other Amazonbusinesses, which is how I was
(04:35):
able to get into doing a trailbrand on Amazon, which we'll get
into a little bit later.
But we just came for a bit ofan adventure.
It's been wonderful, and we areabout to move back to south
africa, which I'm very happyabout.
There's some really cool trailraces that I want to get
involved with there.
I've done quite a lot of racingin mauritius as well.
(04:56):
It's a good scene here.
So that's the story yes that'sa good story.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
We're having coffee because you're coming to us in
the morning a Sunday morning forus.
However, you're coming to us byway of the future.
This is exciting.
Can you get us the winninglottery tickets for the next?
Speaker 1 (05:16):
No.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
I'm kidding.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
That's a good idea.
Can we split?
Yeah, let's do it.
So it's actually 6pm where youare.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
Yes, it's do it, so it's actually 6 pm where you are
.
Yes, it's 6 pm and it isflipping hot.
I've got the air con on.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
Oh, we do most of the year here.
Even our winter is very mildand we're currently into the 80s
, pushing the 90s right now.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
How's the humidity where you are?
Speaker 3 (05:43):
Oh, it's usually like 80% plus.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
It's like our summers .
That's us.
Yes, that's like our summers.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
I'm so glad you guys can relate.
No one else can relate to this.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
We can, and the fact that your product addresses a
problem that we've had is reallynice.
There's a point of diminishingreturns, and I think you hit the
mark with three liters.
There's a point of diminishingreturns and I think you hit the
mark with three liters.
That's over a gallon in excessof eight pounds that you'd be
carrying on your back, if youdon't train your entire training
(06:14):
season with that kind of weight, you're going to have problems
with whether it's your hydrationpack.
It's shifting and it's chafingyour muscle aches caused from
carrying that extra weight.
Whatever the case may beCramping in your back and it's
just more stuff that you have todeal with.
Speaker 3 (06:31):
Nothing freeing about running on the trail with a
very heavy weighted pack.
It doesn't feel nice.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
This is it.
I'm showing this to everybodyon the camera here.
This is the Ergotrail flask,and this thing is tiny.
I can almost conceal itcompletely in one hand.
This would go easily in yourside pocket.
To me, it's ingenious toincorporate the filtration.
I don't know.
(06:58):
I would like to say no one'scrazy enough to just drink from
a stream and not have a filter.
But there are people who wouldtotally do that.
I promise you there are peoplewho would do that and that's a
great way to get nasty gut bugshospitalized or worse.
So this filter that you'veincluded I saw on your website
(07:21):
this gets out the microbes, theprotozoa, the amoebas, the
little creepy crawlies that canget you and I went, the factory
offered me what kind offiltration do you want?
Speaker 3 (07:30):
And I was like, listen, I am potentially filling
this up with very dirty waterand I want to make sure that I
will be safe and I can't sellsomething that could potentially
make other people sick.
So I said do it to the max andyou will see that when you use
it.
It does come with a littledrawback in that the flow is not
as fast as it would be withouta filter, but that's how you
(07:52):
know that the filter is doingits job, because if you open it
up, you can actually have a lookinside and see what the filter
looks like it comes off, so youcan use the flask with or
without the filter.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
I used it without the filter because I knew that we
would have nice, safe, cleandrinking water at the water stop
.
Speaker 3 (08:09):
If you open it up you can even take that little
rubber thing off the top.
You can have a look inside tosee what the filter looks like.
It's called a hollow tube.
Anything that is bigger thanthat filters through those tiny
little tubes filters throughthose tiny little tubes At other
trail filters.
The water goes in almost nearthe top, which doesn't make any
sense because it's supposed togo through the tubes to be
(08:29):
filtered.
It comes with the drawback thatthe flow isn't so fast.
But I would rather not get sickthan get a fast flow.
Speaker 1 (08:36):
It's funny that you said that the idea that a little
bit of water getting around thefilter, that's all it is.
And the microbes there are lotsof them in a little bit of
water.
