Road ID is the type of product you need but never hope to use. It could in all reality be a life saver. Road ID (www.roadid.com) sells a number of safety products for runners and cyclists that provide a form of personal ID in the event that you are ever incapacitated or unable to help yourself for whatever reason.

I have a few of their products; a ‘Wrist ID Sport’ which I wear for running and cycling, a ‘Wrist ID Slim’ which I wear at all other times (I drive over 100 miles every day round trip from home to work) and a ‘Supernova’ high visibility light. They also sell a ‘Shoe ID’ which attaches to your running shoe and you never have to remember to do anything with that until you swap your shoes out.

Sport ID

Slim ID

Shoe ID

With the IDs there are two types – ‘Original’ and ‘Active’. The ‘Original’ ID is just that. You list your name and any information and phone numbers you think would be helpful. I purchased the ‘Original’ for my father to attach to his golf shoe. He lists his name and birth year (so first responders can tell his age), shows that he has a heart condition and lists his home number, my mother’s cell number and my cell number for when he is in the US.

I purchased the ‘Active ID’ for both myself and my wife (she has the Shoe ID). This lists my name, birth year, the fact that I wear contact lenses and has a call center number 1-8XX and web address for first responders to connect. On the back there is a serial and pin number. The first responder can call this call center number and this is where the ‘Active’ part comes into play. With the ‘Active’ ID you set up your personal information on a secure site which allows you to document significantly more information that one or two lines on the ID. This has a list of emergency contact numbers, my medical insurance information, my family doctor/dentist/ophthalmologist contact information and lists, my medical history and any current medications. The good part of this is the Emergency Responders are now familiar with this type of product and will look for it. There is an annual fee for this service and in my opinion it is worth the cost when you take into account what you pay for race entry fees and other running gear.

The products are designed for areas of the body (wrist, ankle) where typically an EMT will look for a pulse so they should be easily noticed.

The other product I use is the ‘Supernova’ light. It is a really bright light that I attach to the back of my hat when running in the early hours when it is dark. It is so lightweight you will never notice it. They make accessories to go along with the light such as wrist bands and bike attachments. Its pretty inexpensive and worth the cost.

Supernova light

RoadID often sponsors races and the bibs typically include a $1 coupon that you can use to order products. If you look around you will probably see discount coupons around the internet or in mailings.

It is something I hope I never have to rely on but it does give peace of mind knowing that I have a ‘backup’ system out there.

If you visit the site don’t forget to check out the apparel section. I purchased a couple of running hats and a visor. They are made by Headsweats which is a great brand too. I find them to be perfectly comfortable and perform as designed in keeping me cool and dry during my training and races. They have the RoadID logo on them and plenty of reflective material so I use these on my early morning runs. As they are essentially promotional items they are discounted over the regular non branded Headsweats gear and are a great value.

Visor

Race hat (my go to hat)

You can purchase directly from their site using this link.