Speaker 3 (08:46):
So it filters out all the protesura and any
contamination in the water andit also has activated carbon in
it which takes any sort of nastytaste out.
I store it in my fridge and thewater gets that freezer-y taste
.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
It even filters that taste out completely, which I
find a nice added benefit or itcan take on that kind of plastic
If it sits in plastic longenough.
Speaker 1 (09:08):
I've made that mistake.
I filled up hydration bladdersbefore, like in my backpack for
camping.
Filled it up just so that Iwouldn't have to worry about a
day of leaving and then thewater tastes of the bladder.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
So you've talked about coming up with it and the
process of getting the filterright, but how did you create it
?
How did you collaborate withothers to perfect it?
Speaker 3 (09:28):
So I first went to my husband and I said, listen, I
have this idea, what do youthink?
And he said, no, it sounds likea good idea.
I found different suppliersthat had ready-made things,
different options, and asupplier that specialized in
filtration, as opposed toathletic bottles, because I
wanted the emphasis to be on thefiltration.
(09:50):
There were a few design pointsI mentioned to them.
I really wanted it to have anice big opening, because I like
to scoop ice into my bottlesbefore I run and I like to scoop
drink mix, carb mix,electrolyte powder, whatever you
want to put in.
The other bottles always havetiny openings and if the powder
gets everywhere, it needs to becomfy and soft big opening.
(10:13):
And then the filter wasobviously the focus.
They gave me options ondifferent filtration and we went
with the maximal filtration.
It's a bit of a liability issuetoo, and an ethical issue.
I would never want to sellsomething that would put anyone
at risk.
So we made it the safest thatwe possibly could and it took
quite a long time.
(10:34):
It took about six monthsbecause, as everything is
manufactured in China, we hadsamples backwards and forwards
sent to us Different generationsof testing.
Exactly so.
They would send me some andthen I would fill them up, go
for a run, use it and then comeback to them and be like no, I
need to change that.
As a small business owner, Iobviously couldn't use a big
(10:57):
agent.
I had to do everything myselfand communicate with the
manufacturers.
If you come up with something,you can actually do it alone.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
You don't need to go through big companies and agents
.
I tell you, it sounds like youwent through and made the water
bottle you would want to usewhich I think is exactly what
you'd want to do.
Something that I noticed that Ireally like about this you've
got that big, wide opening, likeyou talked about, but you've
also got this harder.
I don't know if it's a plasticor a silicone shoulder.
I can hold on to that withoutsquishing the bottle, so I can
(11:33):
scoop ice in or I can get thefluid in.
That's just a nice littledesign touch that a lot of
companies might otherwiseoverlook.
I've seen some products wherethey try to make something like
this and it's a collapsiblebottle and it goes to a flip top
mouth, opening pain in the buttto fill.
So this this is much moreuser-friendly and you are
(11:55):
correct that.
Speaker 3 (11:56):
I said I made exactly what I wanted and I asked my
other trail running friends whatthey would want in a bottle.
I did quite a lot ofquestioning of people.
They sent me a few sampleswhere the bottom was harder like
the top.
I said absolutely no way,because if it's in a pocket or
in a pack and then it's tight,it's going to rub on you and
make you chafe, so it had to beperfect.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
You said you tested it.
Did you also have your runningtrail friends?
Test it as well?
Speaker 3 (12:25):
I asked them to help me with some of the marketing.
I did photo shoots with themand in exchange I would give
them bottles to taste and thingslike that oh that's cool,
wonderful.
Speaker 1 (12:36):
And I love the material you went with.
It's heavy duty, ripping,ripping yeah, I don't know what
you would call this if it'ssilicone or what.
Speaker 3 (12:44):
It's a type of plastic, but it is recyclable.
You can recycle it Okay.
Speaker 2 (12:50):
Well, it's.
Speaker 3 (12:51):
It's food grade and it's BPA free.
That was really important to mebecause I know a lot of
outdoorsy people really careabout these things.
I certainly do.
Being a plastic product,there's only so much you can do,
but I wanted to do the maximumthat we could.
Speaker 1 (13:05):
Plastics aren't all bad.
They only account for about 3%of landfill space.
If you reuse and recycle, it'svery responsible.
And heaven knows, we've seenthousands of environmentally
friendly paper cups crushed upand tossed on the side of race
courses.
Speaker 2 (13:23):
Yes, and we appreciate volunteers who pick
them up?
How long does the filter lastbefore you need to replace it?
Speaker 3 (13:31):
Yeah, that's a good question.
They couldn't really tell me anexact point.
They said a couple of years andyou will know If the taste
hollow fibers crack and breakphysically they're not filtering
, but until they get blockedthey could get blocked and the
(14:01):
water flow will stop and you'llknow that it's time to replace.
But there's no danger in it.
If it's working, it should begood.
Speaker 1 (14:09):
Yeah, and see, that's great, those cartridges.
In fact, let me check realquick You've got the ability to
get additional cartridges onyour website, correct?
Speaker 3 (14:19):
We don't, but we're working on that.
I wanted to be like theone-stop bottle shop and be able
to sell all the filtersseparately, the little bite
valves I want to add straws ifyou need them, I want to sell
replacement lids if you needanother one, and I wanted to do
it all separate.
But with Amazon it's a littlebit complicated and, yeah, it's
a little bit complex, but we'regetting there.
We're still a baby company.
Speaker 1 (14:41):
Coming soon.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
You said it took six months to create it and when you
got it, how long before it wason Amazon and what kind of
process was that?
Speaker 3 (14:49):
So while I was doing the design, my husband, the
expert, was doing the listingand the images.
By the time the soft glass wasready within those six months,
it took us a couple of weeksfrom there to make it live on
Amazon.
Wow.
Speaker 1 (15:04):
You moved quick at that point.
Speaker 2 (15:05):
Yeah, that is pretty efficient, offered in different
combinations on Amazon.
Speaker 3 (15:12):
So you can buy a three-pack, which is just the
bottle without the filters.
That's three soft flasks withbig openings.
Then you can buy a soft flaskwith the filter, and that's a
separate listing.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
If you were roadrunners doing organized
races, you might want the oneswithout the filters.
However, if you will use it forboth purposes, then you have
the complete package there aswell.
Speaker 3 (15:38):
Exactly.
And once you have the softglass, they still have that
little notch where you canattach the filter.
So if you buy a three pack theplain ones and you have one with
a filter, you can use thatfilter with all of the bottles.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
When you said years for the filter, I was thinking
it would be like a printercartridge situation where you
would have to replace it alsodepends how much you use it in
those years.
Speaker 3 (16:00):
If you're going to be filtering three times a day,
every day, then I would probablysay it might break down within
a year.
But if you're going to use itonce a week, it's going to be
very different.
That's why it's so difficult totell, because you can't really
say what it's going to breakdown and because it's a physical
thing, you'll know if it can'tfilter anymore, then it's broken
(16:20):
and that needs to be replacedso then it also came with
instructions and first usedirection.
Speaker 2 (16:29):
And yes, this situation right here packs they
looked like breath mints.
First to me, package likebreath mints.
Speaker 1 (16:38):
You'll only make that mistake once.
Speaker 2 (16:40):
Can you tell the Runcation Nation what these are?
Speaker 3 (16:43):
Yes, of course this comes from my personal
experience and I'm assumingother people have had the same.
When you buy a plastic softflask and fill it up for the
first time, you're very excitedand take it on your run.
You take a sip, it outimmediately and go why does it
taste like plastic?
So I was like okay, I know howI solve this problem.
I do it with all my soft glass.
(17:04):
I always soak them overnightwith a spoonful of, then in the
morning I just rinse it out andyou never have that taste ever
again.
And if you ever need to refreshit, you just do that again
again.
So I thought how can Iincorporate that I'm not going
to send a little bag of whitepowder along with the bottle?
Can you imagine?
Speaker 1 (17:22):
American law enforcement.
Speaker 3 (17:23):
would love that Can you imagine Exactly Some
foreigner trying to sell stuffon Amazon.
So anyway, I found thesetablets.
They're just pure baking sodatablets.
Oh look, what is this kitty'sname?
It's Garfield.
Speaker 2 (17:38):
Garfield, that's perfect.
Speaker 3 (17:40):
He's enormous, he's been booted.
He's so loud he doesn't stopmeowing.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
His name is Bruce and you can hear him no matter
where he is in the house.
Speaker 3 (17:50):
Bruce is such a good name for a cat.
Speaker 2 (17:52):
He's brilliant.
Yeah, he's so cute.
Speaker 3 (17:57):
Animals with human names.
Such a good name for a cat,yeah, brilliant, yeah, he's so
cute.
So I found these baking sodatablets and I thought I'm just
going to throw two of those inthe box.
You got two, right, yes, okay.
And then I wrote a wholeinstruction sheet on what to do
with them.
The instructions say you shouldjust put them in the bottle
overnight with some water, whenyou first get it, and then the
next day give it a good wash.
Speaker 2 (18:13):
Should you repeat that process during the use of
it?
Speaker 3 (18:18):
So if it ever gets any sort of smell, if you've
used a drink mix in it orwithout the filter and you left
it in your pack overnight bymistake or something like that,
and it starts smelling funky,you just need to soak it with
some baking soda and the nextday wash it out and it'll be all
good.
It's actually a really greattip for any bladder, soft glass,
(18:39):
anything like that.
You can always use baking sodato refresh them.
And then the other thing I dois I always keep them in the
freezer when I'm done with them.
I get home, give it a rinse,chuck it in the freezer and sort
it, because you'll never getmold that way if you store them
in a humid climate.
Speaker 1 (18:56):
Absolutely.
What might be worse than theflavor of the plastic from the
bladder or from the soft pack isthe flavor of penicillin when
you take a sip out of it.
I need to cleanse this.
We need to purge it, so that'sa great tip, not only for these,
but for any big bladder.
I'm excited for what's to comewhen you mention straws being
(19:19):
able to put something like thison your shoulder and then have a
straw with a bite valve or, youknow, on the side of your
backpack or it would fit in avest this is also going to
appeal to that ultralight crew,that subculture of campers and
runners creating argumentsonline about going down to the
gram in terms of total weightyou're carrying, if you're not
(19:42):
familiar with the equipment theyuse for camping the tents, the
backpacks, they're all made ofmaterials that are just super
space age, very light.
They can still sometimes carry35, 40 pounds total on a camping
trip and that's it they've goteverything that they need, and
that that includes food andeverything.
(20:03):
But to have something like this,where you can that weighs next
to nothing, yeah and you're aslong as you've got a water
source nearby exactly like yousaid we are big fans of element
oh yeah you love element.
Speaker 3 (20:16):
It's so good for electrolytes.
Speaker 2 (20:18):
We need it because of the humidity and heat so you
can use it in here.
You just put it in the bottombefore you travel or put the
water in there and then I'mguessing, for those uses you
don't want the filter in exactly.
Speaker 3 (20:31):
you just stick it in your pocket or in one of the
pockets on your vest, on yourpack, and then, when it's empty
and you want to refill, you justattach it.
That's why it was important forme that you could remove it and
put it back.
Speaker 2 (20:43):
The filter.
Speaker 3 (20:43):
Because there's various different liquids that
you're going to be using in it,by the way, you don't want that,
because you need that.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
Put it in, then you filter it.
Speaker 2 (20:51):
Oh, that's because yesterday I brought it to a race
that was entirely on a beach,daisy, and I didn't use the
filter because they had waterstops where I could fill up the
bottle and it was fine.
But if you have salt water andit's not like an electrolyte
drink, will the filter that out,so that it.
(21:12):
I don't know, I'm bad atscience.
Speaker 1 (21:14):
We haven't.
Will this do salt water?
I don't know'm bad at science.
We have it.
Will this do salt water?
I don't know, but I doubt it.
Speaker 2 (21:25):
Salination is quite a specific process which I'm not
familiar with.
You probably clog up yourfilter super quick.
It's a lot of salt.
Yeah, it's a lot of salt, no,okay and most trail runs aren't
going on.
Speaker 3 (21:31):
That is so.
I did it right.
Watch us run down to the beachto taste this tomorrow, if you
do let us know how it goes.
Speaker 2 (21:38):
Report back.
What kind of feedback did youget from people when you started
to put it out there in terms oftestimonials and use?
Speaker 3 (21:50):
yeah, we've had really good feedback for the
guys that I gave the filters inexchange for their time to do
photo shoots with me.
They're all pretty seriousultra runners, training for five
plus hours a day on weekends.
They needed something like this.
They were drinking the riverwater, not filtered, also
getting a lot of GI stuff whereI'd be like maybe it's from that
(22:13):
river water.
They were really happy.
They've been training with themever since.
They haven't stopped using them.
As I said, nothing's perfect,but the one complaint we've had
is with the faster guys.
The flow isn't fast enough forthem because you can't really
gulp because it's going throughthe filter, it's going to be
slower.
But there's a little workaround.
That I do when I'm trying torun faster is that I will stop
(22:37):
at a river, I'll refill thebottle and then I just take off
the little bite valve and refillmy other bottle with the
filtered water.
I actually turn it upside downand I'll pour it into another
bottle and then, once thatbottle's filtered, I'll close it
up and drink that bottle with afaster flow'll close it up and
drink that bottle with a fasterflow while I'm running, if that
(22:58):
makes any sense.
Speaker 1 (22:59):
It makes total sense.
Speaker 3 (23:00):
I just use it as like a filter, not like a bottle.
Speaker 1 (23:02):
I just use it as like a jug filter on the go and
they're light anyway, I've seenthat type of setup for camping
have a bladder, a filter, in theconnector that goes to another
bag.
That is super smart to be ableto do that on the go.
Okay, those setups are like twoor three liter bags hanging on
a tree.
Speaker 3 (23:21):
I've seen these ever do this, where they hang them up
and let it drip through.
It's exactly like that, exceptI squeeze it.
Hurry up.
Speaker 1 (23:28):
That's perfect, and to be able to do it on the go is
fantastic.
Speaker 2 (23:31):
Yeah, so it seems like it's good for short
fantastic.
Speaker 3 (23:37):
Yeah, so it seems like it's good.
For short, I know that I testedit in the 5k Back from injury.
Speaker 2 (23:39):
How far have you taken it and what running
distances?
Speaker 3 (23:44):
So I'm not one of those hundred mile runners yet.
Don't know if it will happen inmy future, but we have a couple
of those in our runcationnation too.
Speaker 2 (23:55):
Yes, we have Coach Twigs and Dean Gerber out there.
So, as you're listening to thisepisode, that's you guys.
That's epic.
Speaker 3 (24:01):
Much respect to all the miler runners out there.
My favorite racing distance atthe moment is 30 to 58
kilometers.
I don't know what that would bein miles, do you guys know?
Speaker 1 (24:12):
She's going to find out Kilometers, 32 kilometers
and 58 kilometers.
Speaker 3 (24:17):
I race anything from 20 to 58 at the moment, but I am
thinking about signing up formy first 100K this year.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
Okay, it says 58 is 36 point.
Speaker 3 (24:29):
That's the longest race I've ever done.
Speaker 2 (24:31):
And then 100 would be 62.1.
Speaker 1 (24:35):
That's a.
Speaker 3 (24:37):
I did my longest race this last year and I qualified
to go to OCC at UTMB the WorldSeries Finals in August this
year.
Congratulations, that's the aim.
It's in France.
So yeah, I'm going to try andget there, but if I don't, I'll
make a plan at some point.
Speaker 2 (24:57):
So what is this event that you've qualified for in
August?
Speaker 3 (25:02):
It's called UTMB Ultra Trail Mont Blanc and it's
the World Series final.
They hold races across theworld and you eventually qualify
to go and do one of the racesin Chamonix in August.
Speaker 2 (25:13):
Is that the most recent thing on your race
calendar?
Speaker 3 (25:17):
Yeah, I have a few races coming up In another
couple of weeks.
I'm about to do a 30K on theisland.
It will be pretty fast and alittle bit technical with about
2000 meters of climbing.
And then I'm doing a mountainmarathon in South Africa in May,
which is 42.2.
(25:37):
I'm just trying not to getinjured at the moment eating
enough, drinking enough andtrying to stay on top of any
niggles.
Speaker 1 (25:46):
Absolutely.
You don't want to run past thethreshold of irritation.
Speaker 2 (25:50):
Yes, because you want to show up at the start line,
exactly.
Speaker 1 (25:53):
Do you have a race in mind that you've done in the
past that you would consider tobe a must-do for runners?
Speaker 3 (26:01):
Oh, it's so difficult if I'm speaking to an American
audience because I can't tellyou to come to Mauritius.
It's this tiny little islandoff the coast.
Speaker 1 (26:09):
We are technically international.
Speaker 2 (26:11):
We are international.
We have people in Canada.
Speaker 3 (26:13):
Germany.
I just feel like America has somuch to offer.
It's a huge continent that ifyou want to travel you can come
to Mauritius or South Africa.
The one I would say that anyoneshould try is Ultra Trail Cape
Town.
It's in Cape Town everyNovember, the end of November,
and it attracts a lot ofinternational runners.
You guys have had a lot ofathletes come and perform really
(26:36):
well.
Jim came and did it andWormsley Jim Wormsley Okay, yeah
, he came and did it and won it.
Courtney DeWalter was there afew years ago and she came and
won it.
Every year there's a whole USteam and it's a beautiful race.
It showcases the best that CapeTown has to offer, because you
can do the 100 mile and see theentire coast.
(26:58):
You see the Indian Ocean, theAtlantic Ocean, you have views
from Table Mountain.
So, yeah, it's got everythingthat a good trail race should
have and it's got the vibe andthe community too.
We always look forward tosharing that with our
international runners.
Speaker 2 (27:14):
It's always good to be able to because, like we
always say, the nicest peopleyou'll ever meet are runners.
Speaker 1 (27:21):
Absolutely.
Speaker 3 (27:22):
It's so true.
It's so true.
I don't know if it makes usnicer or if nice people are
attracted to running, but you'reso right.
It's such a supportive, warmcommunity.
You can go anywhere in theworld and as long as you find a
couple of runners, you're good.
You'll have a great time.
Speaker 2 (27:36):
And people motivate you.
Speaker 1 (27:38):
It's the trauma bond of everyone having been out
there for the miles and in theheat, and you understand that a
mile is a mile or a kilometer isa kilometer, regardless of your
speed.
I think there's that bond therefor sure.
Speaker 3 (27:55):
When you carry hydration in a race, what do you
put in your hydro flask?
I usually do one flask oftailwind.
I love tailwind.
I've always used it.
Speaker 1 (28:01):
Fans.
Speaker 3 (28:02):
Always with caffeine.
The caffeine is anon-negotiable for me.
The Tailwind flavors that arecaffeine, I think, are the
raspberry, the raspberry and afew of the others do have it.
So yeah, tailwind with caffeinein one flask, and then in the
other flask I do an electrolyte.
If I'm in a very hot situation,I'll have one of plain water.
Always, plain water is a must.
Speaker 2 (28:24):
Yeah, do you carry any nutrition?
Speaker 3 (28:29):
Yes, so I tend to use gels or energy drink at the
distances that I'm racing, likethe 20s, 30s, 40s.
It's all a little bit fast too.
I tried half a sandwich in my50k last year and I actually I
just couldn't.
I'm quite jealous of the peoplethat can eat real food during a
race.
For me, I'm all about the gels.
(28:50):
I use a lot of SIS, science andSport, those isotonic gels.
Those are really good.
So between tailwind and gels,that's usually my feeling, and I
try to get between 60 to 100grams of carb per hour.
In a race.
You do music or run.
(29:10):
I listen to podcasts a lot whenI run.
Speaker 1 (29:14):
Me too.
Speaker 3 (29:14):
Yes, we love it, we love it.
And then music and races.
When I'm struggling withmotivation, you need a little
bit of a kick in the butt.
Then you put your music on.
Speaker 2 (29:26):
Okay, We've talked about nutrition during a race.
We've talked about hydrationduring a race.
Let's talk about crossing thefinish line and then celebrating
.
With what food and whatbeverage?
Where have you found the bestcelebratory meals and beverages?
Speaker 3 (29:42):
That is such a good question.
Certainly not.
Russia, it's the future issubpar.
South africa, it's an island.
Everything is imported.
It's very sad, yeah, but yeah,in south africa definitely, my
go-to post-race meal is always aburger.
I just need that protein.
(30:02):
It's just the perfectcombination of protein and carb
and everything.
And then post race generally,like at ultras and at trail
races in South Africa, you gethanded a beer or like some sort
of ale at the end, which worksreally well for recovery.
Yeah, nothing like an ice coldbeer as you cross that line,
right.
Speaker 2 (30:20):
Yes, Like a lighter one I'm not going for.
Speaker 1 (30:22):
I know we like stouts and no, not for post race.
Speaker 2 (30:25):
Yeah, this is not the time for that.
Something light, and easy, likea lager or yes, very good.
Speaker 1 (30:34):
So, daisy, where can the Runcation Nation connect
with you online social media andwhere can they get their very
own Ergotrail flask?
Speaker 3 (30:44):
You can check out the Ergotrail product on Amazon.
You can search for them or Iwill send you a link.
I wanted to offer you adiscount code for your audience,
so it will be a decent one.
I just have to speak to theAmazon expert.
In terms of finding us onsocial media, we are on
Instagram.
Ergo underscore trail and daisyunderscore myberg is my running
(31:08):
and trail running instagramthank you for the discount code.
Speaker 1 (31:13):
We're going to have links to everything in the show
notes, your social media, whereto get the ergo trail flask and
website information on thediscount code, and then the
website with all thetestimonials.
Speaker 2 (31:24):
Our website.
Speaker 3 (31:24):
Our website is sorry.
You're right, we do have awebsite.
We're not only on Instagram.
Speaker 2 (31:29):
We just want to tell everybody everywhere you know
yes, thank you so much.
Speaker 3 (31:33):
That's amazing.
I love how you support smallbusinesses and entrepreneurs.
Our website is ergotrailcom andyou can find it.
Speaker 1 (31:41):
And I'm on the website right now.
It's a great site, it's afantastic product and we are
just excited to tell theRuncation Nation about it.
We're grateful for having youon the show today.
Speaker 3 (31:52):
Thank you for the discount.
I'm definitely going to belistening to more of your
podcasts on my runs.
Thank you so much fordiscussing the bottle with me.
Speaker 2 (32:01):
Oh yeah, we can't wait to follow it and keep up
with all the latest innovationsas you add to it, because it
sounds like you're verypassionate about it.
Speaker 1 (32:10):
You can come back on the show anytime and tell us
about what's next and new forthe Ergo Trail line.
Speaker 3 (32:16):
I appreciate it and I hope you guys will come and
visit me in South Africa.
I will show you all the winefarms and food.
The food there is next levelWine.
Speaker 2 (32:25):
That sounds amazing.
It's not breweries, it's winefarms.
Speaker 3 (32:29):
There are breweries, we can do as well.
Speaker 2 (32:32):
But you're a fan of the wine farms.
Speaker 3 (32:34):
The wine farms in South Africa offer a holistic
experience of food and wineviews, places for kids to run
and play, pools to swim in andvegetable gardens to look at.
It's just unreal.
Speaker 1 (32:47):
Thank you very much again for coming on the show
today Daisy.
We are looking forward toexploring and indulging with you
at some point in thenot-too-distant future.
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